Beaches near St Austell??

[curlysue]

I'm going to Polgooth just outside St Austell with my two dds (the first time that just the three of us have been on holiday) next month. Does anyone have any recommendations for that area - good beaches/ things to do when wet etc?

Hope you can help!

cs - are you driving down? If so, go to Newquay, its not far from St Austell. There's a couple of good beaches there and a zoo if its sunny and if its raining, there's a sealife centre. There's also an indoor kids play thing somewhere round there (I'll find out where).

Classic wet weather suggestion for St Austell is the Eden Project (only problem is just about everyone else in Cornwall will think the same!!) - but kids do love - it - never seen such a well behaved bunch of kids as when I went there a few years ago..

Interesting you recommend the Eden project mto7. Lots of people have told me it's not great for young kids (my two are 6 and 4).

WK yes I will be driving. Have been to Perranporth before and went to the diary farm adventure place which was excellent I seem to remember.

Thanks for your help so far!

Can recommend Dairyland near Newquay. Lots of indoor things if weather is bad too. Pony rides, ball pools, mini JCBs to dig in the sandpits with, rabbits, feeding the lambs etc. Cows don't sound that exciting - but it is good fun!

Tips for Eden Project. I think you can still buy tickets in advance from Tourist Info places-allows you to bypass the main queues. Another tip is to go in the afternoon rather than in the morning. Hopefully some of the early arrivers will start to leave & there will be car parking places available near the entrance. Not a great deal for young kids although its a couple of years since we last went. An interesting place though. Check out the Eden website for more tips. Its quite a walk to get to the domes though - so you would get quite wet if raining.

I may be wrong, but think there is a little harbour place called Mevagissey nearby which had the best Cornish pasties in the world!! And little shops to browse in. But it is many yrs since I was there!

Curlysue - visited Eden Project before my baby - so I was a bit unchildren aware IYSWIM. Been to Mevagissey - lovely place with harbour and you can get a boat to Fowey, where Daphne Du Maurier lived - another nice villagey place.

I think if your children are interested in nature, the environment etc then Eden is really good! My Ds was only 7m when we went there - I though it was great and he didn't seem to mind it much! Stayed at Mevagissey 2 years ago. Went to a nice beach that was (longish) walking distance from there but neither DH nor I can remember what it was called - sorry, not very helpful at all. Agree with littlerach - pasties are very nice!

Kynance Cove is on the Lizard Peninsular south of St Austell. It is a National Trust beach and absolutely beautiful, although a bit of a trek down a hill to get to it, BUT so worth it though!. Mevagissey, as previous poster recommended is also very nice. Stayed there for a week in 1995 (pre-kids) but I think suitable anyway for a visit.