Welcome to the third part of Cornwall on Sunday, an episode a little less rosy than the rest.
According to my slightly aged Lonely Planet Great Britain, Newquay is the kind of place you either love or loathe. Loathe is much too strong a word. That said, Newquay didn’t really appeal to me.
Sure, Newquay has its pretty spots, there are flowers, hills, bluffs and white-sand beaches. But humans have put some grotty marks on nature’s groundwork here. Newquay, you see, is Cornwall’s surfing mecca and party town numero uno. It’s full of pubs, bars, drunks and surf bums, who apparently live to surf. Some, I think, even live on the beach and have for the last 20 years. Then there’s the traffic.
On a somewhat irrelevant note: it’s difficult to dislike anyone who drives a Citroën.
Newquay for kids. Really!
So why on earth have I called this post Newquay for kids? Did I really mean Newquay for kids – not!?
No, not at all! My then 8-year-old didn’t notice any of Newquay’s dodgier bits. She remembers doing cartwheels on the beach.
She remembers the penny arcade. She loves the blasted things, and I, well… I always try to divert her attention somewhere else, usually without success. I think I can safely say I loathe penny arcades.
And she remembers lions, zebras and lemurs. She remembers being deliciously frightened by creepy crawlies and getting up close with penguins. In short, she remembers Newquay Zoo.
It’s a nice, responsible little zoo, and part of the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust.
I’m with you, I hate penny arcades too!
Aaarg… penny arcades.
Children are amazing in that way. No matter what wonders you take them to see they always end up finding the best attractions in a stray cat or a stupid machine:)
So true. Here’s the Colosseum… oh, look, a squirrel…
The great thing is that kids always find the best in any place that we, as adults with more complex tastes, cannot find interesting at all.
Sad in a way, that they outgrow it…
I know exactly what you mean about some of these surfer types looking like they have lived on the beach for years. My impression of Newquay too. It’s better when you get out of town a ways.
Absolutely! Trerice, for example, is in the neighbourhood. Coming to that on another Cornwall Sunday 🙂
Sorry to hear of the human destruction to Newquay. Hate when people do that. It is incredibly selfish and self-absorbed of them.
Not sure they mean to destroy, it’s more… well, being self-absorbed, as you say.
How would anyone loathe this place? From all the pictures it certainly looks like a place to travel and enjoy yourself. Beach, animals, awesome scenery, what’s not to like??
I suppose some loathe it for the loud, rowdy crowd.
I look forward to travelling with a little one someday so he or she can fall in love with all the ugly bits of destinations and travel that should have grown on me by now =)
One certainly sees places very differently with a child along.
I love how you manage to find good stuff even in places that aren’t all that appealing.
Thanks, Robert. There’s always something.
Thank you for this post it has been really hleufpl, I am taking the family down to Cornwall for the first time in the Easter holidays. I am a bit nervous as I have never been camping with the entire family but I can not wait to get everyone involved with some . I have been doing them to raise money for a few years but it is the first time with the family. I am definitely keen to see how they get on!
Hope you’ll have a fun holiday 🙂
I love this. It’s great how you’ve shown a completely different perspective through your daughter’s eyes.
Thanks, Lisa. It’s interesting how our perception changes through the years.
I’ve been to Newquay and didn’t love it. Now, though, I want to see it again, through your daughter’s eyes. A great reminder that there’s more than one way of viewing a place!
Definitely one of the advantages of travelling with children that.