Max recharge, min outlay
Feeling the pinch and don’t think a quick spring break is on the cards? Think again. Holiday smart and you can land a Newquay getaway that’s light on your wallet and big on holiday highs.
After a long winter it’s no wonder you’re hankering for fresh sea air to whip a glow to your cheeks and carefree beach days to put a spring in your step. Can’t afford it? Don’t have time? Pah! Swap your excuses for blue-sky thinking. Here’s how to pull off a savvy short break where the bottom line is the shoreline.
Swap boat trips for shore safaris
Whales, dolphins and gannets galore. There’s no need to pay out on boat rides to see Cornwall’s wildlife wonders. Save your pennies, pack a pair of binoculars and explore on foot. Spot gannets diving for dinner on Newquay’s beaches, seals bobbing between buoys on the Gannel, and dolphins chasing mackerel shoals across the bay. Get lucky and you could even catch the mighty humpback whales seen at Watergate Bay, Bedruthan Steps and even from the bay windows at SeaSpace.
Our favourite shoreline sealife viewpoints are the Huer’s Hut, Porth Island, and Park Head – check Cornwall Wildlife Trust for updates on the latest sightings.
Trade four wheels for two
Forget fuel prices and explore Newquay on two wheels instead. Electric Beryl Bikes make it a cinch to cruise the hilly coastline, zip into town for a coffee, or roll to the wide-open views of Pentire Headland. No petrol or parking stress, just freewheeling freedom.
Prefer pure pedal power over e-bikes? Bring your own bike – or get one delivered to your door – and hit the trails snaking through Newquay and beyond. Follow bridle ways and country lanes to Perranporth, or test your cycle strength on a stint of the 195-mile Cornish Way running from Bude to Land’s End.
Walk The Salt Path
We can’t wait for Raynor Winn’s The Salt Path to hit the big screen in May, starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs. You don’t need a penny to follow the author’s footsteps and strike out along the South West Coast Path. Get ahead of the crowds to go set-strolling on Fistral Beach and Holywell Bay, and tap into the transformative powers of nature along Newquay’s wild coastline.
Budget board riding
Joining Newquay’s famous surf scene doesn’t have to break the bank. Borrow a wooden bellyboard for free from local makers Dick Pearce. The earliest surf craft used in Cornwall, with no struggling to get to your feet for that saltwater high. Our top spot for bellyboarding is Porth Beach –sheltered, sandy rollers, with stand-up surfing banned, so you won’t have to dodge the finned boards while you’re zooming shoreward with a Cheshire-cat grin.
If you’re curious about Cornwall’s surf heritage, check out the brand new Surf! 100 Years of Wave Riding in Cornwall exhibition over in Falmouth, while you’re here.
Saunas and sea dips
No need to splash the cash on fancy spa days and posh pampering; the wellbeing ritual of hot and cold water therapies is a growing part of Newquay life, and costs very little. All you need for a Finnish-style recharge is a bracing sea dip paired with a stress-busting sizzle in a shoreside sauna.
Olla Hiki Sauna on Fistral Beach and the Wavehunters sauna on Watergate Bay are both perfect spots to yo-yo between the warmth and the waves, while Saunassa offers drop-in access to its sauna, hot tubs, and ice baths in the heart of town.
Credit: Olla Hiki Sauna
Cheap eats
Cornwall’s not short of fine dining restaurants and cool cafés, but why not eat well for less by cooking up your own storm of local ingredients from land and sea? Fill your basket with Cornish goodness at local markets, delis and food emporiums, then whip up a feast in your fully kitted-out kitchen, or pack up a picnic for affordable, alfresco dining by the sea. Some of our favourite local spots to source delectable scram?
The market garden at Newquay Community Orchard
Sprout Health Foods
Golden hours don’t cost gold
Early to bed and early to rise means less evening spending, more making the most of Mother Nature’s blazing light shows at the beginning and end of each day – for free. Take a flask of coffee to Porth Island under the pinky hues of sunrise. Come back with a blanket for the day’s final curtain call. You might even catch the legendary ‘green flash’ glimpsed by souls along this stretch over the centuries.
Credit: Visit Newquay
Check out SeaSpace’s studios and apartments for short breaks made for maxing, with prices from £32pppn for a family of five in a large studio.