Newquay

Newquay has a defiantly youthful air, making it difficult to imagine the town enjoying any history extending more than a few years back. In fact Newquay has 1,600 years of history and has seen a dramatic change of identity from fortified cliff settlement, through tiny port to premier resort. Iron Age Man smelted ore here for weapons and tools, Industrial Age Man made it his conduit for the trade in tin and china clay, but Modern man found its hidden gold; the chain of eleven beaches have transformed Newquay in less than a century into the most popular holiday resort in Cornwall.

Sixteen hundred years ago all that existed within the modern boundary was a settlement on Porth Island. In 1439 Bishop Lacey of Exeter allowed the burghers of what was then called Towan Blystra to build a New Quay. It was the beginning of the town’s second life as a fishing port, culminating in the arrival of the great pilchard shoals of the 18th century and the sgalvanisingtirring cry of ‘Hheva!’ from the whitewashed Huer’s Hut, still standing above the harbour. Here, the Huer would scan the sea looking for shoals of pilchards, which caused the water to turn red, and, once spotted, he would alert the fishing crews by calling ‘hevva, hevva’, meaning ‘found, found’, through a long loud-hailer. He would then guide the boats towards the shoal with semaphore-style signals using a pair of bats known as bushes. The term ‘hue and cry’ comes from the same source. In the 17th and 18th centuries, low wages from fishing and agriculture were supplemented by smuggling and more sinisterly the ‘wrecking’ made famous in Daphne du Maurier’s Jamaica Inn.

Celebrity entrepreneur and TV Dragon, Duncan Bannatyne, masterminded Newquay’s latest innovative swashbuckling adventure, Buccaneer Bay (a redevelopment of a long-established attraction, Tunnels Through Time). Stunning visual affects, atmospheric lighting and an amazing sound system provide an exciting backdrop for 21st century attractions such as ‘Scare’ and the ‘The Sunken Village of the Damned’. Take a journey through the coves and lanes of old Cornwall where sight, sound and smell fire the imagination – sort of Madame Tussauds does pirates.

These days Newquay is the resort with all the nightlife, but not so much of the culture. However, there is the Lane Theatre, the only theatre in Newquay, it. The theatre seats 136138, has a licensed ‘Cosy Nook’ bar, facilities for the disabled and a free car park. Comedy plays are presented throughout the summer season. The theatre is owned and operated by Newquay Dramatic Society.

The stunning beaches in Newquay alone combine the roles of playground, stadium and theatre, providing an unrivalled source for traditional English seaside pursuits as well as a launch pad for a full range of watersports such as surfing, kitesurfing, waveski, mountain boarding and extreme activities for beginner and champion alike. Towan Beach is one of those fine beaches overlooked by the town, and is the closest to the town centre. Situated on the Towan Promenade, the Blue Reef Aquarium brings the Atlantic on-shore with a fascinating slice of life beneath the waves. Walk a tunnel through a giant tropical ocean display and enjoy over 30 living displays featuring amazing sea life. There’s a daily programme of talks and activities at this fascinating place. Great Western and Tolcarne are also popular with families, and usually less crowded.

The biggest of Newquay’s beaches is Watergate Bay, a glorious expanse of fine sand 3 miles out of town on the Padstow road. Here and at Crantock, Fistral, Towan, Great Western, Porth and Tolcarne and Mawgan Porth beaches a lifeguard service operates in the summerMay to September. Newquay Town Council hired the first full-time lifeguards in 1959, and during the 1960’s lifeguards were recruited from as far afield as Australia, South Africa and Hawaii. Warren Mitchell, a lifeguard from Australia, worked in Newquay and he saw an a RNLI inshore lifeboat on ain service. He was inspired and he took the idea back to Australia and developed the modern lifeguard inshore rescue boat.

All of the above beaches are popular with surfers, but the jewel in Cornwall’s crown and the most challenging is Fistral Beach, fully exposed to the Atlantic, the fierce breakers make it an ideal venue for national and international competitions. The standard of surfing in the water is high, especially at North and Little Fistral. Experts and intermediates paddle out by the rocks using the rip while beginners stay to the middle of the bay. The National Surfing Centre Surf School on Fistral beach has been established since 1988 and is one of Britain’s longest running and most highly reputable surf schools.

Run to the Sun Festival was created from a natural affinity between the car and beach culture, the surfer’s love of the VW Beetle, and has grown into one of the largest Custom Car, VW and dance festivals in Europe since its conception in 1987. Now thousands of car enthusiasts from across the UK and beyond travel to Newquay to indulge in this annual festival, which attracts somewhere in the region of 80,000 visitors each year.

If you feel like escaping the seaside crowds, you’ll appreciate the tranquility of Trenance Gardens, formal gardens with streams and a boating lake next to the Gannel estuary, a haven for wildlife. Here the mild climate caused by the Gulf Stream ensures that palm trees flourish. Within Trenance Leisure Park, Waterworld offers two indoor swimming pools, a 60-metre flume and other entertainment; there’s also crazy golf and a mini train ride.

The park is also home to Newquay Zoo, more than 250,000 people visit this zoo each year. The zoo is set in over ten 10 acres of sub-tropical lakeside gardens. Here conservation, education and entertainment go hand in hand. With Red Pandas, zebra, antelope and lions from the African plains to the nocturnal world of the Rodrigues bats, zoo trails and talks by the keepers, there is always plenty here to see and do for visitors of all ages. If you like animals then you and the family will love enjoy DairyLand Farm World, near Newquay, a fabulous all-weather family day out with attractions suitable for all age groups. DairyLand Farm World is a real working farm and children of all ages will love the endless list of attractions on offer to them. From pony rides to tractor rides, bottle-feeding to milking, there is certainly something for everyone.

Every season a free newspaper is published, containing features of local interest and a ‘What’s On’ guide. The summer months feature such events as a balloon festival, gig-racing for both men and women’s teams, surfing and surf life-saving events and championships and the RNLI Lifeboat Day. For a full list of events contact the Newquay Tourist Information Centre.

Because of its position at the heart of Cornwall, Newquay makes the perfect touring base to explore its history and legend and with its nearby Newquay Airport it’s easily reached too. To the northeast is Tintagel where Merlin wove his spells and King Arthur held court. To the east is Roche Rock, spiritual home of the Cornish Gorsedd and the wildly beautiful moorland of Bodmin. And south is the 11th century Restormel Castle, one-time home of the Black Prince, the beautiful valley of the Fowey and the lushly different riviera of sleepy estuaries, secluded coves and picturesque fishing villages like Mevagissey.