Kids news 2019

Ideas for you and your family, from hotel stays to fun kiddy-friendly outings.

Your dream St Ives family getaway

Escape to St Ives is a family run, self-catering letting agency that prides itself on providing quality accommodation for the perfect family holiday experience. St Ives is ringed by beaches including two stunning Blue Flag beaches that have all the facilities you would expect, including life guards, cafés and a surf school. It also offers a wealth of activities that will engage both you and your children, including pony trekking and Tate St Ives Art Workshops.

For a dose of culture visit either the Tate St Ives or the Barbara Hepworth Museum, or simply peruse the many galleries found in town. Then top it all off with a meal at one of St Ives’ many gourmet restaurants and eateries.

For more information call 01736 769198 or visit www.escapetostives.co.uk

Grab a beachside bite at Catch

Commanding a superb location by Mawgan Porth beach, if you have an appetite for fish, seafood and steak, Catch Seafood Bar and Grill is the place to go. It’s great for kids too, with Mini-Mains available for little ones who want to get messy shelling prawns and mussels!

Just 20 paces from the sand, Catch is perfect for grabbing a bite after a family beach day. It’s next to two huge car parks, which makes it super convenient, and for those who want to try riding the waves, there’s surf hire available on the beach – a great way to work up an appetite. There’s also a crazy golf course and family pitch and putt just behind the beach!

Open for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, as well as coffee, cream teas and cocktails, be sure to call into Catch!

For more information call 01637 860372 or visit www.catchmawganporthbeach.co.uk

Escape to Cartole Cottages

Located deep in the heart of south east Cornwall near the bustling port of Looe and described by guests as ‘wonderful’, ‘very comfortable’ and in a ‘great location for exploring the local area’, it’s no wonder Cartole Cottages scores an average of 4.8 out of 5 on Upfront Reviews!

Cartole is the perfect place for a family holiday. Indeed, as one happy guest tells us: “The rural location was perfect for escaping everyday life, and our little
ones loved playing in the park and roaming around the open grass areas.”

Each cottage here has its own charm and identity, many enjoying beamed ceilings and areas of original stonework. Each also has its own patio area, perfect for summer barbeques, and you’ll find everything inside you’re likely to need, come rain or shine, for the perfect relaxing Cornish break.

For more information call 01503 220956 or visit www.cartole.co.uk

I spy some great family fun at Bodmin Keep!

Bodmin Keep has stood at the entrance to Bodmin’s busy barracks for over 150 years; in WWI the barracks was an enlistment centre for new soldiers heading out to the trenches. In WWII it was a training camp for American GIs preparing for the Normandy Landings and in the 1950s, during the Cold War, the site became home to the Joint Services School for Linguistics (JSSL), also known as ‘the school for spies!’

Bodmin Keep now houses Cornwall’s Regimental Museum, which holds a treasure trove of war history. The museum offers a year-round programme of events aimed at old and young alike and is a place where the whole family can connect with Cornwall’s army heritage.

The museum is open every day in the school holidays and over the six-week holiday this July and August all visitors have the chance to be code-breaking spies at the Summer School for Spies. Using your spy ID card, follow the clues to find a prize, learn about secret codes and make a message de-coder. There will also be fascinating talks about the First and Second World Wars and visitors can explore the WWI trench in the museum grounds!

There will also be a Bushcraft workshop in August, allowing you to learn the art of starting a fire, shelter building and other essential survival skills, run by ex-soldier and survival expert, Spanner Manley MBE.

Museum admission is just £6 per adult and £2 per child, or £15 for a family ticket. Special workshops like Bushcraft are an additional £3 to museum entry.

For more information call 01208 72810 or visit www.cornwalls-regimentalmuseum.org

Making the water accessible to all

Helford River Children’s Sailing Trust (HRCST) has exciting plans to build an inclusive water sports centre on the 26-acre site at Trevassack Lake, on the Lizard peninsula. The development will include a Learning Centre with double-height classrooms for rigging lessons, a sensory room and disabled facilities (including a high dependency changing unit), plus seven adapted holiday lodges for families with disabled children.

The site will allow HRCST to give those who, for practical reasons, can’t access open water, the opportunity to learn in a safe environment. £2.5M has been raised so far, paying for the lake, the accessible Learning Centre and two of the seven lodges. To realise the final five lodges, the trust needs to raise a further £1.5M, so to make a donation – regular or one-off – and to find out more about the project, be sure to head to the website.

For more information call 07555 785102 or visit www.hrcst.org.uk/trevassack-lake

Family fun at Fowey Hall Hotel

Fowey Hall Hotel knows how to do family time. The excellent facilities, including an outdoor adventure play area and indoor pool, as well as acres of beautiful grounds to explore, make Fowey Hall the perfect escape for families who want to make the most of a truly unforgettable holiday in Cornwall. Kids can play in the grounds, paint pictures and play on the Wii whenever they choose, with complimentary childcare and a baby-listening service allowing grown-ups to relax with spa treatments, sip fine wines and dine by candlelight.

At Fowey Hall, all your needs are taken care of. On every day of your stay, use up to two hours of free childcare in the Four Bears’ Den – suitable for children up to eight years old. Here, as well as having access to a huge range of toys, they can take part in art activities, dressing up and storytelling. Or head outdoors to the climbing frame, tyre swing and zip wire for hours of fun; the hotel even provides wellies, fishing nets, buckets
and spades to borrow for your beach adventures.

Not to mention that children’s meals are served all day, with fun and healthy options for smaller meals and, for sophisticated little ones, they even offer children’s cocktails!

If you want to enjoy a stress-free family holiday this summer, then make sure to book a stay at Fowey Hall Hotel – creating unforgettable holidays for kids and adults alike. Non-residents are welcome for the day too, so why not pop in for a meal or make the most of the spa?

For more information call 01726 833866 or visit www.foweyhallhotel.co.uk

Take a walk through time

Step back in time at the Museum of Cornish Life in Helston! This free, family-friendly museum is spread over five display halls on three floors. During your tour you’ll find that there are thousands of things to see – enough to keep everyone fascinated and entertained.

Learn all about Helston’s famous inventor, Henry Trengrouse, whose rocket lifesaving apparatus saved thousands of lives; imagine what it was like in a Victorian classroom; meet Henry the parrot; or see if you can spot the museum’s smallest object – made from a lion’s tooth!

The team host regular making workshops, and kids will love the children’s play area and fancy dress box! There’s also a gift shop and delightful pop-up café, perfect for a quick coffee and a bite after your afternoon of discovery.

For more information call 01326 564027 or visit www.museumofcornishlife.co.uk

Make summer holiday memories

Perched on the hillside with panoramic coastal views is the wonderful, five star, family owned Wooda Farm Holiday Park. Located in the pretty seaside town of Bude on Cornwall’s dramatic north coast, Wooda Farm is surrounded by soft golden sandy beaches, perfect for long summer days by the sea.

Spend your days soaking up the warmth of  the rays, splash in the natural sea pool on Summerleaze beach, stroll along the coast path, catch endless waves on the incoming swell, seek some shade in the onsite bluebell woodland, or spend some time beside the fishing lake. Providing you with the chance to reconnect with nature and loved ones in this stunning location.

So, if you want to create memories that will last a lifetime then book your summer holiday to Wooda, because trust us, it’s so much more than a holiday park.

For more information call 01288 352069 or visit www.wooda.co.uk

Every day’s a beach day at Pentewan Sands!

Wake up to the sound of the sea; walk, play or relax at the water’s edge. Swim and sail in gentle waters, or simply sit back beneath blue skies. As well as commanding the perfect beachside location, Pentewan offers a range of fantastic family friendly accommodation with something to suit every budget, from seafront touring pitches to modern and spacious holiday homes. All of this, plus plenty to see and do on your holiday, makes it one of Cornwall’s best five-star holiday parks!

When the weather’s fine, build sandcastles on the beautiful sandy beach, go rock pooling or jump straight into the action, from stand up paddle boarding to crazy banana boat rides. Fancy a dip? Pentewan beach is the perfect swimming spot. Sandwiched between two headlands, it’s blissfully sheltered and super safe for little paddlers. For some chill out time, saunter along the coast path and experience breathtaking views and picnic stops aplenty.

If the natural playground doesn’t tire the little ones, the site’s fabulous facilities will! Family friendly and packed with variety, they’ll keep everyone smiling from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave. From the indoor water world and soft play zone, to the brand new amusement arcade and tennis courts, there is never a dull moment at Pentewan Sands. Not to mention the incredible views from The Seahorse’s rooftop balcony!

For more information call 01726 843485 or visit www.pentewan.co.uk