The secret ingredient to Constantine Bay on the north Cornish coast is this home-from-home holiday house just minutes from the beach.
Why go?
Constantine Bay, on the north Cornish coast, is a lovely spot for a laid-back UK break and if you’re visiting with the family be sure to check in to Sailaway, a holiday cottage on a quiet lane just five minutes from the soft sandy beach.
Who’s it good for?
Babies, toddlers or pre-teens will love this seaside holiday, and parents will find the child-friendly property’s location – right next to the beach – ideal.
Activities
The coast: Children will love exploring Constantine Bay’s sheltered rock pools and building sandcastles.The walk to Treyarnon Bay across an easy stretch of headland and reef takes you past caves to a natural swimming pool. The Treyarnon YHA runs a café here too, so have a hot chocolate pit-stop.
Walking: Older children and adults will enjoy longer walks from Constantine Bay to the next beach, Boobys Bay (no sniggering!) and may want to carry on along the coast path to Trevose Head and its lighthouse, a brisk 45-minute hike. There’s kite-flying and surfing lessons from the beach – kit for all ages can be rented at the Constantine Bay Surf School, a few minute’s walk from the house.
Nearby: Constantine Bay Store, next door, is well stocked with local goodies – picnic hampers can be arranged, and you can pre-order fish in the morning, knowing it’ll be ready to pick-up in the afternoon, having been freshly caught. When the kids tire of the beach, take them to Crealy Great Adventure Park, a 10-minute drive away, and there’s junior golf to try at the renowned Trevose Golf Club, on Sailaway’s doorstep (membership fees apply).
Padstow: Famous for its many celebrity-owned restaurants, the town is also the start of the scenic Camel Trail, a cycle route that is gentle enough for the whole family to enjoy. Bikes can be hired from Padstow Cycle Hire, which is right on the waterfront (and they have tag-along bikes to attach to yours, trailers and children’s bikes too.)
Accommodation
Sailaway is full of natural light, it’s spacious and decorated in lovely nautical colours, all blues and whites. It is also fully-equipped to make it feel like a home-from-home. Practical family items such as cots, high chairs, boxes stuffed full of toys, a child-sized table and chairs, and potties will save on your luggage space.
The split-level house sleeps eight: there are four bedrooms (one en-suite, and two with twin beds), an open-plan living room with sea views, a separate living area leading to a big garden, a balcony, laundry facilities and plenty of parking space. There’s also a modern kitchen with a stack of latest cookery books. And if you and your brood are feeling lazy or it’s raining, the house is kitted out with two flatscreen TVs, DVDs, WiFi, and a Playstation 2.
The lowdown
Price: Weekly rental rates are from £900-£2795 dependent on the time of year. For more information, visit sailaway-constantine.co.uk, or call 07515 663799.
How to get there: Constantine Bay is around 300 miles from London, right next to Padstow, in Cornwall. To get there take the M4, and then the M5 towards Bristol (West). Then take the A39, onto the B3276 into Constantine Bay. The postcode is PL28 8JJ. First Great Western runs from London Paddington to Newquay, and an hourly bus, (number 556) runs from Newquay to Padstow, stopping in Constantine Bay.
Travel time: Driving from London takes around 4 hours and 30 minutes. The train from London Paddington takes just over 5 hours.