Beach Days in Cornwall: Surfing, Seafood & Sunsets

This last leg of our trip continued to take us all the way south, finally ending at the beach, in Cornwall on the southwest coast of England. A few relaxing days at the beach was just the way to finish. Our accommodation here was a fairly small condo, but it had a great view of the popular surfing spot, Fistral Beach, and even a pool. Restrictions had just opened up for pools to be open again, and it was quiet enough that we had it to ourselves every time we visited. The boys were thrilled.

We got tons of recommendations of where to explore in Cornwall, and not a lot of them were Newquay, ha. Most recommendations were to head somewhere a little quieter, a little more quaint seaside/resort than the real touristy-beach vibe of Newquay. But Bennett really wanted to go to Newquay. He had read or heard somewhere that it was the spot for surfing and was a cool beach town. Newquay is known as the surfing capital of Britain (despite loads of beaches, I never really thought of the U.K. as having a surf vibe, but it did.) He really wanted to live his best surf bro life, so we did our best to make it happen.

Indeed, Newquay was busier and a little more touristy than we wanted, but we stayed across the beach in a quiet area of town and we liked the atmosphere. We spotted lots of VW buses with surfboards loaded on top, and occupants young and old sprawled across the surrounding space, grilling or chilling, or in one case, bathing in the ocean. I told Bennett that when he was older he could buy one and drive around surfing and sleeping inside. He looked both intrigued and horrified.

After a swim and a quick dinner, we strolled down to the beach for a sunset. It didn’t disappoint. The boys have gotten used to us wanting to go watch a sunset, and I noticed this time that they even paused for a moment to take it in as well. They happily ran in and out of the ocean, rolling their pant legs and soaking their sweatshirts. There’s something special about a kid who is sandy and soaked from skipping over the waves on the beach, isn’t there? It’s a summer memory I won’t take for granted.

The next day we spent fully at the beach. I had a moment where I thought, “We’re in Cornwall, there’s so much to see…what should we go do?” but I could tell that I was outnumbered and we were not getting in the car to go or see anything. It was absolutely the right call because we needed a relaxing and boring beach day. We lucked out with the weather; it was beautifully sunny and warm. We spent the day making sand castles, watching the boys body board over the crashing waves, and burying them in the sand. I walked into town for a bit, before we met up for some pizza with a view of the sea and a meandering walk home.

We hit the beach again the next morning to do more lounging and body boarding, a sort of half-surf/half-lay there on a small floating board. It seems very innocent and easy, but you know what isn’t easy? Social distancing in the ocean while body boarding and waves carrying you every which way. There was a lot of polite apologizing happening in the water as I balanced my desire to be chill, fun beach mom and OMG the ocean is going to send my son crashing headfirst into the rocks.

Tired from the beach, we grabbed lunch by our house from a great seafood stand. We had been craving seafood and it didn’t disappoint! The boys were unsure about the look of the lobster, but loved their fish, chips and ice cream.

Later that day, we headed out to explore the Pentire Headland, the park on the tip of the peninsula where we were staying. The boys were dressed for dinner, so we walked for a bit and enjoyed the view. We had a great dinner at a nearby restaurant before stopping by our place again to change into beach-appropriate clothes, knowing how soaked the boys had gotten the night before.

We walked down a little before sunset and enjoyed another spectacular show as the evening surfers (the real ones, who come out after all of the visitors and tourists leave in the late afternoons) caught waves. Nate perched himself on a rock for a bit to read and we enjoyed some quiet. Bennett wrote Grant’s name in the sand, something we do at most beaches, especially at sunset. We love and enjoy our adventures, but are always missing him and wishing he was there. I think knowing that makes us cherish these moments even more.

The next morning, we packed up our things, ready to leave town but with one more agenda item. The reason we had come – well, Bennett – to surf! We couldn’t get surf lessons booked until our last day which worked out fine. I chose to be Designated Holder of the Things and Official Photographer, so I skipped this part. (I know my limitations, per my explanation in the Austria skiing post. Apparently it’s trying to remain upright on flat, moving objects.)

The boys took a lesson with Tim and had a blast. Nate got his little body up pretty quickly, and calmly rode the waves right into the shore. Bennett had a bit of a harder time, but got up a few times and loved it! Tim did well also, but ended up spending his time corralling one boy in the ocean, while the instructor focused on the other. I think they could have all spent longer out there, but alas, it was time to call it a day.

It was now Friday, and we had spent the week traveling from Cotswolds to Cornwall. Early in our planning, we debated driving back home through Wales and spending the weekend exploring the southern part of Wales we haven’t seen, including Cardiff. But our last-minute Internet searching for accommodation was not proving fruitful, and as we meticulously cleaned our final Airbnb and repacked the car, now jammed full of beach, rain, and hiking gear plus dirty laundry…we just couldn’t stand the thought of unpacking, cleaning and repacking one more time. It was time to start the long drive home. This summer vacation was not what was originally planned (motto of 2020, amirite), but it was an amazing chance to see other beautiful parts of this country.