Dolphin spotting, surf school for kids and live music – everything you need to do in Cornwall this summer
CORNWALL will hit the spotlight next month as Boardmasters Festival returns to the seaside town of Newquay.
George Ezra, Disclosure and Kings of Leon are among the headline acts for the music and surf event, which will take place against the stunning coastal backdrop from August 10-14.
Revellers will also get to watch performances from the likes of The Wombats, Bombay Bicycle Club and Mimi Webb.
The festival is spread across two Newquay sites – Watergate Bay for the music and camping, and Fistral Beach for the surf contest.
The biggest names in international surfing will take to the waves to battle it out for the coveted Boardmasters top spots.
The final remaining day tickets are on sale and expect to sell out soon – snap yours up at .
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But if festivals aren’t your thing, there’s plenty else going on. Here are some of our favourite things for families to do in Cornwall this summer.
SURFS UP
You can’t leave Cornwall without trying its most famous activity. Surf schools are dotted along the county’s almost 300-mile-long coastline.
Many of the best breaks are found on the north coast, including Newquay, which has a reputation for being the UK’s surf capital.
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Fistral Beach Surf School is located right on the beach and has two-hour group lessons from £40pp, including all equipment.
Board hire costs £8 per hour. See .
Further up the coast, in Polzeath, George’s Surf School specialises in private lessons.
Their Children’s Introduction to the Ocean class (for five and six-year-olds) costs £30pp, based on two children sharing the one-hour class.
See .
OUTDOOR PERFORMANCES
Fancy some open-air theatre on the beach? The sandy stretch of Carlyon Beach near St Austell provides the perfect backdrop for a new show by Cornwall-based theatre company Wildworks.
Described as “a new fairytale to set the world on fire”, I AM KEVIN runs from August 6-20 and is recommended for adults and over-12s. Tickets cost £24, or £18 for concessions. See .
Or how about being perched on a cliff as you watch a performance?
In Porthcurno, the open-air Minack Theatre is about as spectacular as it gets.
Choose from a host of summer shows, including plays, musicals and children’s events, then watch them beneath the stars and in front of the sea. Look out for dolphins! See .
ADVENTURE PARKS
Of course, the beach is the big draw in Cornwall. But you’ll find plenty of family-friendly activities if you head inland, too.
Kids will love the slides, log flumes and clown-themed rides at Camel Creek, a family theme park near Padstow.
The park has also launched a Summer of Fun package (£25pp for unlimited visits until September 4). See .
For even bigger thrills, Flambards theme park near Helston has a great range of gravity-defying rides, including the dizzying “Hornet Rollercoaster” and plummeting “Skyraker” drop.
Adult entry costs from £17.96, children (95cm-15 years) from £13.46 and infants (under 95cm) go free. See .
GO FOR A DIP
Keen swimmers need look no further than Cornwall with nine Blue Flag beaches, including Gyllyngvase in Falmouth, Crooklets in Bude and Carbis Bay in St Ives.
Carbis Bay will host the 2022 Swim Festival on September 18, an open-water swim event of 1km, 2km or 3km routes. Entry costs from £25 or £15 for juniors.
See .
For something more leisurely, a 1930s lido overlooking the sea might be for you.
The Jubilee Pool in Penzance has been refurbished with a geothermally heated area, ideal if the cold section feels too nippy.
Entry costs £6 per adult, and £3.50 per child. See.
BACK TO NATURE
On rainy days, the two biomes at the Eden Project are the perfect place to shelter.
One is Mediterranean-themed and the other tropical, complete with a rainforest climate.
Outside are gardens that are so beautiful it’s hard to believe this was once a china clay pit.
Adult entry from £32.50, children (aged 5-16) from £11, under-fives go free. See .
Further south, the Lost Gardens of Heligan are a family-friendly haven of exotic plants with a huge adventure playground and rare breed farm.
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Both kids and grown-ups will love crossing the jungle on a Burmese Rope Bridge (the longest in Britain).
Join a Family Bug Hunt to discover what’s living in the meadows and hedgerows. Family tickets from £45. See .