Things To Do
There’s just so much to do and we hope that our enthusiasm for what this part of the country has to offer will come across to you here!
Detailed below you will find various activities which may interest you:
Horse Riding
Although we do have stables on our property, they are for private livery and not for general riding. There are however, riding stables right next to us, which provide hacks during the popular months of the year. Riding out on the moor from your cottage is just fantastic.
Walking and Hiking
Bodmin Moor is also fantastic for walking and hiking, with Rough Tor and Brown Willy (the two highest points in Cornwall) viewable from Ladydown Moor. Explore all the tors, streams and stone circles in this fascinating Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The Camel Trail & Cycling
The Camel Trail is one of Cornwall’s best known attractions and is a cycling path that runs for about 26 miles along the side of a disused railway track and the Camel Estuary. It runs from Padstow up onto the Bodmin Moor, passing through the town of Wadebridge, and covers some of the most stunning scenery you’re likely to encounter in this country. The track is level and even the youngest child can enjoy the day out. Interspersed with picnic areas, a tea shop and the Borough Arms pub, there are plenty of opportunities to stop and rest. The Camel Trail is just a short distance from your cottage. Bring your own bikes, or alternatively, we can recommend various bike hire companies along the Camel Trail. It is also possible for you to arrange for bikes to be delivered to your cottage if necessary.
Boat Trips
We’re just a short drive away from some of the finest coastline in the country and it’s easy to catch fishing boats, speedboats and short boat trips from places like Padstow and Rock.
Beaches
There are some fantastic beaches just a short drive away from Hallagenna Cottages which cater for all tastes of beach activity. The North Coast beaches are rugged and wild, with huge stretches of soft sand, rocky outcrops, cliffs and caves, and great surf for body boarders or surfers.
Polzeath is a big family favourite, with easy access onto the beach from the car park, a large beach at low tide with good surf, numerous rock pools to explore and a varied selection of beach/surf shops and cafes.
Summerleaze/Crooklets at Bude are also on the North coast, and offer excellent surfing, with the town of Bude overlooking the beach.
Daymer Bay is a fantastic family beach approached down a private road with stunning views across the Camel Estuary to Padstow. At low tide you can even walk around to Rock, from where you can catch the ferry to Padstow.
Golf
There are nine golf courses within driving distance from your cottage. Bowood Park in Camelford, is very close by and is highly recommended. For those wishing to have a real golfing experience, the world renowned St Enodoc Golf Club offers a mature golf course with stunning views out to sea. Contact details of many more courses are supplied within the cottages.
Water Sports
Being so close to the sea, there are an abundance of water sports you can participate in. Surfing, body boarding, wind surfing and water skiing are all available locally.
Historic & Cultural Sites
Cornwall is steeped in history with its ancient settlements, stone circles, monuments, old tin mines and castles. Its varied scenery has been used as stunning backdrops for film locations and inspiration for novels.
King Aurthur’s Castle can be seen on a dramatic cliff side walk in Tintagel. Other places of interest are Lanhydrock House, Pencarrow House, The Lost Gardens of Heligan and, of course, the world famous Eden Project.
Fishing Villages
Cornwall retains many of its original fishing villages, including Port Isaac, which is set in the side of a hill and recently used as the setting for the TV series “Doc Martin”. You can wander around the quaint narrow streets of the Post, leading up to the cliff side walk where you can view the stunning Atlantic Ocean. There are many other fishing villages on both the North and South Coast, including Boscastle, Charlestown, Mevagissey and Fowey.
Padstow is a larger harbour and well known for its mix of fishing trawlers, leisure boats and yachts. Visit the boutiques and restaurants or take a boat trip around the coast or to Rock. Padstow is home to one of Rick Stein’s restaurants. Should you wish to dine there, you would need to book well in advance.
The Eden Project
It has become a world renowned visitor attraction and is still growing in size and reputation. It’s a very short drive from your cottage, about 1/2 hour, and is well worth a visit, at any time of year.
Children’s Days Out and Rainy Day Activities
Having brought up two children ourselves, we know how difficult it can be to entertain young children if our great British weather deserts us! From our own experience, we have built up a good list of good weather and bad weather activities.
Activities which cover good weather would be places like the beach, of course, but also theme parks like Flambards, Crealy Adventure Park, Colliford Lake Park, Springfields Dairy Farm to name but a few. For really bad weather, we would recommend the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay, Kidzworld in St Austell, Trethorne Leisure Farm and swimming is a leisure complex just a few miles drive from us.
