UKC

Hi looking at camping in Cornwall in August. Can anyone recommend a good camp site?

We have two kids under 8 yrs old so needs to be child friendly and ideally near a good sandy beach.

Thanks

In reply to notaclue:

Whereabouts in Cornwall - are you looking to be in Penwith, or just Cornwall generally?

In reply to Martin not maisie:

Anywhere, near a good beach and site suitable for kids

Thanks

In reply to notaclue:

Trevendra Farm near Sennen is pretty nice, I stayed there a few times as a child, it's a short walk from the beach and not a million miles away from Sennen Cove and Lands End.
http://www.trevedrafarm.co.uk/

In reply to notaclue:

My first bit of advice for camping in Cornwall is to find a cheap cottage or flat........

The problem is that there aren't all that many campsites right next to - and on the same level as - the sea. I can only really comment on the north coast and then Penwith. Hopefully, somebody who knows more about the St Austell-Looe area and the Lizard will be along with better suggestions.

Avoid Newquay. At all costs - what an armpit.

West of Newquay, there's a Haven park at Perranporth. Plenty to do, but it's about 250 feet above the sea (PITA with beach gear) and most of the vans and the camping area are set back quite a way. It's extremely chavvy, which the kids will love.

There are a couple of small campsites around St Agnes, but they're set back quite a bit - too far for little legs.

Hayle has sites, including statics and camping - look around the Godrevy area - and whilst they might be set back a little, it's largely level ground so an easy walk. They tend to be big outfits, and the independents are sometimes hit and miss as to whether they open. It's really not a bad option, though - close to A30 and well-placed for Penwith, St Ives, the south coast and supermarkets.

St Ives is going to be rammed. Best to stay elsewhere and travel in on the train from St Erth.

North coast there are some tiny independents and I'd do a UKC search, as everybody has their favourite spot. Botallack is probably the most frequented climbers' site, just outside St Just.

+1 for Trevedra, although it's another one with a steep path down to the sea. Beautiful spot, but very open if the weather's unkind.

Treen has a popular, basic site which is near Porthcurno, reasonable flat walk to the edge but then quite a hike up and down.

Treverven is ace for St Loy, but not for the beaches.

That's about where I run out of steam, so hopefully a Lizardite will be along soon. They have electricity now, so one of the villages might have discovered the internet

It depends on whether you're looking for child-friendly (clubs, play park, pool, amusements, ice cream - ie what kids want) or child-friendly (camp in a field, no electricity for Nintendos, cold showers - ie what they're bl**dy well going to get).

Hayle's not such a bad option, particularly if you head for Godrevy. The beach is good and transport-wise it's well-connected, but it's perhaps a tad scruffy inland. Trevedra is beautiful, but isolated and a bit open.

HTH

Martin

In reply to notaclue:

Look at the campsites around Crantock. We go to Treago Farm every year. Got 2 kids and dog. Walk across the fields to Crantock beach for a surf or bike to Polly Joke in 5 minutes either way.
I love that I can have a surf before breakfast . Or Treago Mill looks good and the Polly site down the lane is the one where all the "cool" (I use the term advisedly, no showers and basic facilities) campers with their bell tents like to go.
But we store our trailer tent down there so just head down in the camper van for a comfy couple of weeks.
You can even walk to Newquay across the river at low tide but don't go further than Fistral or the harbour it is improving but Newquay still has some work to do. Nice for Surf shops and a cinema though.
Avoid any large site at that time of year it will be full of rowing families getting p*****d while the kids cause mayhem. Any site at that time of year will be busy though.

In reply to notaclue:
This was also a nice site and beach is walkable;

http://gwithianfarm.co.uk Had a great week there once and there was a nice surf cafe behind;


http://www.sunset-surf.com

In reply to mark burley:

^ that's basically the area I'm talking about.

In reply to notaclue:

We live in Cornwall and took our six kids camping to West Penwith for several years.

We went most often to Treverven campsite, just up from Porthguarnon cove. It is not next to a beach but is a short drive from Porthcurno beach, and not too far from Sennen/Gwenver beaches. These beaches are heaving in summer, but great fun all the same. If you are adventurous, you can take the kids scrambling on the crag in the cove, as we did, or if you are harsh, you can force them to walk to Lamorna, as we did. We kept going back there because the pitches are spacious, and there is loads of room in the middle for the children to play, with swing balls, a football goal and basketball hoops etc. Our kids really liked it.

Lately, the two of us have been to Arthur's Field campsite near Portscatho on the Roseland. For every adult there, I 'd say there were about seven children, many of them playing hide and seek through and around your pitch, so your children would probably like it. They have a field which you walk through to get to the coast path (no beach, but loads of rock pooling. Portscatho has a beach, and the Roseland has many quiet beaches) where children can play and help feed the animals each day.

A colleague of mine went time and again to Henry's camp site on the Lizard with his young daughter. It is close to Kynance Cove, and looks very nice on the web site, but I have not stayed there.

One year, we didn't round to booking anything, and ended up in the field of the North Inn pub in Pendeen. The pub toilets were the camp site toilets.

Regardless, a few years on, that summer is still looked on just as fondly as all the others.

In reply to notaclue:

I cant remember the name of the site but there is a family friendly one in porthcothan which has a beautiful cove for a beach.around a miles walk to the beach but its worth it and has a pub on route with a huge beer garden overlooking the sea!

Enjoy (I love Cornwall)

In reply to notaclue:

Remembered its called Carnevas camp site!

In reply to M_Robinson:



Seconded, but beware of "Sea View"

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotel_Review-g1604563-d1840453-Reviews-SeaVie...

In reply to notaclue:

I always stay in the one next to Treyarnon or Constantine, its cheap and kid friendly. Plus 2 min flat walk to a sandy beach...

In reply to notaclue:

If staying on The Lizard, Henry's Campsite is the obvious choice, it's very good.