Newquay
Newquay (Cornish: Tewynblustri), the surf capital of Great Britain is a youthful vibrant town in North Cornwall.
Understand
editVisitor information
editGet in
editBy road
editFollow the M5 to Exeter, then take the A30 to Newquay. Leave this road near Indian Queens and continue on the A39 and then A392 which takes you directly into the town.
By train
edit1 Newquay station is the terminus of a branch line that connects to the main line at Par. From Par, trains run hourly to London Paddington (4 hr 30 min, via Plymouth, Exeter and Reading) and to Penzance (1 hour); other destinations may involve a change at Plymouth or Exeter. There are eight trains a day between Par and Newquay, including daily through intercity trains between London and Newquay from May to September. If your main line train is late and you're going to miss your connecting train to Newquay at Par, speak to the conductor who will either hold the connection or organise other transport. You also need to alert the conductor if you want to get off at most of the halts along the branch line. Newquay station is just east of town centre on Cliff Rd.
By bus
editNational Express buses run four times a day from London Victoria (NX406, 503 and 504) via Heathrow Airport, Reading, Plymouth or Exeter, and Bodmin, taking 8 hours to Newquay and continuing to Penzance. Redwood Travel (on behalf of Megabus) runs the same Victoria-Newquay route daily; it doesn't extend to Penzance.
Bus NX330 runs daily from Nottingham via Leicester, Birmingham, Worcester, Bristol, Plymouth and Bodmin to Newquay and Penzance. It's usually more convenient to change in Plymouth for journeys from the north and Midlands.
Buses run every 30 min or so to Truro, taking an hour by a variety of routes. For Penzance take one of these and change at Glenthorne Road for the T1, or for the T2 for St Ives.
Bus 25 runs every two hours from Newquay to St Austell, Par railway station and Fowey.
By plane
edit2 Cornwall Airport Newquay (NQY IATA), St Mawgan TR8 4RQ (6 miles northeast of town). There are flights from Alicante, Copenhagen, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Faro internationally and Aberdeen,Edinburgh, Glasgow, Guernsey, Jersey, and Newcastle upon Tyne domestically. Most flights are seasonal.
There are two small cafes, one landside and one airside. Two car hire companies have desks in Arrivals. There's no left-luggage facility. First Kernow bus 56 calls at the airport hourly. This runs west to Newquay (20 min) and north to Padstow (50 min), with the last buses at around 6:30PM. 
Get around
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Many places in Newquay of interest to visitors are within walking distance. Some outlying suburbs and beaches are 4 km or more from the centre.
See
edit- 1 Blue Reef Aquarium, Towan Promenade, TR7 1DU (right next to Towan beach), ☏ +44 1637 878134. Although it is small, it is well worth checking out. It has an octopus along with many other fish and marine animals, sea horses, starfish, sharks, etc. Also has a fish tank tunnel you can walk thorough.They have displayed a list of feeding hours and with a hand stamp you can get back in later the same day to see another feeding.
- 2 Trerice, Kestle Mill, TR8 4PG, ☏ +44 1637 875404, trerice@nationaltrust.org.uk.
- 3 The Japanese Garden, St Mawgan, TR8 4ET (near Newquay Airport), ☏ +44 1637860116, info@japanesegarden.co.uk. Seasonal from March to mid November, 10:00-18:00. Small, but nice japanese garden.
Do
edit- Cornish Film Festival. Held annually for two weeks each November around Newquay.
- 1 Newquay Golf Club, Tower Road, TR7 1LT, ☏ +44 1637 872091, info@newquaygolfclub.co.uk. 9AM-4PM. A semi-private golf club established in 1890. Total yardage Championship: 6141, Men: 5708, and Women: 5364. £31 for non-members.
Beaches
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Newquay is well known as a surfer's paradise. Therefore it offers plenty of beaches:
- Crantock Beach - quiet beach, 2 km away from the city centre along the coastal path
- Fistral Beach - Newquays most popular beach, located to the west of Towards Head. Famous as a surf centre, has life guards during summer months. International surf competitions are held here.
- Great Western- a popular family beach, can be accessed from Cliff Road besides to the Great Western Hotel.
- Harbour - Newquay's smallest beach, very popular with families
- Holywell Bay (south of Crantock)
- Lusty Glaze Beach - offers a variety of shops and restaurants.
- Porth Joke or Polly Joke (between Crantock and Holywell Bay)
- Porth (north of Lusty)
- Tolcarne Beach
- Towan Beach - (Town Beach) - close to the town centre. Surfing is not allowed at this beach apart from at low tide. The beach can be accessed from the harbour (there are steps leading to the beach right from the end of the quay). Parking space for car is available, dogs are allowed too.
- Whipsiderry (between Porth and Watergate)
- Watergate Bay (north of Newquay)
Eat
editBudget
editThere are lots of cheap eats in the town centre.
Mid-range
edit- 9 Concho Lounge, 16 Bank St. £10-25.
- 10 Bush Pepper, 6 Fore St.
- 11 The Fish House Fistral, 5, International Surfing Centre, Headland Rd.
- 12 The Fish Bar, Morfa Hall Flats. £30-40.
- 13 Plume of Feathers, Mitchell TR8 5AX, ☏ +44 1872 510387. Great reviews for dining at this 16th-century pub with rooms just off A30.
Splurge
edit- 14 Emily Scott Food, On the Beach, Watergate Bay. Tu-Sa noon-2:30PM, 6:30-9PM. Started as a pop-up but in 2021 became an established restaurant by the beach at Watergate Bay 2 miles east.
Drink
editNewquay's town centre is home to a large number of pubs and bars.
- The Central Inn - Nice pub, if you are not bothered with the television screens playing MTV all the time. Serves good food.
Sleep
editDog Friendly
edit- Dog Friendly Accommodation (Dog Friendly Cottages). A large collection of specifically dog-friendly cottages and apartments Broad range of prices to suit budget.
Budget
edit- St Christopher’s Inns Newquay (Newquay Hostel), 35 Fore Street, Newquay, TR7 1HR, ☏ +44 163 785 91110, fax: +33 140 343 440, newquay@st-christophers.co.uk. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 11AM. A rugged but well maintained hostel on the cliff above Towan Beach. Attached surf school and backpackers bar. £10.50 with breakfast included.
Mid-range
edit- The Square House, Chapel Hill, ☏ +44 1637 872094. Nice self-catering holiday house, great location. Sleeps up to 12
- Minerva Hotel, The Crescent, TR7 1DT, ☏ +44 1637 873439, minervaguesthouse@btconnect.com. Overlooking the ocean, close to city centre, friendly staff.
- Pendeen Hotel, 7 Alexandra Road, Porth, TR7 3ND, ☏ +44 1637 873521. A very nice hotel. They have great food. Their specialty is seafood.
- Goofys - Boutique Hostel, Headland Road, Fistral Beach, TR7 1HW, ☏ +44 1637 872684. A blend of facilities: hotel, bed & breakfast, surf lodge, hostel, and one of Newquay's most prominent and popular locations.
Splurge
edit- 1 Leewinnick Lodge, Pentire Headland, Newquay TR7 1QD, ☏ +44 1637 878117. Upscale hotel perched on the headland cliffs, good restaurant. B&B double £200.
- 2 Headland Hotel, Headland Rd, Newquay TR7 1EW, ☏ +44 1637 872211. Grand old hotel on the headland cliffs above Fistral Beach, chic dining. Dog-friendly. B&B double £150.
- 3 The Scarlet, Tredragon Road, Mawgan Porth TR8 4DQ (off B3276), ☏ +44 1637 861800. Upscale adults-only hotel and spa, great comfort, service and dining. Open Feb-Dec. B&B double £220.
- Bedruthan Hotel, Trenance, Mawgan Porth TR8 4BU (on B3276 just below Scarlet Hotel), ☏ +44 1637 860860. Family-friendly hotel and spa above the beach. Comfy Scandi style. B&B double from £170.
- 4 Watergate Bay Hotel, Watergate Bay TR8 4AA, ☏ +44 1637 860543. Upscale hotel in beach-shack style, has water activities. B&B double £200.
Connect
editGo next
edit- Go for Land's End, England's most southwesterly point.
- Padstow
- Port Isaac