Newquay: The Capital of UK Surfing
There is a reason why this post doesn’t have the title “10 Things to do in Newquay”, because in reality, there is only one thing you really need to do when you’re there: surfing. Everything else is optional.
Surf beaches around Newquay
Newquay is a small town in North Cornwall and the place that surfers from all corners of the UK make a pilgrimage to at least once if not multiple times. The town is surrounded by bays and headlands providing surf beaches to the west and north.
Fistral beach
The most popular beach and the place of a yearly WSL longboard competition during the Boardmasters Festival is Fistral beach. They also call it “the home of British surfing”. It is a beach break facing west offering world class waves. The beach invites to a sunset session and there is also a bar on the beach with the best views.
Towan, Great Western, and Tolcarne
From Fistral Beach, you can see the famous Headland Hotel, a 5-star hotel. On the other side of the headland is another bay along the town with a beach called Towan. The waves here are generally a bit smaller and gentler than at Fistral and make this beach very beginner-friendly. It is important to know that it doesn’t work at high tide because the water will reach towards the harbour wall turning the whole bay into a flat pond. At the highest point of the tide, you won’t even see a beach anymore at Towan.
At low tide, however, Towan becomes a beach that connects with the neighbouring beaches of Great Western and Tolcarne. You can easily walk between those bays when the water levels are low. The waves are usually getting a bit bigger as you go from Towan towards Great Western and Tolcarne, but are still smaller than at Fistral. These two beaches too are barely surfable at high tide.
Porth, Whipsiderry, and Watergate Bay
A bit further up north and outside of Newquay are multiple bays: Lusty Glaze beach, Porth, Whipsiderry, and Watergate Bay. Porth has very big tidal differences and you have to walk far to get to the surf at low tide. There are multiple coffee shops and a pub near the beach. Whipsiderry is the next beach towards the North and can be reached via a narrow staircase. Further up North is Watergate Bay, another popular surf beach in a small town. The bus towards Newquay airport passes by this bay. By car, it takes about 15 minutes to get there from Newquay centre. The yearly Boardmasters Festival in August takes place at this bay.
The Cribbar
At the end of the Headland that divides Towan and Fistral is The Cribbar. It isn’t always working, but when it does, it becomes one of the biggest waves in Europe and is only suitable for highly confident surfers.
Crantock
South of Fistral beach is another headland, Pentire Headland, and south of it, you can find Crantock Beach. It is a bit further to walk to from the town, but worth the walk to catch some nice longboard waves.
How to get to Newquay
Newquay is well connected by trains and coaches, and it also has an airport. The train and coach station are in the town centre whereas the airport is quite far outside town without a bus connection. You’d have to take a taxi or walk for a bit to reach a bus stop. There is also plenty of parking space in town, so you could drive.
Where to stay in Newquay
Newquay is a holiday destination for many and offers all kinds of accommodation from cheap hostels to 5-star hotels. AirBnB is also a good option and usually offers houses for any size of group or solo travelers. When choosing accommodation, Charlie recommends checking the location and the distance to your preferred surf beach if you don’t have a car. The town itself isn’t big, but it stretches along the different bays, and it can easily take about 30 minutes to walk to any of the beaches.
Eating out
There are multiple coffee shops and restaurants along the high street in Newquay for any budget or requirement.
Dinner in Newquay
The best views over Great Western beach are at Secret Garden or the restaurant at The Great Western Hotel. There is also a bar and some restaurants at Fistral beach from where you can see the sunset.
The most famous pub in town is The Red Lion and there is live music every Friday and Saturday. The atmosphere is always nice, and it is frequented by many locals.
You should also keep in mind that Newquay is a popular destination for hen and stag dos and there are a few establishments for that target audience. The pub Sailor’s Arms for example is one of them.
If you are after a nice outdoor dinner, there are food stalls and a pub by the harbour in Newquay. It is a lovely atmosphere in the evening, and you can try almost anything from local fish to Mexican food.
Coffee shops in Newquay
There are lots of little coffee shops in Newquay. Charlie’s favourite which makes great pancakes and also offers WiFi and powerplugs for digital nomads is Box & Barber. You can find equally good breakfast and lunch options a bit further down the road at Forestreet Café.
There is a little coffee shop at the top of Towan beach called The Roasting Room. They do great coffee and cakes and also accept laptop workers, however, there is no WiFi and the space is small. Charlie loves it though!
Another great little coffee shop is just above Great Western Beach on the opposite side of the road: Nalu. They even have a table in a smaller room which is perfect for work calls. It is quite small, but they have WiFi, power plugs, and great coffee.
On the opposite side of town on Henver Road is a coffee shop called Island. It is very similar to Box & Barber, but a lot less busy and you could stay there a bit longer with your laptop. There are power plugs and WiFi too.
If you’re in Newquay as a digital nomad and need to get some work done, there is also a coworking space that offers day passes called Pentire House. It is just above Towan beach and also offers great views of the surf.
Day trips in and from Newquay
If you’re in Newquay and the surf happens to be bad, Charlie highly recommends a coastal walk. You can start at a coffee shop called Fern Pit on Pentire headland overlooking Crantock Beach and the river Gannel. From there you can easily head to the top of the headland and walk towards Fistral beach on the other side. There is a path leading along Fistral towards the Headland Hotel and along Little Fistral and there is a little viewpoint at the top of that headland. You can walk along the coast towards the Red Lion pub where the coastal path ends.
Newquay also has a Zoo, a lovely Rose Garden next to Trenance Gardens and you could hire a pedal boat for the boating lake next to the gardens or go out paddleboarding on the river Gannel. For those that are a bit more experienced on a SUP, you can also go out of the bay and around the headlands, maybe the same path that you walked along the coast.
Newquay is also well connected by public transport to other towns and attractions in Cornwall. If you want a real day out, Charlie highly recommends Tintagel Castle and St. Nectan’s Glen, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, and The Eden Project – in that order!
Other activities in and around Newquay
Next to the zoo is a skatepark called “Concrete Waves” and as the name suggests, it is perfect for surfskates. It can get busy in the afternoons which is why it is recommended to choose the time wisely. The skatepark in Newquay is quite spacious with multiple bowls of different sizes and several ramps and flat surfaces. Skaters of any level can find a suitable playground. There also is a little coffee bar next to it for those well-deserved breaks.
There is one more place in Newquay not to be missed: Ocean Flow Yoga. Even if you’re not a yogi, the location with a view over Fistral beach creates a magical atmosphere. There are classes for all levels, from beginners to advanced, and different types of Yoga from Vinyasa to Yin and Hot Yoga. Classes must be booked online in advance to secure a spot. If the weather is nice in summer, classes take place outside on a grass plateau overlooking the bay. It is the perfect start or end of any day in Newquay – no matter how you decide to spend it.
