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A scenic rail line between Lelant and St Ives is the best way to visit one of Cornwall’s most picturesque seaside villages (and you beat the traffic and parking too).

Arguably the most scenic branch line in Britain, catching the St Ives Bay Line from Lelant Saltings to St Ives is the best way to visit the picturesque town, particularly at sunset. It also wins for avoiding the queues into town and the stress of parking, which can be tricky during summer months.

Arriving at the Park and Ride, there is plenty room to park. Make sure to visit Scarlet Wines if you arrive early for the train – a cosy wineshop come deli come café and restaurant that serves delicious breakfasts, lunches and dinners at reasonable prices.

Waiting for the train is a great way to take in the view of Hayle Estuary as it opens up in front of you; and RSBP nature reserve. More than 18,000 which have been seen here. During spring and autumn, it is an ideal place to see migrant wading birds, gulls and terns. In summer, if you are lucky, you may catch sight of an osprey.

Once aboard make sure you sit on the right hand side of the carriage for views across the sea. You’ll travel along Hayle Estuary before it opens up to the sea. From here you’ll have views of Godrevy Bay; four-miles of sand with the iconic Godrevy Lighthouse to the north – the same scene that provided inspiration for Virgina Woolf’s the lighthouse.

From here you’ll pass Porthkidney Sands and Hawkes Point, a spot popular with surfers when the swell is big. You’ll then pass the mellow yellow sands of Carbis Bay before arriving above Porthminster Beach, another family favourite for safe swimming in turquoise waters.

It’s a short but spectacular line, with the journey taking under 15 minutes. Once you’ve alighted, St Ives is a five-minute walk away through cobbled streets; a wonderful way to wind into town.

At the time of writing, the cost to park all day at Lelant Saltings was £2.80 per car. Train tickets are available to prebook and from the train conductor from £2 single, and £4 return with unlimited rides. Up to two dogs may be taken on trains free of charge.

Tolgus Tin Mill is a unique survivor. From the heyday of tin where nearby Redruth was one of the richest towns in England, to the lows of the 1980s industry crash, the mill has witnessed 150 years of highs and lows.

Now 150 years on, the mill has entered a new chapter, one where it is once again a hub of activity, not only a visitor attraction, but also producing and smelting tin. We thought it was about time we familiarised ourselves with our county’s most renowned heritage.

Situated on the site of Cornwall Gold, the mill is the only original tin streaming works left in Cornwall and is a testament to human ingenuity and endeavour.

We were led through the whole process of recovering tin from the simplest of materials through to the finished products.

A mix of old and new can be found side by side, with shaking tables from the 50s to the mighty Cornish stamps which are thought to be more than 200 years old.

Amid the whirling machines we learnt how using simple principles of relative weight allowed tin streamers to isolate the heavier tin, how rock from local mine waste was pulverised by huge stamping machines and how sand and river deposits were sifted, washed and sorted to isolate precious tin ore.

But it’s the stories behind the talented ‘make do and mend’ mine workers that bring the mill to life.

Time your visit to arrive on smelting day and you’ll have the opportunity to see the fascinating and almost beautiful process of heating the tin ore and turning it to shining ingots ready to be transformed into jewellery.

Tolgus Tin Mill is a time capsule of Cornish history waiting to be discovered.

Tolgus Tin Mill can be found at Tolgus Mill, Redruth Cornwall, TR16 4HN.

Free admission and parking. Open peak: Mon to Sat 9.30pm to 5.30pm, Sunday and off Peak: 10am to 4.30pm. For more information call 01209 215185.

Who needs the Caribbean when you’ve got Cornwall? There’s only one thing for it when summer arrives here at England’s answer to holidays – head to the beach and jump in the sea (without a wetsuit if you’re feeling brave). Here’s some shots from the other day when we took a trip down to Fistral.

Beach Retreats has lots of different beach-side properties to suit your minimoon style (that’s a short break away to celebrate your nuptials, if you’re short on time). Take a look…

Minimoon. Noun: a short break spent together by a newly married couple, typically in advance of a longer holiday to be taken at a later date.

Minimoons make for the perfect post-wedding break – quite simply a mini-honeymoon that typically lasts for a long weekend. With all of our properties situated a short hop from the beach, Beach Retreats is the ideal choice for a minimoon.

Here’s our pick of the best Beach Retreats properties, each with their own minimoon style and available to book for 3 nights outside the school holidays.

Sand Pails, Camel Estuary

Minimoon style: Peace and escapism

Situated on the tidal tributary of the River Camel just outside Padstow, Sand Pails offers an idyllic traffic-free location on the edge of the water. This two-bedroomed property sleeps up to four people with Harlyn, Treyarnon, Porthcothan, Trevone, Constantine and Hawkers Cove a short drive away. Read more about Sand Pails.

9 White Lodge, Mawgan Porth

Minimoon style: Panoramic sea views with village amenities

This roomy three-bedroomed apartment gives you Mawgan Porth beach just 150m down the path, with the fun and foodie havens of Padstow and Watergate Bay a short drive away. Read more about 9 White Lodge.

15 Waves, Watergate Bay

Minimoon style: Foodie lovers

15 Waves offers contemporary beach living with some of Cornwall’s best restaurants on your doorstep. Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall, The Beach Hut and Zacry’s; they’re all on your doorstep with the beach just 150m away. Book 15 Waves, Watergate Bay.

Zinc 14, Fistral

Minimoon style: Thrill seekers who like a buzz

If you like your holidays with plenty of action, then Fistral is for you. Surf on Cornwall’s premier surfing beach, choose between one of the many up-and-coming eateries overlooking the sea and then kick back in Zinc 14 and beautiful contemporary comfort. Read more about Zinc 14.

Cove Cottage, Sennen

Minimoon style: An off the ‘main land’ vibe with wild scenery

A fantastic position overlooking Sennen Cove with everything on your doorstep; a beautiful surfing beach, galleries, restaurants and surf schools. This is far off the off the beaten track, with spectacular coastal walks to Land’s End on one side and St Just to the other. Read more and book Cove Cottage, Sennen.

Search our live availability and remember that most of our properties are available for short breaks outside of the school holidays. Just get in touch and to a member of our reservations team.

Rick Stein’s latest restaurant opened on Newquay’s Fistral Beach just in time for the Easter weekend. With a laid-back self-service style, it’s dishing up fish and chips and flavours from the Far East.

If you follow our blog regularly then you will have noticed the surge of new restaurants in the past year that have decided to open their doors on Fistral Beach near Newquay. Still on the map for its world-class surfing, it’s gradually become a bit of a foodie destination too – and all the better for it we think. Rick Stein is the next on the list.

Stein has become emblematic of Cornish cuisine, with fresh local seafood at the heart of what he does best. But things have moved on from his Seafood Restaurant in Padstow which he’s had for more than 25 years, adding other local restaurantsin Padstow, Falmouth, Porthleven and Winchester to his venture.

Now the empire has landed at Fistral. The casual, laid-back affair might not be what you expect from Stein, but self-service fish and chips works well here at one of the busiest beaches in Cornwall. They don’t take bookings but you should be able to find a seat quite quickly.

Talking about his new venture, Rick said: “It’s exciting to be opening a restaurant on Fistral, even my Aussie friends in Sydney know it; some were lifeguards there in the 70s. I imagine the restaurant buzzing with people enjoying a great beach and the sort of food you have to have by the water.”

What’s on the menu?

You’ll find Rick’s famous fish and chips cooked in beef dripping – cod, haddock and lemon soul feature. For something different you’ll find chilli burgers to add to homemade tartare sauce and authentic curry sauce.

Curries and other dishes inspired from Rick’s travels in India and the Far East have also been recently added to the menu, including Goan chicken curry, lamb karahi, pad Thai noodles, nasi goreng and vegetable makhanawala. Not forgetting Ice cream and drinks too.

It’s a win!

www.rickstein.com/eat-with-us/fistral/

Take a look at Beach Retreats’ properties in and around Fistral.

Forget chocolate eggs, here’s an extra special treat that will last way beyond Easter, allowing you to enjoy some of Watergate Bay’s finest restaurants alongside the Watergate Bay Hotel’s Swim Club facilities.

Far away from the hubbub of daily life lies Watergate Bay Hotel’s Swim Club – a secluded area designed for kicking back or taking time for some active relaxation. And as it practically laps against some outstanding places to dine, these two offers are too good to refuse.

Swim and dine

Experience the calm that is Swim Club and enjoy a later table at Zacry’s – the new restaurant at Watergate Bay which combines brasserie-style eating with contemporary American attitude. Work up an appetite for dinner, or take things a little slower, it’s up to you.

– Use of the Swim Club facilities from 6pm
– 25m sea-view infinity swimming pool
– Outdoor Canadian hot tub
– Cardio room
– Ocean Room with fire and cafe bar
– Dinner at Zacry’s from 8pm onwards

The price is included with the cost of your dinner.

Day Membership

If you feel like you need to take some time out, this is the offer for you. Day Membership allows you to enjoy Swim Club, a 60 minute treatment and a two-course lunch at The Beach Hut or The Living Space. The offer includes:

– 25m sea-view infinity swimming pool
– Cliff terraces with hot tub
– Sea-view manicure & pedicure snug
– Cardio room
– Ocean Room with fire and cafe bar
– 60 minute treatment
– Two course lunch in The Beach Hut or The Living Space

The price is £80, or upgrade to a 90 minute treatment for £100.

To book Swim and Dine, please contact Watergate Bay Hotel’s reservations team on 01637 860543 or email reservations@watergatebay.co.uk

To book your Day Membership, please contact Watergate Bay Hotel’s Swim Club on 01637 861237 or email swimclub@watergatebay.co.uk

Hailing from a long line of farmers, ex-chef Ross Geach certainly knows a thing or two about growing and cooking great quality seasonal produce. If you’ve eaten out in Cornwall recently, chances are the menu will have included fayre from his farm aka Padstow Kitchen Garden.

Rewind to more than 130 years ago, and you will have found Ross Geach’s grandfathers toiling the fields at Trerethern Farm on the hills above Padstow.

Fast forward to the 1990s, and sixth generation farmer Ross Geach was setting off on a different – but nevertheless related – path, swapping the fields for a kitchen as a chef at Rick Stiens down the road.

But farming roots run deep, and growing vegetables as a hobby in his spare time just didn’t cut it. In 2007, Ross gave up his career to take over Padstow Kitchen Farm full time, and hasn’t looked back.

Today, it grows a huge variety of vegetables which find their way into some of the county’s finest restaurants including Rick Steins’ restaurants, No.6 and Rojanos in Padstow, Fifteen Cornwall at Watergate Bay and Casamia in Bristol, to name but a few.

Ross is the first to admit that it hasn’t always been easy, but his farming lineage means he has been able to absorb the knowledge of his relations and master his craft.

The proximity to some of Cornwall’s top restaurants has certainly helped the success – all the salad and veg that is cut by hand first thing in the morning by Ross and his dad Ron is delivered to restaurants the same day ready for lunch service. You don’t get fresher than that.

Ross was recently very proud to be shortlisted amongst the big-guns in the category of Food Hero for the Food Magazine Reader Awards alongside the likes of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Michael Caines, Nathan Outlaw (watch the video below) and Mitch Tonks.

Did you know…?
‘Tre’ is used in a lot of Cornish place names – Tregothnan, Trebetherick, Trelissick, Tregony – and means homestead.

Vegetable gardening courses

Fancy yourself as green fingered? From June to September, Ross will be running vegetable gardening courses for all abilities. Lunch cooked by Ross himself is also included in the price starting from £65 per person.

Dates are available on his website, but if your group of 8 or more friends want to get together on a particular date, give Ross a call and he’ll see what he can do.

Padstow is a 20 minute drive from our properties at Mawgan Porth and 25 minute drive from our Watergate Bay properties.

If you are staying with us this February, here’s a couple of tempting ideas for an extra special treat.

BEACH HUT BARBECUE NIGHT – FRIDAY 27 FEBRUARY

Who said you can’t have a barbecue in February? At The Beach Hut, right on the shores of Watergate Bay, you certainly can. On Friday 27 February they’re trading wintry weather for a tropical cabana, with a bonfire on the beach, a barbecue on the deck, a bit of Caribbean flare and tropical cocktails. There’ll be traditional steel-drum entertainment too, so limber up for limbo and party into the night.

Tickets cost £30 per person. Book online.

ZACRY’S OFFER

Here’s an offer you can’t refuse. Book a late table in Zacry’s, the new contemporary American restaurant at Watergate Bay Hotel, and visit their Swim Club before you eat. Work up an appetite in the 25-metre infinity pool with sea view or simply while away a couple of hours in the cliff top Canadian hot tub or beside the log fire in the ocean room lounge.

Find out more.

Gaze across the Camel Estuary from Padstow on Cornwall’s north coast and you’ll spot the village of Rock. We take a walk…

Said to have been named after the local quarry that once provided ballast for ships sailing from this natural harbour, the name of Rock is somewhat deceptive.

Long stretches of fine sandy beaches line the edge of the village and the calm tidal waters make it a perfect place to sail, windsurf, water-ski and canoe. Others prefer to take it easy with a spot of fishing or bird watching from the dunes. It’s not hard to see why it’s grown in popularity in recent years.

We started our walk at the top of the village visiting Lewis’s Deli & Coffee Shop. Here you can stock up on fresh groceries, artisan bread from Da Bara Bakery, all of your favourite local cheeses and plenty of other treats including wine. Rockfish Fish Merchant across the road sells freshly caught fish plus hand-made dressed crab, potted shrimps and fishcakes. Beach BBQ anyone?

Next door, Mooch Interiors provides tasteful products for indoor and outdoor dining and utility. It’s the start of many great shops you’ll find in this small village.

Preppy and sailing-inspired fashion features large, with Seasalt, Crew Clothing, Jack Wills and White Stuff all having their own shops based at the top and bottom of the village. The independent Quay 4 Ltd also stocks favourites from Joules Clothing.

Next stop is Porthilly Cove which joins up with the beach at Rock at low tide. Glance across the estuary and you’ll see evidence of why this is a renowned area for shellfish, with produce championed by chefs and restaurants around the world, including Rick Stein and Nathan Outlaw. Rock Shellfish are key growers and wholesalers of oysters, mussels, clams and samphire, so make sure you sample some seafood during your visit.

Porthilly Gallery is the working studio of ceramist Paul Jackson, while at Rock Road Gallery you’ll find beautiful paintings from Allan Caswell.

There’s no shortage of great places to eat or drink away the sunset. Nathan Outlaw’s Mariners Rock public house is home to great tasting no-fuss pub grub and locally brewed beers from Sharps. His two-Michelin starred restaurant has recently moved from the St Enodoc Hotel to Port Isaac a short drive away.

©No 1 Rock Road

No. 1 Rock Road Bar and Grill, pictured above, and the Rock Inn are a little further down the road offering food and drinks while the popular Blue Tomato café is great for laid-back family food.

And after all that, don’t forget to take time to explore the beautiful beaches and coastal paths. Take the ferry across Padstow, discover the tranquil Daymer Bay a short stroll along the estuary or the popular surfing beach of Polzeath which is a little further along.

Talk about a beach retreat.

Rock is a 25 minute drive away from our properties at Watergate Bay and the surrounding area.

A surfers’ haven with beautiful coastal walks to nearby Damer Bay and Rock, Polzeath is a small village situated across the Camel Estuary waters from Padstow.

The late poet laureate, Sir John Betjeman, adored the North Coast of Cornwall and walking through the small village of Polzeath, it’s not hard to see why.

Polzeath’s main draw is a fantastic beach which is also one of the UK’s best surfing destinations – there’s no shortage of surf schools and shops to take your pick from. Beach lovers head to New Polzeath, to the right of the bay, for a more relaxed swim.

Polzeath may be small, but there are plenty of places to eat and shops to explore. At Surf Side, pretty much on the beach, make sure to try The Famous Lobster Roll or Mackerel Scone.

©Waterfront Bar and Grill

With panoramic views of Polzeath Beach and Pentire Point, The Waterfront Bar and Grill’s terrace (pictured above) is the best places to enjoy a lazy lunch with a chilled glass of wine or dinner while the sun sets. On Sundays they do a traditional roast dinner (roast beef, Yorkshires and roasties of course). They are open all year round and have a variety of events and specials to keep you coming back.

Galleon Beach Café is known for its outdoor pizza oven. You’ll also find fish and chips and ice creams a plenty in the village centre.

The Tube Station is Polzeath’s community charity which serves home-made food at it’s café. But best of all you don’t have to eat or drink anything at all – its lounge space is there for everyone to use and enjoy.

Whitewater Gallery is well worth a visit, with beautiful ceramics, paintings, jewellery and photographs all on display to buy. Fusion is more fashion-focussed but you’ll find some great gift ideas too.

The village of Trebetherick and Daymer Bay are around the next corner, another fantastic beach which normally has calmer waves, ideal for swimmers and wind surfers.

Take a pilgrimage to see Sir John Betjeman who is buried in St Enodoc Church, close to twelfth hole of the St Enodoc Golf Club. Or simply just sit on the beach and watch the day go by.

Polzeath is a 20 minute car journey from Watergate Bay and self catering accommodation from Beach Retreats.