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A few years ago, winemakers and wine drinkers alike would’ve scoffed at the idea of English wine. But French vineyards now have plenty to worry about when it comes to plonk from this side of the channel. Cornwall’s Camel Valley vineyard is top of the list.

English wine, and in particular sparkling wine, is now wowing drinkers, wine experts and even royalty, picking up plenty of awards and reviews. Camel Valley, located between Bodmin and Wadebridge, is a case (gettit?) in point.

When ex-RAF pilot Bob Lindo and his wife Annie planted their first eight thousand vines in 1989, they never dreamed of the phenomenal success they would achieve within two decades. Some may find it hard to imagine sun-drenched slopes in Cornwall, but Bob and Annie did, and wondered if vines might enjoy such an aspect.

Taking a viticulture course and reading every wine book they could find, they built a winery and equipped it with the finest equipment they could afford. Annie is the first to admit the early years weren’t easy: “But we loved it, always striving for perfection in the vineyard and the winery, and then we won a medal in the national English Wine competition for our first wine, so we knew we were doing something right.”

Other awards have included the Waitrose Drinks Producer of the Year Award in 2002 and the International Wine Challenge Gold Medal for Camel Valley ‘Cornwall Sparkling Wine’ in 2005 where they were up against some of the finest wines in the world. Nowadays, the second generation winemaker – son, Sam Lindo – is hard at work at Camel Valley and the award-winning spree has continued.

You’ll find Camel Valley stocked in Waitrose, Fortnum’s and Hakkasan in London, exported to Japan and poured at the tables of the UK’s finest restaurants, including Rick Stien’s in Padstow and Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall at Watergate Bay.

The Independent’s verdict says it all: “Anyone who has tasted Camel Valley White Pinot Noir will be blown away by its elegance.” Perfect to make your Christmas and New Year break go with a pop.

As well as a year-round wine shop on site, Camel Valley also offers laid-back tours of the vineyards. There’s no snobbery here, just a deep and enthusiastic love of wine. A very interesting day out.
Cheers!

Visit www.camelvalley.com for more information.

What do you get if you cross a great coffee maker, a surf-board shaper and motorbike customiser? The proprietor of a sub-cultural café on Cornwall’s Atlantic Highway, of course.

Take a trip on the Atlantic Highway – or the A39 as its less romantically known – from Newquay towards Devon and you won’t miss Strong Adolfos.

With its huge red ‘café’ sign on the roof, Strong Adolfos is Cornwall’s answer to cool Californian-cool café culture.

Mathilda and John Eldridge run the show, with the establishment recently celebrating a more than successful first year in business.

The interior is industrial but the food and drink is anything but. In addition to coffee there’s a great selection of smoothies – avocado and date had our vote – as well as a cold selection of drinks.

These images from Strong Adolfos’ Instagram.

The kitchen serves freshly cooked breakfast and lunches with influence taken from around the globe. We spotted burgers, lentil dhal and tasty salads on the day that we visited with vegetarian, gluten-free and meat eaters all catered for across the menu.

Although the sandwiches and cakes here go against the grain, make sure to take a look at the daily-changing specials board for where it’s really at for lunches. For an idea of what to expect, check out a previous special’s board.

With its roots firmly planted in the art, surf and motorcycle scenes, you can also expect regular events along this theme; rallies for any number of wheeled machines, film nights and art exhibitions to name just a few.

Here, it’s the Strong Adolfos’ way, or the highway.

www.strongadolfos.com

October 18 marks the return of Fifteen Cornwall’s popular Autumn Fayre.

From 9.30am – 3.30pm Fifteen Cornwall and the Cornwall Food Foundation will be hosting it’s bi-annual Fayre in the Watergate Bay car park.

Bringing together local suppliers and growers to celebrate the Cornish harvest, the Autumn Fayre has a great line up of stall holders including:

Buttermilk Confectionery Co
The Eden Project
Cornish Country Cordials
Cornish Meadow Preserves
Rodda’s Cream
Skinner’s Brewery Co
Riverford Farm
Cornish Orchards
Da Bara Bakery

…and many more

Alongside the tempting stalls the renowned Chef’s Demonstration Kitchen, hosted by BBC Radio Cornwall, offers a line up of amazing chefs including Fifteen Cornwall’s very own Andy Appleton showcasing some delicious seasonal dishes for you to recreate at home.

And if that wasn’t enough, your children are also catered for (pun intended) as the Cornwall Food Foundation will be running workshops such as make your own smoothie and build your own breakfast.

See you there!

Set on the North Cornwall coast, Padstow is a quintessential harbour full of fishing boats, boutique stores, amazing restaurants and smiling faces.

Steeped in fishing history Padstow is a beautiful place to while away the day and watch the world, boats, go by.

Starting at the National Lobster Hatchery, Padstow’s traditional fishing culture is already apparent. At the heart of the hatchery is conservation, taking in pregnant lobsters that have been caught by local fishermen and nurturing her young until they are ready to be released back in to the wild. Over the course of a year, the Lobster Hatchery takes in up to 60,000 young and improves their survival rate in the wild up to 40%.

Make sure you visit the hatchery and adopt your own lobster.

Walking towards the village centre the smell of Rick Stein’s fish n’ chips is alluring, but first it’s time for some elevenses

We tuck round the corner of the harbour to BinTwo, an independent wine merchant and champagne bar. Prizing ourselves away for the vintage collection we ordered a coffee and cake and relaxed.

With our energy boosted it was time for meandering through the streets, ducking into the boutique shops, and taking lots of photos.

One pasty shop.

Two pasty shops.

Three pasty shops.

All next door to the other. You certainly won’t go hungry in Padstow.

Tracing back to harbour, the central hub of Padstow, the Jubilee Queen is filling up for her twice daily tour of the coast. But that’s not the only way to see the Camel Estuary.

Starting at Wadebridge you can cycle you way along five miles of coastal path towards Padstow along the Camel Trail. Or if you’re a bit of a thrill seeker why not climb aboard one of Padstow’s famous speed boats for a whirl wind ride.

As the sun started to set and after a day of shopping, snacking and sunbathing beside the harbour it was time for dinner.

We headed to Rojano’s in the Square, a favourite restaurant to the locals serving the best of Italian influenced cuisine. We opted for burgers, which were so delicious we didn’t stop in time to take a photo, however, Rojano’s came to the rescue and lent us their image.

See what we mean? Tasty!

There is always something to do in Cornwall, and there is certainly always something to eat. Throughout Autumn The Beach Hut, Watergate Bay, is hosting a series of foodie events that you won’t want to miss.

Check them out…

LOBSTER FRIDAY

Friday 19 September

To mark the end of the lobster season and for one night only, The Beach Hut is going lobster crazy. Work your way through a whole lobster with a four course feast. Expect cerviche, linguine and grilled lobster.

7pm – £50 per person.

BOOK ONLINE

Say goodbye to summer barbecue

Friday 17 October

Barbecues, bonfires and a beach-side vibe, that’s what autumn evenings at The Beach Hut are all about. Join them to say goodbye to summer with the first of their famous barbecues. There’ll be music, laughter and plenty of delicious barbecue food.

7pm – £30 per person.

BOOK ONLINE

Welcoming the Winter

Friday 14 November

To celebrate the arrival of winter The Beach Hut will be cooking up food which to make you feel warm inside. A bonfire on the beach will get the evening off with a bang and the barbecue will feature some ‘cowboy style’ cooking.

There will be a South American theme: grilled meats, vegetables and lesser known cuts slowly cooked, pulled belly pork and BBQ sauce, five spice honey chicken, grilled leg of lamb with flat bread and mint raita. Baked potatoes will be in the fire and cowboy beans will be served with Asian slaw and corn fritters. And Hennessey brandy along with big, bold reds.

Expect sparklers, American music and line dancing, don’t forget your cowboy hats!

7pm – £30 per person.

BOOK ONLINE

Christmas

12/13/19/20 December

Celebrate the Christmas season at The Beach Hut with a beach bonfire and evening acoustic set and DJ.

MORE DETAILS

Truro, the Capital City of Cornwall, and Britain’s most southerly city combines the best of cobbled streets, culture and Cornish cuisine.

If you’re looking for a little retail therapy whilst on holiday, Truro is the place to go. Mixing well known high street brands, such as Jaeger, The White Company and Joules, with local cafes and boutique shops, Truro offers shoppers a cosmopolitan day out.

Starting in Lemon Quay in the centre of Truro, we took in the Georgian architecture of Hall for Cornwall, the historic theatre that shows everything from West End musicals to rock concerts to amateur dramatics. Basking in sunshine, you can sit outdoors in the Quay and enjoy a Cornish Cream Tea, or two, to muster up the energy to shop till you drop.

Taking off down one of the many cobbled streets in Truro, it’s time to shop, with the beautiful Cathedral towering high above the roof tops. It seems from every angle in Truro you can see at least some of the Cathedral, proudly sitting as Truro’s most iconic landmark.

After exploring the bustling streets of Truro we couldn’t resist a look inside the Cathedral.

Built over 30 years from 1880, Truro Cathedral was the first to be built on a new site in England since 1220. Built during the Gothic revival era using stone quarried by the people of Cornwall, Truro Cathedral resembles that of Lincoln Cathedral.

Free guided tours run Monday- Thursday at 11am and every Friday at 11.30am.

 

Walking through the aisles, the monumental stain glass windows all tell a story and fill the Cathedral with subdued, elegant light.

Before we knew it lunch time was calling. Just outside the Cathedral is the brand new local ‘Midtown Deli & Café‘. We stopped off for a slice of flapjack and iced coffee, whilst sitting in the large window watching the world go by.

Midtown Deli & Café serves and sells a great range of local produce. With huge sandwiches, homemade soup and extremely tempting cakes on offer it’s a great place to take a break and recoup for more shopping and sight seeing.

Top tip: Duck down the many side streets and alley ways in Truro, you never know what boutique shops you might find.

The North coast of Cornwall is a smörgåsbord of beautiful beaches and great surf breaks to which Mawgan Porth is of no exception. A few miles north of Watergate Bay, Mawgan Porth is a picturesque village with everything you could need for a great holiday!

Mawgan Porth Beach has all the right ingredients – sitting at the bottom of steep cliffs, this large sandy beach has rock pools, rolling surf and amazing sunsets.  It’s no wonder The Times named it one of the best beaches in Britain stating ‘There are better-known and busier beaches in Cornwall, but few can match the raw beauty of Mawgan Porth’. Mawgan Porth Beach is one of Cornwall’s quieter beaches making it popular with families with younger children.

Coming off the beach and exploring the village you’ll find the local deli, cafes, surf shops and hire, craft workshops and jewellery and clothing boutiques.

Trans Surf takes centre stage in the village, selling and hiring surf equipment and more. From wetsuits to custom made boards, vintage Levis and cowboy boots to fair trade Cornish clothing you could search the store for hours.

 

Next door you’ll find Roo’s Beach. With a sister store in Porth, Roo’s Beach is building a reputation as the ‘beachiest’ boutique in North Cornwall. Fun and funky is the only way to describe their eclectic style.

 

And don’t forget to visit Disco Beads. Created in 2009 by jewellery designer Vic Harrigon, as quickly as she could make the jewellery she was selling it. Now with her own shop in Mawgan Porth, you can purchase ready made bracelets and necklaces or create your own.

Disco Beads have a mirror inside which makes them highly reflective giving them the bright and glowing look of a disco ball when they catch the light.

After a few hours retail therapy we’d worked up an appetite for coffee! At the end of the village we spied ‘Laid Back Coffee co‘, an independent, mobile coffee business selling great coffee and home baked cakes from the back of a 1969 Morris Minor Van.

Alternatively, if you’re looking for proper pub grub served at morning, noon and night (full English breakfasts and muffins, freshly filled baguettes from Chough Bakery in Padstow, and stone baked pizzas), then the Merrymoor is for you.

Walking back towards the beach we were nearly convinced by the Kingsurf guys to take a surf lesson. Running since 1997, Kingsurf has taught thousands of people how to catch the waves and ride them all the way into shore.

There is a great local vibe in Mawgan Porth; the residents of the village really work hard to keep everything local. If you want an authentic Cornish holiday, Mawgan Porth is for you.

Check out our holiday lets in Mawgan Porth.

Summer is here, sea temperatures are warming and marine wildlife is teeming around our shores. It’s the perfect time to set foot beyond the beach and try coasteering.

It’s been a long winter gazing seaward. But the time has come to twist your perspective on the Cornish coastline. As the ocean warms up this is the season to take the plunge and explore the swell-lashed territory where land meets sea. Coasteering brings you face to face with marine life, while taking you into creases of our rugged shores that are inaccessible by any other means. Be prepared for your knees to wobble and your heart pound as you swim through gulleys, ride whirlpools, explore sea caves, scramble up cliff faces and leap from rocky ledges. A coasteering trip isn’t for the faint-hearted, but for families with an adventurous streak, there’s no better way to get under the salty skin of North Cornwall.

For coasteering virgins, you can expect your initiation to go a bit like this… Feet and hands clinging fast like barnacles to the rocks, trying desperately to resist the pull of the swell taking you back into the sea. Heart in your mouth as you leap from a granite ledge. Salty bubbles of adrenalin bringing you back to the surface where you bob like a seal (only ungainly and badly dressed), eyeing gulls and cormorants that swoop overhead. Coast path walkers are just specks on the land; they have no idea what it feels like to see the coast from out here. You ride the next surge of the ocean into the mouth of a sea cave. Another hit of adrenalin. You’re addicted.

The terrain you will witness is unlike anywhere else in the country with its sheltered coves, wave-hewn headlands, natural sluices and smugglers’ caves. And there’s no better time to experience this territory than in summer. “After a long winter the wildlife goes into overdrive,” explains Ben Spicer of Cornish Rock Tors. “In inter-tidal zones you might see starfish or giant spider crabs, while a seal might pop up in deeper waters.” Elliot Walker of Pure Activities agrees: “Coasteering is an amazing activity to experience in summer when clifftops are covered with gorse and wild flowers, birds return from their winter migrations, dolphins are exceptionally playful and sunny days make sea temperatures more comfortable.”

Despite full-throttle adventure credentials, coasteering is a family-friendly activity and doesn’t require superhuman levels of fitness. Launching off sea cliffs and disappearing into tidal caves might feel like breaking all the sea-safety rules that have been drummed into you, but in the hands of expert guides you’re doing so in a safe, controlled environment. There are coasteering trips for all ages and abilities, from easygoing routes for first-time families to power coasters (with aid of a RIB boat) for extreme adrenalin junkies.

“Newquay is the hub of coasteering in the South West,” declares Rob Barber of Newquay Activity Centre. “So standards of service are high.” He points out a culmination of factors that make the coast between Newquay and Polzeath an incredible place for coasteering: “Not only are we lucky enough to have the Gulf Stream warming our waters, but it’s down to the fusion of pristine environment, some of the country’s most eye-catching indigenous wildlife and consistent swell.” Whatever you encounter on a coasteering trip it’s the raw beauty of the coastline that smacks you squarely in the face. Well, that and the North Coast swell.

Where can I have a go?

Extreme Coasteering

Adrenaline Quarry

Cornish Coast Adventures

BREAKING NEWS:  Dinosaurs have been spotted in the St. Austell area heading towards Eden Project.

Until now dinosaurs were thought extinct, but it seems the abundant plant life of Eden Project has given the prehistoric creatures new life.

The team at Eden are calling on all junior (and senior) explorers to help them track down the escaped dinosaurs and learn all about our Earth’s past.

There is no time to lose, we must find the dinosaurs!

Head to Eden Project this summer between 21 July and 2 September for a truly immersive experience, Dinosaurs Unleashed, it’s a sensory feast that you’ll never forget! Step boldly into an ancient, exotic landscape of raw earth, rocks, roots, ferns, dripping mosses and giant redwood trees, habitat of the frog, snake and giant centipede. As you walk through atmospheric morning mist, you’ll hear Pterosaurs soaring overhead and smell the subtle scent of conifers on the air.

Become an explorer – Clue up at Basecamp before striking out on your expedition. At this first base, you’ll learn all you need to complete your quest around Eden.

Explorer Field Stations – Meet explorers from the past. Find out why they went down in history as some of the greatest adventurers and what we can learn from them.

The Crater of the Tyrant King – Dare you enter the Crater? You’ll encounter the most feared predator of all, a Tyrannosaurus rex, as it devours its Triceratops prey!

The Dig Pit – Dig deep into the past to uncover a dinosaur skeleton, and see how humans discovered and pieced together this world by finding fossils. A great activity for the whole family to get stuck into! There will also be a junior version for the under-5s.

Dinosaur exhibition – In our Core building, discover why people are so fascinated by dinosaurs. Find out why scientists think they were so BIG and why they think they were wiped out 65 million years ago.

The exhibition will also feature an amazing collection of dinosaur fossils that has never been publicly exhibited before, including real dinosaur eggs, a fossilised brain, a whole skeleton and a real T-Rex tooth.

Adventure Journal – When you arrive at Eden you’ll be given a free Adventure Journal where you can record details of your adventure here.

Note for parents and carers of youngsters (of a possibly nervous disposition): the Crater of the Tyrant King is an authentic and immersive experience. It shows a very realistic (and slightly gory!) scene. Please check with our staff if you have any questions/concerns before joining the queue.

Cornwall’s next generation of cooking talent have been in competition to win the title of Top Chef across Cornwall and the winner has a could be part of the in-house catering team at a Beach Retreats property!

Merryn McCluskie, age 12, from Mawgan Porth was announced the overall winner at the final cook-off at Treviglas School on June 28th. Coming through a series of heats, Merryn was crowned overall winner across all age groups after a ‘masterchef’ style cook off in front of a respected judges including two from Fifteen Cornwall. The prize includes a Fifteen Cornwall apron and day at the restaurant in Watergate Bay.

Merryn is the daughter of Pippa and James who run Blue Bay House in Mawgan Porth. They provide an in-house catering service for guests – everything from a grand banquet to picnic baskets, so it’s easy to see where Merryn picked up her cooking skills.

Merryn cooked her favourite food – asparagus – as part of the two courses in the final:

Tregassow Asparagus wrapped in pancetta served with wild leaves and flowers, parmesan shavings and drizzled with French dressing.

Fresh fillet of Cod with a herb crust, baked and served with a lemon butter sauce, seasonal vegetables and Cornish new potatoes.

Read more about Blue Bay House and their personalised in-house catering options for guests.