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Claire Lancaster from Dandelion Lounge owns a cottage in Port Isaac, North Cornwall and has holidayed there two to three times a year for the last five or so years as both a couple and a family with a baby now toddler. Here she shares her regular favourite haunts, top tips and secrets for successful cottage holidays in the area – come rain or shine!
We live in the North West of England in Wilmslow, Cheshire and have a cottage in Port Isaac, North Cornwall. At least two if not three or more times a year we pack the car, step off the treadmill and head South for a week or so of fabulous Cornish hospitality in Port Isaac and its surrounding treasures. Port Isaac is most commonly known these days as “the place they film Doc Martin” with it being called “Port Wenn” in the series and really is a seriously beautiful part of the world with lots to do.
Our simple pleasures…
“Not doing much” is what we do in Cornwall, with beach time, rock pooling and agenda free wandering about. In an evening we tend to enjoy catching up with each other and “wanted to see” movies and playing cards. Across the years our favourite places to go and things to do have evolved.
The best sandy beach in my opinion is Polzeath, a big lovely expanse of beach, with little running streams down it, pools along coves for damming and other children to meet and play with. There is a car park on the beach which makes life easy. It is also worth knowing that the pay and display for Polzeath beach is also the same as for the car park at the top between Port Gavern and Port Isaac so if you buy a week parking permit (circa £22) you’re covered for both sites and others for a week. Trebarwith Strand is another good family day out at the beach both with a shops and cafes for drinks, snacks, lunches, beach goodies and toilets close by.
If you enjoy a good stroll Daymer Bay is really lovely and dogs are also allowed on Daymer Bay. Whilst my hygiene alarms can’t cope with that with my baby’s penchant for eating sand there are many families enjoying time there. The walk from Daymer Bay to Rock across the sand is great and you can then continue on and catch the ferry across to Padstow if you wish.
With a toddler in tow rock pooling is now our number one activity of choice and luckily for us just on our doorstep is the best place for rock pooling – Port Isaac! It’s always worth double checking the tides at “The Platt” at the bottom of the hill where you can drive on to the Port Isaac beach. Low tide, a bucket and a net – childhood memories of days gone by! Trebarwith Strand is also good for rock pooling and worth taking the buckets and nets for a day at the beach there. It’s also worth being around for high tide – whilst you can’t rock pool you can’t beat watching with a glass of vino the unknowing scrabbling to save their cars from the beach before the waves take them, or not as the case has been many times! It will not be the first or last time a brand new vehicle has been welcomed with open arms by the sea to the significant amusement of a large audience on The Platt!
We always make at least two, often many more, trips to the Carruan Farm Centre, Polzeath, Cornwall, PL27 6QU. Run by Clare and Mike (Farmer and Husband!) the tractor ride and farm tour are well worth doing, with over 1,000 lambs supplying Waitrose, kids and adults alike enjoy the tour, the animals and the outdoor ride on toys, wendy house and playground etc. The Farmhouse Kitchen is a great choice for breakfast, lunch or dinner – have eaten all! The farm shop produce we look forward to and miss from home – we’ve never been disappointed and my personal favourite for afternoon tea is the lemon cake!!
One of my favourite days out is to drive to Rock and get the ferry across to Padstow. It’s easier to park at Rock than in Padstow and a different, nicer way to travel to Padstow. Or should I say “Padstein” the place is Rick Stein-tastic but the fish and chips are a bit special. We go for the takeaway version these days rather than the fine dining restaurant option and like to explore the shops and eat our “chish and fips” sitting on the sea front wall.
The most well known tourist attraction in the broader area is The Eden Project which is about 45mins away from Port Isaac. Being honest I’m not a garden person so it was nice to see but it didn’t rock my world like it has others. There wasn’t a great deal at all for kids either, which influences my experience, not even a playground when we went in May 2009.
When we’re hungry…
As part of our “not doing much” campaign we generally eat out at lunchtimes and eat back at the cottage in the evenings with a couple of evenings out. There aren’t really any supermarkets on your doorstep so in terms of food, when we drive down I stop at Waitrose in Okehampton en route. There is also a big Tesco’s at Wadebridge. With one “big shop” done for the basics we then enjoy the produce from the local deli’s and farm shops. There is a local Co-op at the top in Port Isaac (there is also a larger Co-op in Wadebridge), Nikki B’s in the centre of Port Isaac, fantastic meats from Carruan Farm Centre, a decent Spar at Polzeath and also Di’s Dairy at Rock.
Di’s Dairy & Pantry Rock Road, Rock, Wadebridge, Cornwall, PL27 6NW (Tel 01208 863 531) is my call in on the way home from Rock or worth the quick 5-10 mins from Polzeath. It’s great to know a decent shop for food etc. when you’re self catering, it’s not the most cost effective option but has great choice and you can also pick up homemade meals, lasagne etc. so worth it!
Our two favourite places to eat in Port Isaac are Cupcakes on Middle Street for lunches, tea and cakes and The Slipway in the evening. The Slipway is also lovely to sit out at and enjoy a sundowner! There are great beers and fish and chips at The Golden Lion and we also enjoy eating in at The Watershed as well as takeaway pizza from there – its really easy, beach casual, inexpensive quality dining at the top of the hill between Port Isaac and Gavern. We have tried but avoid the Blue Tomato café –as we find it very expensive and small portions. St Kew Inn is a beautiful 15th century village pub located in St Kew Churchtown, the quality of the food and the relaxed dining experience means that reservations are a must here.
And if it rains …
Every UK holiday needs a plan B! That said I do find in this part of the world it is unusual between April and September for the weather to be set all day with bad weather tending to be just a morning or afternoon event. But you will be lucky not to need at least one wet activity plan, so if it does happen and you need a soft play centre my number one choice is at The Olde House Chapel Amble, Cornwall, PL27 6EN. Tel: 0844 7700420. It is about 2-3 miles away from Port Isaac with a great soft play centre and also a heated indoor pool.
Should you be over Wadebridge way there is also the Crazy Camel Children’s Indoor Playground & Café, Bradford’s Quay, Bridgend, Wadebridge, PL27 6DA, Tel: 07889061484. The Crazy Camel play centre is on an industrial estate on the way into Wadebridge, quite small but the number one thing is that the kids love it and it tires them out so it does the job!
For cottages in the Port Isaac area click here
The River Aeron at Aberaeron. Taken by Aeronian
Andrea Daly at the blog The Accidental Businessmum took her young family on a cottage holiday to the beautiful Aeron valley last year and here’s her experience of the area…..
“We were especially looking forward to our week away as our two older children were spending the week with their grandparents and as I was heavily pregnant with our third child, it was going to be our last chance to get away together for a while.
We fell in love with the cottage as soon as we saw it although it was a little difficult to manoeuvre down the tiny driveway. The front door was about 5′ 5” high, especially funny as my partner is 6′ 3”. Inside it was obvious that the cottage had been renovated with much love and care. We entered a very tiny kitchen with what looked like a ladder propped up over the cooker! This ladder led to a mezzanine which contained nothing but a small (and apparently original) bed and chest of drawers. Although a double, the bed was much smaller than todays standard bed size. The mezzanine was a bit of an adventure and under normal circumstances would have been fine, but being 8 months pregnant, climbing a ladder and sleeping in such a small bed came as a bit of a shock!
Back downstairs, there was a reasonable size lounge off which was small bathroom with a roll top bath and shuttered windows. At the rear of the lounge were a set of french door leading out into a small brick layed patio and beyond the most incredible view of rolling hills dotted with sheep.
Inside the lounge was a wood burner, TV, DVD and oil fired central heating had we needed it. What we were staying in was a traditional crofters cottage but with all the modern conveniences.
After spending some time settling in and getting used to climbing a ladder to bed, we spent the remainder of the week exploring the local area. The cottage was well situated for Cardigan Bay, which is famous for it’s Dolphin watching. We had been advised to wait by the fish factory as the Dolphins congregate around the sea there. Unfortunately we didn’t see any but were assured that plenty of others had and there was a Dolphin watching boat trip available for the more adventurous and unpregnant!
The harbour at Aberaeron. Taken by Aeronian
We visited Aberaeron late one afternoon, and wished we had arrived earlier and spent the day there. It’s a beautiful harbor town with the houses painted all different shades. We enjoyed a delicious meal at The Harbourmaster Hotel and watched the sun go down over the brightly coloured houses.
During the whole week in only rained once and heavily! We decided to go into Aberystwyth for a coffee and some shopping It could have easily been a complete wash out, until we saw that my favourite musical, ‘West Side Story’ was opening that afternoon at the Arts Centre. We managed to book tickets for the matinée and it turned into one of my most memorable holiday experiences ever. The performance was dramatic and emotional and at the end the cast received a very tearful standing ovation.”
For cottages in the Aberaeron area click here
Holt Town
North Norfolk is one of those untouched areas of Britain you can hardly believe still exists. It’s accessible to much of the South East of England via the M11 and you can get there from London in roughly 2.5 hours.
There are plenty of quaint villages Brancester, Brancaster Staithe, Burham Deepdale, Burnham Market, Thornham to choose from as well as the small towns of Wells next the Sea, Holt and Cromer. All these villages and towns have something different to offer.
Brancaster Staithe and Burnham Deepdale have beautiful beaches, Scolt Head Island which is owned by The National Trust, salt marshes and bird life. The coastal footpath is right on the doorstep, running 47 miles along the North Norfolk Coast. For cottages in the Brancaster Saithe and the surrounding areas click here.
Brancaster Beach
Burnham Market is a small town situated a stone’s throw away from the glorious North Norfolk coastline with its many stunning beaches, wide open spaces. It’s known for it’s wonderful shops and galleries Norfolk Living, Saltwater, Ruby and Tallulah, Anna, Joules Clothing, and The Warehouse amongst others. Burnham also has a great selection of ‘foodie stores’ such as Humble Pie and Grooms Bakery as well as a selection of excellent restaurants. For cottages in Burnham Market and the surrounding areas click here.
Wells-Next-The Sea is one of the most attractive small towns on the coast. Wells has a long sweeping beach bordered by pine woodland, a gentle harbour with small fishing boats and fine Georgian houses. Wells next the Sea is an unspoilt fishing village waiting to be discovered. At Wells there is much to do, you can spend time at the beach, and book boat trips to see sealife such as birds and seals through Blakeney Seal Trips. For cottages in Wells next the Sea and the surrounding areas click here.
Near Wells next the Sea is the beautiful Holkham Estate. Visit the Palladian mansion Holkham Hall and beach which is nearby for walks, plays, concerts and gardens as well as the bygone times museum. Holkham has also been the backdrop to films such as ‘The Duchess’ and the beach was used in ‘Shakespeare in Love’. For cottages in Wells next the Sea and the surrounding areas click here
Violet Cottage in Catfield, Nr. Potter Heigham
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