We are off to Cornwall next week, can anyone recommend any good beaches and attractions for us to visit (including very very child friendly places to eat and drink), We are staying between Falmouth and Truro. The array of beaches and attactions is huge compared to what we have time to do. Bear in mind that we will have 20 month old twins in tow so we probably won't be taking a 1/2 day boat trip!

Currently planning a trip to Padstow and Daymar beach and will probably pop over to the North coast from where we are staying to look at St Ives, but it would be good to get some recommendations

(High 5s fellow twinner)

There is this place – Dairyland – went there last year when Mrs M was pregnant (we had gone away with friends with children). Very child friendly.

Padstow will be a **** nightmare. Rammed. Good Luck.
Avoid Tintagel …. nothing there for the little-uns and the walk down and all the steps will be hard to negotiate… good for older kids though.
Nowt at Bodmin other than the Jail which is quiet interesting….. Camel trail is flat too betwixt Bodmin and Padstow…. though a round trip between the two is actually about 25miles (as we found out last year, much to my wife & kids pleasure ;0) )
I like Newquay…..
Mousehole is lovely.
Eden Project is excellent…. and can be done with a trip to the St Austell Brewery :0)
Drink Tribute.

Penrod – a few ideas for you.

Get the Enterprise Ferry from Truro to Falmouth – they do a pretty good running commentary.

Hit Gyllingvase (Falmouth) beach and cafe – very child friendly.
Daymer is lovely – I lived there for three years. It's a fair drive (50+mins) from where you are staying but the beach just past Brae Hill is always very quiet. Padstow is opposite and ferryable but as mentioned, get's rammed.
The Lizard Peninsula is stunning – check out Cadgewith if you can.

St Ives is great but it does get VERY busy and parking is a bit cr4p. Lots to see and do though.

Avoid the A30 at any peak times – it gets bad towards Hayle and nearish Truro at busy times like Friday afternoon.

There are a few child friendly attractions like Flambards but your little ones are about the same age as our boy – we find he's happiest on the beach.

We stayed on the north side last summer.

Padstow – Overrated and busy. Used to be able to park in the car park at the top of the hill, now they've setup a park and ride as it gets that busy.

Eden Project – Excellent, lots for the kids to do and see.

Watergate bay – Big long beach, now has extra parking.

Mawgan Porth – Smaller beach but still good.

Perranporth – Again busy, NT carpark close by

Newquay – Cheesy seaside town, can get full of chavs, generally a good laugh though, plus the sealife centre on the beach is good.

Jeffl – no NT car park at Perranporth. You might be thinking of Gwithian?

I'll second dairyland. I grew up a few miles from there, but never went until I took my own family last year. Your entrance fee includes free return trips for the week, so we went 3 times as it p1ssed down all week and they've got a good indoor soft play area!

Eden is also good for the kids

If you go to St Ives, use the Park & ride train (well signposted). It's a loverly little trip along the coast.

I'd go to Mevagissy rather than Padstow. Very similar fishing ports but Meva lacks Rick Stein and is easier for you to get to.

Don't write off a boat trip. Some of the boats that go out of Falmouth are quite big with several decks, bar, bogs etc

As for beaches – what do you want? Quiet or busy? Lifguards or not? Surf or calm sea? short drive or long drive? easy parking or walk over cliffs? Cafe or full restuarant or nothing?

Forgot to mention Polruan. Take the King harry car ferry across the estuary. park at top of the town and hold on tight to the kids buggy as it's a **** steep walk down to the quay

Errmm – the King Harry Ferry connects the Roseland Peninsula to the "mainland" of Feock near Truro.

For Polruan, you catch the Polruan Ferry either at Fowey or Polruan.

Well spotted Surf-Mat. I meant the Bodinnick ferry for Polruan.

In fact now I think about it. I'd take the King Harry ferry anyway, drive around the Roseland peninsula (some nice beaches over there that lack the surf & hence crowds of the north coast) and drop into Meva for lunch before carrying on to get a late entry ticket into Eden.

trb – sorry, I wasn't trying to be a PITA, I just thought that it could result in someone getting lost!

I am currently looking through my office window at the Fal River and Roseland Peninsula and often pass the KHF on our little boat. Very pleasant.

Trb:

By way of beaches, we are thinking of something with food facilities nearby and easy parking, so probably not too remote or quiet. I'll need to get my double croozer down there!

Cheers for the suggestions

I hear Newquay is quiet in high season 🙂

Beaches with all those facilities and double buggyable plus local to where you are staying:

Gwithian, Gyllingvase (Falmouth), Maenporth (Falmouth), Perranporth, Portreath, Praa.

Cheers Mat!

If you get a few spare minutes away from the kids (try suggesting the other half goes shopping in Truro), try Skinners brewery in Truro. The tour is rather good and involves free beer (well, beer included in the price). It's a short walk down the road past Sainsburys (just off Lemon Quay). Betty Stoggs is a very nice pint.

Doom Bar (Sharps) is a good pint too.

For a nice long beach that is a lot quieter, you could try Gwithian. Dunes, long beach and you can see St Ives across the bay.

Carbis bay beach next to St Ives is stunning, but busy.

If you want nice beaches, then i'd stick to the north coast (not saying there's not any nice ones on the South).

Change Sainsburys to M&S (Sainsburys is about a mile up the road) for correct directions!

witchcraft museum at Boscastle is very interesting.

good beaches all over Cornwall – we just got back from Bude which is OK. Favourite beach this year was Northcott clicky sand – rocks – plenty of rock pools to potter about in and a free car park

Bude area is a hell of a trek from where PP is staying though – over an hours driving.

For big beaches try Perranporth, Watergate or Gwithian (but watch for rips if you're swimming at Gwithian). Away from the beach there's the Seal Snactuary at Gweek, The Cornish Cyder farm near Goonhavern, or even the Riskilly's Ice-Cream farm (!) on the Lizard near Coverack. If you don't mind going a littel further afield (~1hr), you can hire bikes in Penzance and pootle along the coastpatch to Marazion (can probably even get kiddie trailers). There's also cycle trails at Bissoe and Wadebridge – expect you could hire bikes there, too, but don't know for certain (I get a nosebleed if I go that far east).

Have a good holiday…

I am taking the bike and trailer with me, so any suggestions that fit in with that are cool

There's the Camel Trail from St Ives for some easy going biking. If you ride all the way to Bodmin there's a lovely vineyard that does pre-arranged tours. Camel Valley Atlantic Dry white wine is beautiful

Penrod – perfect trail for you is the Devoran to Portreath track (very well marked) with a big cycle place about 1/5 of the way at Bissoe.

Also happens to be some fantastic DHing and singletrack just near the track if you want to unhitch and have a quick blast. There's also a slightly mad BMX/MTB track nr Portreath called "The Track" if you like nutty MTB jumps.

All very close to where you are staying.

Feel free to ask anything – know the area very well and really rate it for cycling. The track (an ex tram track for the mines) is almost 100% mellow and flattish so fine for a trailer – just a few gates to negotiate.

Happy to scan and email a map I have of the track if needed.

There's the Camel Trail from St Ives for some easy going biking. If you ride all the way to Bodmin there's a lovely vineyard that does pre-arranged tours. Camel Valley Atlantic Dry white wine is beautiful

Nope – the Camel Trail is from Bodmin to Padstow! Gets VERY VERY busy in season at the Padstow end. The vineyard is superb though as mentioned. Their sparking Brut is also amazing.

+1 for Fowey. If you're there, check out Sam's Diner (they also have one on the beach near Par).

I took the bike there in the summer of 03 and spent a week just checking out loads of trails and different areas (pretty much from Boscastle down to Lands End and then around to Bodmin).

+1 for Maenporth (food at the restaurant/bar there is tasty as I recall!) – and also worth noting (as an attraction to visit) that you're close to Gweek, and the Seal Sanctuary there is pretty good – kids should love that!

Pretty much as everyone's suggested but I'd recommend Marazion and the walk to St Michaels mount with young children, beachy, rock pools. The island is NT btw. The playground by the carpark is great at Marazion, right next to the beach.

Fowey has a fair few pubs but not a whole heap else to do. Nice scenery, and a trip to Polruan is on the cards too, but again, not a lot to do. Sams is nice for an even meal, but a little cramped if it's busy.

If your kids are young, there's Ben's Play World in Par (near St Austell/Fowey). You can enjoy a stroll around the picturesque Par market* while the kids play.

*Disclaimer – Par market is not picturesque