Newquay
Newquay (Cornish: Tewynblustri) is the surf capital of Great Britain. Generally a youthful vibrant town in the county of Cornwall. Check the official award winning tourism website for activities, beaches, maps, downloads, blogs and accommodation.
Get in
By road
Follow the M5 to Exeter, then take the A30 to Newquay. Leave this road near Indian Queens and continue on the A39 and then A392 which takes you directly into the town.
By train
🌍 Newquay station is the terminus of a branch line that connects to the main line at Par. From Par, trains run hourly to London Paddington (4 hr 30 min, via Plymouth, Exeter and Reading) and to Penzance (1 hour); other destinations often involve a change at Exeter. There are six or seven trains a day between Par and Newquay, so check before travel to avoid long waits at Par. If your train is late and you're going to miss your connection, speak to the conductor who may be able to hold the connection or organise other transport. You also need to alert the conductor if you want to get off at most of the halts along the branch line. Newquay station is just east of town centre on Cliff Rd.
By bus
Daily services operated by National Express go directly to Newquay from many parts of the country. Bus services to other parts of Cornwall are operated by First Kernow and some local operators. Kernow services are reasonably frequent (at least hourly) and run until quite late — typically 22.00 or 23.00 depending on the route.
By plane
🌍
Cornwall Airport Newquay (NQY IATA), St Mawgan TR8 4RQ (6 miles northeast of town). Most flights are seasonal. Flybe have direct domestic flights to Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds-Bradford, Liverpool, London (Gatwick & Stansted), Manchester and Newcastle. Other destinations include Isles of Scilly, Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey, Amsterdam, Berlin, Cork, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Milan, Paris, Stuttgart and Zürich, plus holiday resorts around the Med. Winter flights are much fewer, those confirmed for 2018/19 include Leeds-Bradford, London Gatwick and Manchester.
There are two small cafes, one landside and one airside. Two car hire companies have desks in Arrivals. There's no left-luggage facility. In 2016 the airport scrapped its resented "development tax" of £5 per departure.
First Kernow bus A5 calls at the airport hourly. This runs to west to Newquay (20 mins) and north to Padstow (50 mins), with the last buses at around 18:30.
Get around
Many places in Newquay of interest to visitors are within walking distance. Some outlying suburbs and beaches are 4km or more from the centre.
See
- 🌍 Blue Reef Aquarium, Towan Promenade, TR7 1DU (right next to Towan beach), ☎ +44 1637 878134. Although it is small is well worth checking out. It has an octopus along with many other fish and marine animals, sea horses, starfish, sharks, etc. Also has a fish tank tunnel you can walk thorough.
- 🌍 Trerice, Kestle Mill, TR8 4PG, ☎ +44 1637 875404, e-mail: trerice@nationaltrust.org.uk.
Do
Newquay is well known as a surfer's paradise. Therefore it offers plenty of beaches:
- Crantock Beach - quiet beach, 2 km away from the city centre along the coastal path
- Fistral Beach - Newquays most popular beach, located to the west of Towards Head. Famous as a surf centre, has life guards during summer months. International surf competitions are held here.
- Great Western- a popular family beach, can be accessed from Cliff Road besides to the Great Western Hotel.
- Harbour - Newquay's smallest beach, very popular with families
- Holywell Bay (south of Crantock)
- Lusty Glaze Beach - offers a variety of shops and restaurants.
- Porth Joke or Polly Joke (between Crantock and Holywell Bay)
- Porth (north of Lusty)
- Tolcarne Beach
- Towan Beach - (Town Beach) - close to the town centre. Surfing is not allowed at this beach apart from at low tide. The beach can be accessed from the harbour (there are steps leading to the beach right from the end of the quay). Parking space for car is available, dogs are allowed too.
- Whipsiderry (between Porth and Watergate)
- Watergate Bay (north of Newquay)
- 🌍 Newquay Golf Club, Tower Road, TR7 1LT, ☎ +44 1637 872091, e-mail: info@newquaygolfclub.co.uk. 9AM-4PM. A semi-private golf club established in 1890. Total yardage Championship: 6141, Mens: 5708, and Womens: 5364. £31 non-member.
Eat
Drink
- The Central Inn - Nice pub, if you are not bothered with the television screens playing MTV all the time. Serves good food.
Newquay's town centre is home to a large number of nightclubs listed here .
Sleep
Dog Friendly
- Dog Friendly Accommodation (Dog Friendly Cottages). A large collection of specifically dog friendly cottages and apartments Broad range of prices to suit budget.
Budget
- St Christopher’s Inns Newquay (Newquay Hostel), 35 Fore Street, Newquay, Cornwall, UK, TR7 1HR, ☎ +44 163 785 91110, fax: +33 140 343 440, e-mail: newquay@st-christophers.co.uk. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 11AM. A rugged but well maintained hostel located on the cliff above Towan Beach. Attached surf school and backpackers bar. £10.50 with breakfast included.
Mid-range
- The Square House, Chapel Hill, ☎ +44 1637 872094. Nice Self Catering Holiday House, great location. Sleeps up to 12
- Minerva Hotel, The Crescent, TR7 1DT, ☎ +44 1637 873439. overlooking the ocean,close to city centre, friendly staff.
- Pendeen Hotel, 7 Alexandra Road, Porth, TR7 3ND, ☎ +44 1637 873521. very nice hotel. They have great food. Their specialty is seafood.
- Goofys - Boutique Hostel, Headland Road, Fistral Beach, TR7 1HW, ☎ +44 1637 872684. Take a blend of facilities - from Hotel, Bed & Breakfast, Surf Lodge, Hostel - together with one of Newquay's most prominent and popular locations.
Splurge
Connect
- Newquay Tourist Information Centre on 01637 854020 or visit the official website here
- Newquay Nightlife - Newquay's comprehensive guide to pubs, clubs and restaurants in Newquay
- Cybersurf @ Newquay Internet Cafe, opposite Somerfield Shopping Centre. A friendly, small internet-cafe, with laptop connection service. Call 01637 875497 for more details on opening times.
Go next
- Go for Land's End, Englands most southwesterly point.