I spent a couple of days in Newquay on the Europe a la Carte Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour, arriving on 24 July and staying at the Pure Shores Boutique Lodge.

I spent most of the next day, 25 July, walking the coastal path from Towan Beach to Watergate Bay, discovering several lovely beaches along the route. I think I walked around 5 miles, arriving at Watergate Bay in the early afternoon, where I was planning to have lunch at the Beach Hut. However, the Beach Hut was busy and as I hadn’t booked a table (because I didn’t know how long it’d take me to walk there), the only option on offer was a snack on the terrace. I decided to indulge in a cream tea, which was very good but it cost over £6 for a mug of tea (not even a pot) and 2 scones with cream and jam. I was taken aback by the state of the Ladies toilet, which had no toilet paper and a broken hand drier. I know it was busy but they really should provide better maintained facilities.

Whipsiderry Beach, Newquay

I decided I’d take the bus back to Newquay. By the time I got back to my room, I realised I was actually sunburnt. Although it had been a mix of cloudy and sunny, I hadn’t applied any suncream before departing and I’d been outside for at least 5 hours. I wasn’t up to doing much that evening so just had a stroll around the harbour.

The next day was a complete contrast weather-wise, with rain all day. Fortunately I’d brought my waterproof trousers and jacket, so I set off for my morning appointment to do a video interview with Ben Riding of Surfing is Therapy, based at the Headland Hotel at Fistral Beach. The rain was so heavy by midday that I decided to find a cosy corner with a nice cup of tea, connect to the wifi and upload some videos to youtube. I was impressed by the tea served at the Headland, as there was a pot of tea accompanied by a pot of hot water and a shortbread biscuit, compared to previous day’s teabag-floating-in-mug effort at the Beach Hut at Watergate Bay. There are great views over Fistral Beach from the seats near the window at the rear of the Headland Hotel. I chose a smaller lounge at the front of the hotel so as to work in peace.

Then it was off to Tolcarne Beach for a lunch at the Kahuna Restaurant. It was pity that it was still raining, so I couldn’t sit out on the decking to admire the views during lunch, but my grilled turbot was really tasty.

View from Kahuna over Tolcarne Beach, Newquay

I did enjoy my stay in Newquay, although the rain on 26 July was a pain. For me the attraction of Newquay is the beautiful beaches, and I did manage to spend a lot of my visit on or near the beaches.

Europe a la Carte Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour sponsored by