We arrived at Woodland Collection Cottages after a long but pleasant drive, welcomed with open arms by the lovely owner, Helen. A pint of milk waiting in the fridge so that we could relax and have a coffee whilst we got settled in to the gorgeous ‘Oak Cottage.’ The cottage was perfect and spacious, with 3 bedrooms with en-suite showers, a downstairs toilet and wet room and 4 smart TV’s, it was fully equipped for all of our needs. There were also fabulous little extras; picnic bags, games, reclining sun lounger sets and more. Perfectly located in Hayle, just a short drive to all of Cornwall’s top destinations; Marazion, St. Ives, Lands End and many more..
We decided to book a little treat in with Woodland’s private dining service, a local and well known chef, Daniel (AKA – The Cornish Chef). After settling the kids down in the bunk beds (a big hit) we sat down to enjoy a drink and watch Daniel prepare our meals; Garlic Mussels & Tiger Prawns followed by pan seared Gammon & Salmon in a Hollandaise sauce. The meal was absolutely sensational. We were extremely impressed with the flavour and the portion sizes; great value for money with the added bonus of no washing up!
Just round the corner, about 6 miles away, is a farm park and restaurant named Trevaskis Farm where you could pick your own fruit and veg (amazing for the kids). They had a vast selection to choose from; strawberries, gooseberries, sugar snap peas, blackcurrants and more. We picked a large punnet of raspberries and strawberries, paired the with a tub of Cornish clotted cream from the farm shop – delicious! A great start to the day and a brilliant little outing for the small ones.
Following the farm we headed off to explore St.Ives. We had been told about the beautiful beaches around St. Ives and a charming little restaurant called Porthminster Beach Cafe; neither disappointed! The streets are filled with rows of quaint little shops and ice cream parlours. We strolled along the promenade looking out at the rows of fishing boats moored in the sand as the tide crept up the golden coastline. St. Ives is beautiful, and very popular; you will find it busier than some of the other beaches in the area but it is still an absolute must when planning a trip to Cornwall. Porthminster beach is just a short walk on from St Ives, a wonderful beach with a tropical feel and great for families with a mini golf course and juice bar. We had two wonderful meals of lobster and monkish curry at The Porthminster Cafe which boasts excellent, open views of the beach. The food was delicious but a little on the pricey side.
Top Tip – The seagulls in St. Ives are infamous for pinching food right out of your hand! Whether you have an ice cream, a pasty or a sandwich, they will swoop on you in what appears to be a premeditated and very well organised heist. If you are going to stay in St. Ives for some food, make sure you eat indoors… but if you do dare to take on the pilfering sea-pigeons, it’s not the one that’s squawking right in front of you that you need to keep an eye on, it’s the three behind you!
The next day we went off to Marazion to explore St. Michael’s Mount. As you drive through Marazion you can see the castle in the distance and it truly looks like it belongs in a fairy tale. It is a beautiful landmark that can fill the kids’ imaginations with wild fantasies of princesses in towers and magic walkways revealed by the changing tide. You can park up at the top of the beach and walk down over to St. Michael’s, providing the tide is out, if not you can catch the boat over – either way it is a wonderful experience and fab for the kids. There is plenty to see once upon the Mount. You could take a walk through the village and spend some time out at the harbour; or have a guided tour of the castle and grounds and search for the giant’s stone heart. Whatever you do with your day in Marazion, it will be a worthwhile one with plenty of memories.
Our next stop was Cadgwith Cove, a quiet, stunning little rocky beach hidden away in the quaint village of Cadgwith. We walked down a little path from the car park through an abundance of enchanting, thatched roofed cottages until we came across the beautiful cove. It was very quiet and peaceful, a wonderful spot to stop and take it all in with a packed picnic (or a cornish pasty or two). There was a scenic coastal pathway from Cadgwith out to the iconic ‘Devil’s Frying Pan’ but it wasn’t pram friendly so we had to pass on it, unfortunately. If we go again, the kids will either be old enough to walk it or we’ll make sure to pack a toddler hiking carrier!
Trebah Gardens had been highly recommended to us, only 5 miles from Woodland cottages, reasonably priced, we thought we would give it a try and wow are we glad we did! We walked through the tropical gardens, finding sweet little spots and exotic blooms at every turn. We would never think to visit the gardens usually, but they were truly beautiful and well worth the money, and in fact turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. We passed through hydrangea valley, across the beautiful wooden bridge overlooking mallard pond and to our surprise, found the most spectacular little stone beach hidden away, so secluded and scenic. We spent an hour laying on the beach, having purchased an ice cream from the beach-side shop, and taking in the beautiful scenery, had we have planned it we would have taken a proper picnic and stayed for the best part of the day as it was a really special little spot.
We returned back at the cottage that evening to the most wonderful surprise; a box of the most scrumptious looking cupcakes left by Helen, from a local bakery; Truly Cornish. It was such a sweet little extra touch, organised by the cottage owners, and so lovely to come back to after a long day of exploring. One of the most endearing parts of staying in a family run, self catering cottage is that you feel like your stay is very personalised and welcomed, we really felt that at Woodland!
On the Sunday morning we visited a local vineyard; The Polgoon. A beautiful local farm producing, award-winning, artisan English wines and ciders. We met with the owners, Kim and John, and they told us of their wine making story before we began our stroll around the vineyard. The vineyard was built from scratch after they purchased an old flower farm. One evening, whilst sipping wine and eating a barbecue on their farm under the Cornish sunset, John turned to his wife and, in the spur of the moment, said “let’s make a vineyard”. Just like that Polgoon vineyard was born. The tour was a very intimate and special experience, watching the children running up and down the rows of vines whilst we were told all about the grapes and the wine-making process. The farm is in a beautiful spot with some wonderful views of the sun setting behind the vast sea along the horizon. You can book on to a fabulous, 90 minute wine tasting tour of the grounds here. We couldn’t resist buying a bottle of red and one of their award-winning, red summer berry rose’s, along with a pack of clotted cream Cornish shortbread. We would highly recommend!
With our wine and goodies in tow, we set off to Porthcurno beach, an absolute MUST visit! We all agreed it was our favourite beach of the trip, we felt like we had just arrived at the Caribbean. The fine, soft, white sandy beaches and the high, green surrounding cliffs made it feel like paradise! There is a brilliant coastal path you can take up the cliff edge (not pram friendly) leading up to the beautiful Minack theatre, with sensational views of the coastline. The Minack theatre is an excellent and scenic, open air theatre with a variety of performances for all ages. Unfortunately it was still closed due to Covid on our visit but we have been told that it is a fantastic experience and to book for next time we visit.
We took a scenic drive over to Land’s End, not far from Porthcurno. Be aware that it is £7.50 to get in to the car park; so if you are planning a visit then it is worth staying a few hours to explore. It was a truly breathtaking spot and a worthwhile landmark to visit whilst in the area. There are so many exciting things to do there including a 4D cinema experience, ‘Arthur’s Quest’ and Greeb Farm. There is a restaurant and pub at Land’s End too so don’t worry if you forgot to pack a lunch!
Just 5 minutes into our journey back from Land’s End, we passed through a small village called Sennen. We had been told of its’ beauty but had not included it in our itinerary. Luckily, we had some time and decided to drive down. We are glad we did because Sennen Cove was absolutely stunning, we had to stop and get out of the car to take in the view as the beach looked absolultely specatcular.
For all the foodies out there, there are obviously plenty of places to eat and drink around Cornwall but everyone always wants to know where to find the best Cornish pasty. After two days in Cornwall we thought we better try and find out. We (mainly the hubby) tried a number of pasties from different shops and restaurants all over Cornwall but our top recommendation is; if you are going to try one, go to Philps in Hayle, the steak pasty was humongous with plenty of braised steak and filling. The pastry was delicious, the meat succulent and just overall amazing!! You may need to ring ahead because these bad boys move fast!
Sunday night, we had a cosy night in at the cottage, BBQ lit, movie playing for the kids and prosecco popped. Harry and I decided to go down and explore the grounds at Woodland. The owner, Helen, advised us to go down to the bottom of the field and follow the path. It was an absolute delight for Harry down there, a complete childhood dream, a secret jungle path leading to a little treehouse den that Harry proclaimed he was going to sleep in!
Our final morning we felt like one last Cornish adventure, so we took the King Harry Ferry at Feock over to Porthcurnick beach. We would highly recommend a day out to Porthcurnick, a very family friendly spot, safe and full of little rock pools, with the best eatery on the hillside; The Hidden Hut. We enjoyed some delicious fish chowder from The Hidden Hut, with different seasonal specials each day and handmade cornish ice creams; make sure you are prepared for a bit of queue, it is an extremely popular one!
Our holiday to Cornwall was filled with the most wonderful, sweet memories, spectacular coastlines and the coziest, family friendly accommodation. A stay at Woodland Cottages will be filled with warm welcomes, beautiful views and lots of little extra special touches. Don’t forget the discount code VIP2020 and get your Cornish adventure booked in now!
Love,
The Big Dreams Family x
