My favourite short trip and why

It goes to prove that you don’t have to travel too far from home to find somewhere that suits your needs down to the ground. I found that exact theory to be true when I went to Newquay in Cornwall for a long weekend break. Now, Newquay is in the same country as me, in the UK, and it is around a five hours’ drive from my home, but despite the long drive, and the fact I could have gone to a far flung European destination in the same amount of time, I found my weekend in Cornwall to be relaxing, picturesque, and I felt a million miles away from what I knew England to be.

Cornwall is the UK’s premier surfing hotspot, and it is also very continental in its feel. There are countless resorts around this part of the country, with lots of historic spots too, with Stonehenge not too far away, and Land’s End one of the big must-visit places.

I chose Newquay because I found a great deal on a B&B, and I fancied a change of scenery.

I visited with one of my best friends and we decided to drive down there, stopping a few times en route to grab a coffee and stretch our legs. It took around six hours, because we were so leisurely about it, but it was a sunny day so it wasn’t too much of a hindrance.

Once we were checked into our hotel, we freshened up and headed out for dinner. Oh my did we find a gem! Sat right on the cliff top of Great Western Beach we found a little bistro that served the most delicious seafood, and we enjoyed a glass of wine with some calamari as the sunset. Because were exhausted, we went for a walk and then went to bed.

Obviously with any short break you’re on a timescale, so getting up early and heading out is important. We hadn’t really don’t any research before we went into what we wanted to see, and decided we would just wing it instead. We end up in the Blue Reef Aquarium, looking at all the fish and other sea life, before walking in the direction of Fistral Beach, to check out the surfer dudes!

During our long weekend we walked miles, and the coastline around Newquay proved the perfect backdrop too. There are countless small coves and different beaches, ranging from family friendly and calm, to raging and wild. It’s certainly a destination for the camera.

Of course we headed to Land’s End and had our photo taken with the distance sign – it would have been rude not to!

Nightlife in Newquay is fantastic, and we certainly made the most of our evenings out, before dosing ourselves up with plentiful water and Paracetamol the next morning, to starve off the hangover.

Short breaks are always a great change from the norm, but my trip to Newquay made me appreciate the country I live in, and how beautiful and scenic it can be. It just goes to prove that you don’t need to travel miles and miles to enjoy time away from the norm, or experience something equally as special.

photo credit: j0sh (www.pixael.com) via photopin cc