What to pack - family holiday to Cornwall

Constantine Beach, Cornwall

After our first camping trip with the children to Cornwall I thought I would share what we learnt - mostly what we wish we had brought!

We went near Padstow and camped at a big, very clean campsite, Atlantic Bays and after visiting most of the beaches and small coves we settled on Constantine Bay as our base for the week.

What a beautiful beach! Wide open sandy expanse with sandy dunes for the children to explore and the best waves we have seen.  Patrolled by the RNLI it is the perfect beach for body boarding.

Armed with a body board each we had such a funny time although you do have to check the tides as at low tide it takes ages to walk to the water!

We were thankful for our wetsuits as it enabled us to stay in the water longer, even though it was August and Sunny the wind seems to constantly blow there.  Most days the water temperature was 15°C so it is worthwhile getting a wetsuit.  The children wore shortie wetsuits, one from O'Neill and one tested our new brand TWF.

Both were kept really warm although we saw lots of children wearing long wetsuits so the choice is personal.  I imagine the long wetsuit will protect the knees from the sand as you fly into land but it wasn't too much of a problem.

We used the TWF slick back body boards and the super smooth base really made a difference and found all of us moved fast on top of the waves.

Amelie and sam are 10 and 12 respectively and both used a 37" board and us Adults used 42" which was ideal.

So to summarise my suggested packing list and what I will get for next year:

• Shortie wetsuit
• Kids UV rash vest, worn underneath and during breaks the wetsuit can be undone, as quite warm, and the skin is still protected.
• Consider a boys long sleeved uv top or the Animal Girls Pefto Long Sleeved Rash Top under a shortie wetsuit for extra sun protection
• Children's Beach shoes - easy to run over stones, seaweed and good grip while exploring rock pools
• Wide brimmed or baseball cap style hat
• Beach mats - perfect layer under towels to stop sand sticking to towels
• Beach towels and Kids Beach Towelling Ponchos
• Wind break - so windy in Cornwall but best waves ever!
• Picnic rucksack - was perfect, a roomy cool bag section for sandwiches and drinks, a small front pocket for essentials like wet wipes and comes with all the cutlery, plates and wine glasses!
• Wet wipes
• Sun tan lotion - try Life Systems with Anti-Jellyfish sting formulation
• Kids sunglasses
• Roomy beach bags

What I wish I took:

• Neoprene gloves - my hands got cold way before the rest of my body
• Thermos flasks for warm tea post body boarding
• Body board rucksack bags - the long walk back to the car park in strong winds when the children were tired was a little testing...
• Children's Snorkel Masks and Kids Fins, the sea is so crystal clear especially in some of the smaller bays it would have been perfect.  The local stores are so expensive!

So after this holiday, I have fallen in love with Cornwall. I thought I would find anywhere better than my beloved West Wittering and can believe at the age of 43 I haven't been there before.  Constantine Beach and the beautiful beaches around will be a future fixture on future summer holiday breaks.

Tess Bradshaw - owner of Little Surfers - for all your family beach holiday needs, with helpful information pages to help with your packing and also to ensure your beach holiday is safe 
Little Surfers
August 2015

Need Help Choosing Surf Gear for You and Your Kids?

It happens to all of us – when we book a trip but we don’t really know what equipment is best for what occasion or location. If you are planning to go on a family surfing holiday and need help on what to pack, we’re here to help!

O'Neill Reactor Full 3/2mm Youth Wetsuit £40.00

Unless you are going to a tropical destination, you will definitely need a wetsuit to maintain any sense of feeling in the water! Every wetsuit is made up of neoprene, which is used because of the fact it keeps water away from you for extra insulation. The fitting of a wetsuit is not singly important for comfort, as it is essential to make sure that the suit is completely insulating you.

If you were to remain in the UK, for instance, a full-length suit would be most recommended. This style of suit covers your entire body including long sleeves and full leg coverage, so it keeps you lovely and warm.

O'Neill Reactor 2mm Shortie Wetsuit £30.00

However if you were to go to a lovely, warm country, the spring suit/shorty might be a better option for you. It comes with either short or long sleeves, whichever suits you best, and they both have legs that cut off a few inches just below the knee. These are better for warmer conditions also because they are made of a thinner material than the full-length wetsuits.

Now, if you are a beginner it is important to keep a leg leash attaching you to the board. You don’t necessarily have to be a beginner to have a leash as if you were up surfing and you wiped out, where is your board? Well, fortunately it’ll be close enough for you to quickly hop back on before the arrival of the next wave, as well as it being nice and out of the way by the time that you surface. It’s a win win!

Wax is integral for more intermediate or advanced surfers as it is for when you are planning on your board for a long length of time. You can get wax from really any surf shop you might find, and there are different types depending on the temperature of the water that you are surfing in.

Finally (and most importantly), you need a surfboard! When it comes to choosing the surfboard for you, you firstly should take a look at 3 main types of board – only 2 of these happen to be suitable for beginners:

TWF EPS Bodyboards £10.00

Firstly, there are foam boards. These are known as the most forgiving style of board to start on and you can rent them from just about every surf beach! Even though they may be the most forgiving, they don’t have brilliant suitability if you were a beginner wanting to improve, limiting how much skill you can work up to within your first couple of tries, due to their very basic design. However, they are fantastic boards during the learning process, and it is only really necessary for you to rent these boards.

Then there is the pop-out board. A pop-out board is filled with a liquid plastic covered in a mould made in a factory so that these boards can be made in their masses. Choose from a lovely selection in a variety of shapes and sizes. You ought to buy them in a surf store so you can get the very best, and most personal advice on what suits you best. The big boards have a big volume, making it easy for you to catch waves, and as it goes, the small boards have less volume, making it more difficult – it’ll certainly increase your frustration to catch waves!

You most certainly must remember, take your time on choosing the right surfing equipment for you - there’s no rush!

 

Also...

Find out places to surf right on your doorstep.

 May Johnson, June 2015

Where are the best places to surf in the UK?

It’s great to take a trip out to the beach with your family – especially when they are right on your doorstep! Find out what surf scene is best for you and your level of surfing, or which place best suits you and your family. All fantastic for a day out or a long weekend, maybe even a couple of weeks over the summer holidays.

Firstly, there’s Longsands Bay in Tynemouth. The Geordie surf scene has flourished over many years, especially in Tynemouth. This is because it has the best swell direction at the North East end of the UK, with good offshore conditions from the South-West. In the North East, good surf is possible at all stages of the tide. The centre is the beach break of Longsands at Tynemouth.

There are big name local surfers at Longsands Bay. These names are Gabe Davies and Sam Lamiroy, winning British surfing titles all over the shop, both going on to achieve world renown.

Don’t you go worrying about having to bring absolutely everything surfing-wise with you to the beach, as surf board hire as well as surfing lessons can be arranged nearby the beach. Tynemouth is stocked with plenty of pubs, cafes and restaurants, as well as several more scenic routes to go for a wander down, along the coast road north to Bamburgh and Lindisfarne.

Secondly, why not try out Newgale, Pembrokeshire, in Wales? In 1952, the Pembrokeshire coastline was designated a national park, leaving only a few places in Britain as stunning as Newgale. It has a rugged landscape of lovely green hills, jagged cliffs and an array of beautiful beaches along the coastline.

The sheer size of Newgale means that big crowds of surfers are never really a large problem here. It allows you to surf in peace and quiet, however the quality of the waves depend on the general state of sandbanks along the coastline, and it also relies on the swell and wind direction.

This wonderful place offers great surfing for any surfer – whether you are a beginner, intermediate or expert!

Saunton Sands in Devon offers some very gentle, rolling waves along the coastline as well as a never ending shelving beach. Those two facts combined make Saunton Sands perfect for all beginner surfers. It is also well known for it’s fantastic quality for longboarding.

Just around the corner from Saunton Bay, you will find Croyde Bay; another great surf scene, however the surf is a lot more challenging, therefore it is more suitable for more experienced surfers. If you are only a beginner, Saunton Sands is better choice for you – the beach is so large that only a short walk will make sure you secure an uncrowded park.

Also...

Find out what surfing gear suits you best.

May Johnson, May 2015