A Long Weekend In Cornwall

I am not one to toot my own horn but we are officially now pros at caravanning with kids. This is not a small undertaking I can tell you as unlike just packing everything that you need for a holiday i.e. clothes, smellies, medical products you may need and some that you probably won’t need, but you take them anyway “just in case”! You have to pack everything except the kitchen sink when caravanning. I have now got a solid routine where I work through one room at a time, and I start packing the day before. Working my way around the kitchen for bowls, knives, forks, saucepans, kettle and plates. Oh and cleaning products, I forgot the washing up liquid though this year but I did remember the tea towels (the one thing I forgot last time)! Then it’s onto the kids toys, I let them fill a small child’s suitcase with whatever they want to keep them busy, and its handy to grab out at the other end when your trying to set everything up.  Then the usual clothes and bathroom stuff, and finally the bedding for all three beds. Madness I know but we do really enjoy it, caravans are cosy and fun whatever the weather and we really do seem to have it down to a fine art now. Without sounding too victorian, I do the inside homely stuff and he does the outside bits like water, electric, gas and putting up the awning.  This works for us.

We travelled down to Cornwall and arrived at our favourite spot in Hayle, the caravan club site is perfect and well maintained with lovely staff.  You do have to pay a yearly membership for these sites but it is well worth it as you know that everything is going to be of a high standard. There’s a lovely play park, you are surrounded by sand dunes and there are views to the sea. The beach is a short walk away through the dunes down to Hayle Sands which is an absolutely beautiful and very large beach.  

The walk itself through the sand dunes is great fun with lots of winding sandy paths, and you can also hear the skylarks singing away.  We tried going off the beaten path and some of the tall marram grass made it all the more exciting to adventure through. With a little slide down the sand you then come out onto the incredible beach.  

My girls love being by the seaside and this is one is just perfect as there is ample room for them to run around in there own little dream lands.  On the way back we also headed off to find the biggest sand dune we could, for a great final slide down the sand.  View Ranger came in handy again here as we were able to locate the highest point near us.  

We also picked up a crabbing set on a day trip to Mousehole, a pretty little fishing village on the south coast.  A great idea for keeping the kids busy for a few extra hours and you can pick up the crabbing kits for as little as two pounds.  With more playing on the sand, a picnic and an ice cream later, we had another lovely day out.  

On the site there was also a kids treasure hunt with clues which they called the tourer explorer trail. Another freebie to keep us busy for an hour or so before dinner.  We looked for clues in the grounds of the site with the help of a map and finally got a prize at the end which the girls were very happy with. 

We also did a trip to Porthcurno another amazing beach with views up to the Minac Outdoor Theater.  This beach is something we stumbled on whilst walking some of the south west coastal path towards the Minac.  We walked around the top of the cliffs and couldn’t believe how beautifully clear the water was below us and how light the sand was. We got back in the car and drove down to this beach, you really could of been anywhere in the world, we were stunned.  We also recommended the hot food boxes outside the theatre entrance, no further directions needed on this one…  just follow the gorgeous smells. 

The sun shone most of the time, it was a little cloudy on our first day but after that we were very lucky with the weather.  My eldest had plenty of time to practice her bike riding skills and to meet new friends. We even managed to keep the Easter eggs hidden out of sight until the Sunday when the Easter bunny arrived in the awning! 

I know caravanning isn’t or everyone but the beaches I have mentioned are well worth the trip to Cornwall. 

All in all, minus the washing up liquid and the four hours stuck in traffic on the way home which we would all rather forget about… It was a successful trip and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. 

L x