Beauties of Cornwall

This week has been wonderful, we have had some lovely interesting guests staying, we have an amazing day exploring Boscastle and we had the honour of showing Malcolm Bell - head of Visit Cornwall around our new facilities and to cap it off I have just read in the visitor book that someone has written "Probably the best site we have ever stayed!"

Sometimes when you are running a holiday park you get so bogged down with bookings, inquires, cleaning and everything else that goes with a campsite that you forget the reason the majority of people are coming to you is they are on holiday and they want to relax and get away from everything.  This week I have had the pleasure of enjoying the park on a number of warm long evenings and it is not an exaggeration to say that is brought a little tear to my eye when you see people just enjoying themselves, kicking back and relaxing.  We had a group of four huge German motor homes in on Tuesday for a few days, they are so big they have their scooters stored inside them.  Amazing pieces of kit.  Our German friends had a wonderful time; so much so many other guests joined them for a glass or two of wine.  Their leader made me a laugh a lot though as she was just blown away by our 'fizzy cider'!

This week we ventured over to Boscastle.  It took about 50 minutes to drive to but it was well worth it.  What a magical place.  The small harbour more recently is known for the terrible floods, however it has long been a 'must visit' place.  You park in the centre of a small village, not dissimilar to many a Cornish village but as you walk past the Museum of Witchcraft

and over the small bridge you realise this is no ordinary Cornish village.  The clear turquoise waters make you feel like you are in the Mediterranean but then you see the Cornish fisherman tinkering with their nets.  Carry on up over the inner harbour (this is not for pushchairs or those unsteady on their feet) and you will be blessed with the most amazing views - truely sensational.  We had clear skies and and hardly any wind and it was the most beautiful place.

After exploring the harbour we indulged in some lunch.  Fresh caught crab sandwiches.  Oh my word.  They were delicious.  Now since I moved here and read Tessa Hainsworth books Up with the Larks, a lovely true story about a lady who moves down to Cornwall to become a postlady, who enjoys fresh lobster I have had a hankering for lobster.  So after chatting with the lovely ladies in Boscastle Fishing Company we took the plunge and invested in a fully dressed one.  It was a lovely treat and something you have to do when so close to the coast.

This week we saw the installation of the radio throughout the new toilet and shower facilities.  A guest just commented that even if it is raining you could pop in and have a lovely shower and listen to the radio!  Talking of toilets; I had the honour of showing Malcolm Bell, head to Visit Cornwall around the facilities on Wednesday with the aim of sharing with other parks and highs and lows of building such an enormous building.

If you are thinking of coming in the school holidays it really is worth booking to avoid disappointment.  We have a handful of pitches left the first week of August and limited availability throughout the rest of the month so please do get in contact if you are hoping to stay with us,

Reviewed & Rewarded

All our hard work building brand new facilities on the park this winter have been rewarded with our latest AA Quality Standard 2015 inspection as we have been upgraded to Four Pennants.  We are so pleased and grateful that the inspectors liked the new facilities.  They were particularly impressed with the cleanliness of the new facilities and commented on the impressive family bathroom and disabled facilities.  Coupled with this we have had some lovely reviews on Pitchup.com, ukcampsite.co.uk, and Facebook.  If you stay with us please do leave us a review - we read them all and they help other guests when booking to stay.

This week has been a mixed bag of weather.  Monday we were hit by high winds, which saw me having to try and remove a tree from the middle of the road on the way home after the evening in reception.  Obviously myself and the two other people who tried to move the tree were never realistically going to lift a tree...but we tried!  Luckily cars could just squeeze past it.  After the storm has come the sun.  It has been glorious.  On Wednesday we walked to Charlestown and had a lovely lunch at The Rashleigh; Richard had a burger and lobster and I had a crab and lobster sandwich.  We can highly recommend the Rashleigh, they cater well for everyone with a lovely children's menu and enclosed garden suitable for dogs and children.  We then walked on down to the harbour and enjoyed an ice cream on the beach.

It really is an ideal time to visit Cornwall especially if you prefer it when it is a bit quieter, but want to make the most of the gloriously long days.  If you are bringing your four legged friends with you why not make the most of the local area.

Dog Friendly Beaches:

Caerhays Beach - or Porthluney as it is also known is a lovely bay, with the Caerhays Castle as it back drop.  The settled cove is often very warm even when there is a breeze as it is nicely tucked away.

Par Beach - This long sandy beaches has a number of carparks and toilet facilities.  The beautiful beach is a short drive but well worth an explore.

Polstreath Beach - for those more adventurous and after a quiet secluded beach then venture to Polstreath,  Accessed via the South West Coastal Path, this side of Mevagissey it is a bit of a walk and the final descent to the beach is via steep steps, but the walk will reward you with a quiet, dog friendly haven.

Dog Friendly Attractions:

The Lost Gardens of Heligan - walkable from the campsite via teh cycle trail, up the old coach road to Heligan House.  The walk is all up hill and takes about 40 minutes, but it will be all down hill on the way home!  Dogs are welcomed at Heligan.

The Eden Project - whilst The Eden Project says it is dog friendly it is worth noting that you cannot take dogs into the Biomes (the big greenhouses) and as this is the main attraction you will miss quite a lot.  You can of courses take them around the vast outdoor gardens which in itself will take the good part of a day.

Lappa Valley - a family steam train attraction with steam train rides, a huge array of play equipment and rides for young and old to enjoy are dog friendly - even allowing logs to travel on the trains.

Dog Friendly Pubs:

The Ship Inn, Pentewan is walking distance from the park down the Pentewan Cycle Trail.  About a 20 minute away, along a flat wheelchair and pushchair friendly track.  If you are going to come home late take a torch as the trail is very, very dark with no street lights!

The Polgooth, a good 45 minute walk away or a 10 minute drive away this proper Cornish Inn provides excellent food along with good Cornish ales.  Well worth a visit.

The Fountain Inn - Mevagissey is a true Cornish fishman's pub, although small it provides a brilliant atmosphere, great food and a warm welcome.

HOT HOT HOT

It is a scorcher in Cornwall right now just in time for the half term.  We have a lovely busy park with many returning guests and lots of new faces too.  I have been out and about this afternoon getting a few shots whilst the skies are blue and sun is in the sky.

I have not blogged for a few weeks as the girls and I visited my family in Norfolk, leaving Daddy at home here in Cornwall to manage a busy bank holiday weekend.  We missed being by the sea and enjoyed walking around the park today as the trees are out in full bloom, the pitches are filling up and there is not a builder in sight!

Today we ventured up to The Lost Gardens of Heligan.  As regular blog readers will know, we go there a lot with our annual passes, but today was a special treat as they have their 'Wild Week' on.  Each time I think it cannot get any better, yet each time it does.  The activities for the children were brilliant for all ages with face painting, crafts, assault courses and my all time favourite - piglets.  I am now attempting to convince Richard piglets would be a good addition to our ever growing collection of animals...a battle I am certain I will loose.

The shop on the park has had a make over with new flooring making it brighter than before.  The fridge is stocked with bacon & sausages from the local butcher, milk, clotted cream and butter from Trewithen Dairy and last week we saw the addition of freshly picked strawberries from Boddingtons.  The strawberries, grown in Mevagissey are picked in the morning and delivered to us by lunch.  Delicious - and unsurprisingly they sold out very very quick.  Today we also have home made shortbread, rock buns and biscuits in reception.

Luckily with all this food on offer in reception there are lots of brilliant walks locally for all ages, abilities and levels of energy.  Pop into reception to collect a free copy of the 'St Austell Bay, Mevagissey and Fowey Map' which shows local walks and cycle trails.  Below are a few that we can recommend - but do ask us for more advice.

EASY WALK - Take a stroll down to Pentewan, the flat trail is pushchair and wheelchair friendly.  The 30 minute walk through a wooded valley is refreshing and enjoyable, leading you to the small village of Pentewan where you will find a beach (not dog friendly), pub and tea shop.

MODERATE WALK - Take the trail towards St Austell, going past River Valley Holiday Park, follow the footpath signs for a cicrular walk around 'Rose Week' which will bring you back on the trail to return to Little Winnick.  This is a longer walk of about 6 miles, but it takes you through a traditional Cornish hamlet, past some stunning cottages.  Pop into reception for full walk details.

CHALLENGING WALK - for those who really like walking and hills, why not walk down to Pentewan, pick up the coastal path towards Porthpean and follow the walk to Charlestown.  The stunning views are breathtaking and you can reward yourself with a bus ride back to Little Winnick Touring Park.

7 for 5 - why not enjoy a Cornish break with us?

Don't forget we are offering guests 7 nights for the price of 5 on selected dates throughout the year.  That means right now you could stay for a week for as little as £50 - give us a call or visit www.littlewinnick.co.uk to make a booking.

So we are now fully open.  I keep forgetting to bring the camera, but I will endeavor to get some better pictures to update you with.  It is a case of tying up the loose ends on the toilet block project now so we are finishing off cladding this week along with boxing in pipe work, the odd bit of painting and we are awaiting the new signs.  It is so lovely to be able to offer guests great facilities that are purpose built and hopefully cover the needs of everyone staying with us with a family bathroom with a bath and an accessible shower room.

The park is coming to life as more people arrive.  We have had a number of people check in this week who are walking various elements of the South West Coastal Path.  The 630 miles of stunning scenery is well worth exploring - it is on my 'to do list' to walk the whole coastal path.  From Little Winnick you can easily access the path either heading towards Mevagissey or Charlestown.  If you walk the coastal path to Mevagissey you can come back via Heligan making a lovely circular walk.

Tomorrow is our day off so we are heading out with a picnic in search of some bluebells.  Even on the road down here there are some stunning carpets of bluebells if you look to your left jsut before the Cornwall Hotel.  A short walk from Little Winnick is The Kings Wood which boasts stunning carpets of bluebells at this time of year.  A short drive from here you will find Luxulyn Valley - somewhat of a locals secret the magically woods have glimpses of Cornwall's agricultural past litter througout it.  Slightly further a field is Tehidy Woods.  The flat woodland is brilliant to visit if you have a pushchair or wheel chair.

The new toilet block is...

OPEN!

All we can say is a big, fat PHEW!  What a winter it has been;  long, frustrating, exciting and tiring building a huge new toilet block which boasts:

• A purpose built family bathroom with baby changing facilities and bath
• An accessible shower room
• A gents 
• A ladies 
• Laundry facilities
• And a lovely spacious light and airy dish washing area.

None of this would have happened without the amazing project management of Richard.  He will tell me off for saying how hard he has worked, but a lesser man would have given up in the depths of winter and the various hurdles he seemed to glide over.

girls with their work bags

testing the new toddler slide

I can confirm it was right up to the wire today.  At midday the gents looked like a building site with no lights and work still happening on the ceiling.  Then something amazing happened between one and three.  I am not sure what but one minute it was a building site the next it was ready to open.  We still have a few little bits to finish over the next couple of weeks such as the cladding outside and boxing in steels but all toilets, showers and baths are very much functional.  The poor first guest who used the facilities whilst I was still busy cleaning was asked in jest to remove his shoes so not to dirty my clean floor!  This is not a rule we will be enforcing!

Yesterday I had two merry helpers on the park, we started work at 8.30 and somehow our two girls pottered around until gone 5pm.  We went to Little Winnick to re plant the planters outside reception and organise the new toys for reception for guests to borrow.  It is fair to say a lot of toys got moved around before I was allowed to put them in place for our guests.  We now have three boxes- one has a large selection of sports equipment, another has family outdoor games and the other has baby/toddler toys as we know how little space you have in the car when you go away anywhere with children.

the gents

Obviously we made our young apprentices work hard, but at lunchtime they both managed to enjoy a good play on our new toddler tower.  Bethany, who has just turned one and recently started walking took great delight in staggering up the little ramp to find the slide.  We hope other younger guests will enjoy it to.

So, all that is left is to declare the 2015 season well and truly officially OPEN.  We look forward to welcome you to Little Winnick and hope you will enjoy the latest improvements as much as we do.

Heidi, Richard Jessica & Bethany x x

Toddlertastic

Today it is finally raining after weeks of unbroken sunshine, which we are pleased about as we have laid grass seed around the building project and would like it to have a good water now.  In other places grass is being dug today; as I type at 5.15pm on a Friday afternoon the new 'toddler tower' has just arrived from Derbyshire and is being installed into the play area.  It is a slide and climbing wall for our toddling guests which is very exciting.  Our youngest member of the family started walking this week so I am certain I know two little people who will test the new play equipment out.

Talking of testing things out we have been trying out the cycle trails that lead from the park.  I have acquired a bike trailer, so I have had great fun towing our girls along the trail - I even have the sore muscles to prove it as it some weight I am pulling along.  We had a lovely cycle up through the Kings Wood to River Valley Holiday Park towards St Austell, our other touring park, to visit Auntie Alison.  It was such a lovely ride that Bethany managed to doze off.  Then another day we had an adventure down to Pentewan.  The trail is flat so it is an ideal ride for novices like myself or for younger riders learning how to ride.  So don't forget to pack your bike when you come and stay, or if you can't fit it in then you can always hire from Pentewan Cycles.  If booked in advance they will deliver to the park for you and collect them.

We feel like we are on the home straight of the toilet block project now.  All the tarmacing around the new building is complete, we have ceilings going up in the laundry room ready for the washing machines to be installed next week.  The carpenters are installing the cubicles in the gents and work on finishing the skylights in there is complete too.  The cladding of the building has begun which is a long slow process, but it looks very nice and we have started painting the outside too.  We are now heading towards the finishing touches, which I cannot tell you what a relief that is after a very, very long winter.  I am off all over St Austell collecting mirrors, toilet brushes, ordering toilet roll and cleaning products - it really is a glamorous job!

That say I did have a more glamorous experience this week and one I cannot recommend enough.  My friend and I managed to re-home the children for the day and headed to Fowey Hall Hotel - ironically a very child friendly hotel.  We were treated to an hour long massage and facial and then proceeded to sit in the outside hot tub over looking Fowey and the sea for 2 hours (we were a bit wrinkly when we got out).  Followed by the biggest afternoon tea I have ever seen.  It was a belated birthday treat and what a treat it was.  If you are looking for a special afternoon whilst staying at Little Winnick Touring Park then why not check out one of the spas near by.  As well as Fowey Hall, there is The Cornwall just up the road or Watergate Bay Hotel on the north coast has a stunning spa on the top of the cliffs.

Finally my most exciting news of the week is the two new recruits that will be joining us here at Little Winnick.  Lady and Bird.  They are too bantam hens, who are very tame and friendly.  They are at our cottages at the moment, Tregongeeves, but once we get opened they will be part of the welcoming committee here and tonight I am off home to set up the incubator my mother in law gave me today.  I am not sure how happy Richard is about this, it is all part of my cunning plan to acquire a few more feathered friends!

Finally sorry for the lack of photographs in the blog, I had taken some and my camera ended up at home and I am at the office...next time!

Competition time, oh and the sun is out

So last blog I launched our competition for you to win a free ice cream!  We have Postman Pat obsessed children who love getting things in the post, but these days there is not much post - so we are asking you, are lovely blog readers to send us a postcard from where ever you happen to be and in return we will give you a free ice cream when you come and stay.  It really is a win win situation - you make two little girls day and we give you an ice cream!

I cannot tell you the delight at the postcards we have already received - trying to spot Fuzzy the bear was fun and the safari postcards caused great excitement!  Please send all postcards to:
Miss J&B Clemo, Little Winnick Touring Park, Pentewan, Cornwall, PL26 6DL.  Thank you!

In other news we have been blessed with wall to wall sunshine this week.  In fact on Wednesday we decided to head to Pentewan Beach - Little Winnick's nearest beach.  I stupidly told Jess we were going to beach, so we ended up there at 8.45am she was so excited.  Funnily enough we were the first people on the beach - it was glorious having the beach to ourselves with the tide right out.  With such a low tide brought with it some interesting discoveries on the beach - we spotted two huge jelly fish.  Apparently there are a lot of them off our coastline at the moment.  So that was the morning, we popped up to see Granny for a few hours, she has two new lambs so we went to see them at Tregongeeves Farm Cottages - Olaf and Elsa are bottle fed so quite tame.  We then headed back to the beach for tea - a fantastic barbecue and a beer with friends.  The temperature stayed high until gone 7.30pm so we felt very spoilt.

Work on the park is continuing.  The cladding is going up as I type.   We have now had all the new tarmac laid and we have sown grass seed where we have been digging.  Currently we have a trench dug so we can relay the tv aerial to the hard standing pitches on the river bank side of the park.  We are also excitedly waiting the installation of some extra play equipment - a toddler slide and climbing wall.   I know two little people who will test that out for everyone!