It's a 'Gold' Christmas here

Happy Christmas to you from all of us at Little Winnick, we hope you have a wonderful peaceful Christmas.

Our Christmas was topped off last week when our new facilities were awarded Gold in 'Loo of the Year 2015'.  We are so chuffed, and it is official recognition to accompany all your wonderful feedback throughout the past season.

Christmas is in full swing here as you can imagine with a 3 year old and 20 month old.  Jess is very excited; this evening she has little party at home for her friends, sparkly jelly and toasted marshmallows ensured some very excited/hyper little girls!

Today we popped over to Trerice - a National Trust House.  It is small as National Trust houses and grounds go, but it is quite quirky and they had a lovely little Christmas trail.  I imagine the gardens are a treat in the summer.  After the house we did our usual North Coast drive out along Watergate Bay.  The waves at Porth were breathtaking.  I have never seen such huge waves crash up over the cliffs - they were the sort you see in pictures but rarely see in real life, stunning.

Tomorrow we are off ice skating at Eden in a special parent and toddler session, I suspect the girls will be better than me - they fill the ice with toys and it snows, which given we have been playing on the beach and in the sea it is so mild down here it will be a lovely experience.

From Tuesday our family start to arrive then on Wednesday we take the girls to see Father Christmas at Heligan.  Regular blog readers will know my love of Heligan.  It is even more magical at this time of year.  Last Monday we went for a candle lit walk in the dark whilst carol singers were singing in the background.  Truly a special experience.  Jessica posted her letter to Father Christmas.  Then this week we went and did the reindeer trail which as so nice - we did not even need our coats whilst admiring all the daffodils that are out down here.  Wednesday also see's our 'work's Christmas do'.  By that I mean Richard and I along with the girls have lunch out....well if not we don't get a works do (any excuse!).

Work around the park has finished for Christmas now, we will be using this time to catch up as a family and enjoy Cornwall.

Don't forget if your thoughts turn to holidays over the festive period we are taking booking for 2016 and we already have periods that are looking pretty busy.  The phones are diverted to our home over the winter so if you have any queries please do give us a call and we do our best to help you.

Once again, a very Happy Christmas from Richard, Heidi and our family x

End of Season Review

Hello!
It has been a while since the last blog - we have been catching up on our holidays, visiting family, friends and loved ones we have not seen over the season and generally taking a bit of a break!  Following our trip to the Scilly Isles, we headed up to Norfolk to see my family, Jessica had gone up the week before us to stay with my parents so she was incredibly excited when we arrived.  From there we then went to the New Forest and South Coast before returning back to Cornwall.  It was a lovely break and much needed.

In the last blog I promised you a season round up; it is always a nice thing to do reflecting on the highs and lows of the season.

Pre Season
The toilet block build over the closed season was without question epic.  Richard did an incredible job of project managing the whole thing and brought the massive build pretty much in on budget.  He worked super hard and was under immense pressure ensuring we had toilets and showers that would be ready for guests.  In the end he managed to get it open - and the biggest reward he could have is all your feed back.  On more than one occasion they have referred to as 'the ritz of the camping toilet world!'.

Early Season
We had a staggered opening, with our usual Easter Rally in, testing out what did (and in some cases didn't work) in the new building.  The major thing we discovered at this stage was that the disabled shower room had no rake on the floor so the water didn't drain anywhere.  A hole was quickly drilled in the brick work as a quick fix for the rally then once the rally went the floor came up and was re-laid at the right angle!  We then shut to finish in earnest and reopened in May.

It was yet another sunny start to the season and we were blessed with some sensational weather in May and June which brought out many campers and caravaners.  It is at this time of the year when we take great delight in welcoming back many regulars, who stay for extended periods with us.

Mid Season
Late June and July is when we have many guests from the continent visiting.  I struggle with English at the best of times so it is always fun trying to explain how the barrier works in broken German, French, Swiss etc.  Two particular groups of German guests come to mind who arrived with huge motorhomes, in fact I guess you would be class them as winnebagos - complete with their motorbikes stored inside on a lift system.  Anyway no sooner had they arrived than they had moved picnic tables,  set up their big stoves and opened the numerous boxes of wine.  It was my night to do a walk around, as I walked passed I hoped they were not going to get too merry and noisy.  As it turns out they invited most of the guests around them on other pitches and all had a marvelous time.

We could easily write a book about some of the comings and goings on the park.  Perhaps one of the most frightening moments  was when Richard and I were in reception, we heard a dull 'boom'.  My instant reaction was to run outside fearing there had been an accident - in fact someone had pulled out of our entrance but their caravan had not followed - it had not been hitched properly.  Thankfully, there was no vehicles coming straight away and we controlled the traffic until all was re-hitched.  

Peak Season
This is when we take a deep breathe and we work every hour of everyday (well, almost!).  I bring the children to work so Richard gets to see them and we hope against hope for amazing sunshine.  This year the sun was somewhat patchy.   Now we did have a good amount of sun and lovely days to enjoy Cornwall at it's best but we also had some rain.   Instead of normal rain we were battered with monsoon after monsoon.  Normal rain is normal.  We are equipped to deal with it, we except it. Monsoon rain tested us to the limits.  The rain was without doubt epic when in came, a large holiday park on the seafront near by had to be pumped out by the fire brigade on one occasion.  The main saving grace was that the whole country was a bit damp!

We were lucky, if you can call it that.  We took a beating and we had some very muddy pitches, but on the whole most campers took it all in good spirits and accepted that we can control many things, but we cannot stop the rain.  Rain to us is very stressful.  I will not forget one night in August at about 3am we lay in bed listening to yet another monsoon and high winds and discussing what our plan was for the next day.  One entry for my 'book' will be the family who took umbridge with the rain, having pitched their tent in what can only be described in an 'interesting' way with over a foot from the ground to the outer tent, allowing all the rain in.  They took to digging trenches.  The trenches were about 10cm deep - we were not sure of the purpose, other than giving them something to do.  It did provide some amusement.

The odd monsoon aside the peak season was a roaring success.  We were full from June - September, with many repeat guests.   With returning guests comes the returning friendships.  One of my late evenings was made more enjoyable by being treated to a 'Talent Show' put on by a group of girls who have made friends at Little Winnick, their families come back at the same time each summer and the girls stay in touch throughout the year.  It was a lovely, heartwarming show, children playing how we all used to play.

Also of note were the animals who came as travel companions this season.  We had Rueben the Rabbit (my favourite!), Timothy the Bearded Dragon (I bumped into his owners at half term and apparently he has a play mate now), there were also tortoises and cats.

End of Season
September had an exceptional number of pre bookings; hard standings were completely sold out as was most of the park right up until closing.  This was helped perhaps by the amazing weather and the talk that Ross Poldark was heading to Charlestown.  The lesson from this September is book as soon as you can to ensure you get the pitch you would like.

So in conclusion, we seem to go from strength of strength with sensational bookings through June to September.  We are so very grateful to you for choosing to stay with us and we hope you had a fantastic holiday.  We are a family ourselves.  We save hard through the year to go on holiday and know how much holidays mean to you all.  We hope we can offer you everything we look forward in a holiday as a family.  We hope to welcome many of you back next season.

Next Season
2016 bookings are now open!  Please do book online, call or email us to make a reservation.  If you would like a particular pitch please do contact us as soon as possible as certain dates are already getting very booked up.

If you pre booked in 2015 for 2016 you should have been contacted us by now confirming your dates. If you have not been contacted but had made a provisional booking please do get in contact with us as soon as possible.

We are in the office everyday, albeit reduced hours, so if you do contact us we will get back to you asap.  When we are not at the office the phones are diverted to our home, so please do bear with me if you call and it is feeding time at the zoo with the children!

And Finally...
Well, we are still working away at Little Winnick.  It is without doubt a much quieter winter than previous ones, thankfully.  This week Richard and his Dad have been out everyday cutting the grass and picking up all the leaves - a never ending job it would seem.  We have plans and improvements for the park, as always over the coming months which I will keep you posted about.

Now we have settled back into normal life after our holidays I will update the blog more frequently about our adventures so keep an eye out for what we get up to.  Today we have been down Little Winnick practicing riding Jessica's bike.  It is heaven with all that smooth tarmac to ride around on, and Bethany has been taking advantage of an empty park going up and down the slide.  We are now home, next to the fire, snuggled in with the girls watching Frozen whilst I catch up on some office work.

We look forward to hearing from you about 2016 bookings.

The end is near

Well, we are days away from  the end of yet another season.  It has whizzed by in a blink to be honest and what a season it has been.  From kittens and rabbits on leads to caravans coming unhitched as they pull out on the main road...it really has been an exciting and enjoyable season.  I will leave the full round up for the next blog - just in case anything memorable happens between now and when we officially close at the weekend.

As the season draws to a close we get to have a bit more time together as a family; this weekend will be our first full weekend off together since March and we are starting our holidays!  Earlier this week, with the park pretty quiet we headed over to the Isles of Scilly for a few days - a belated birthday present for Richard.   With the children at grand parents (what a treat - the house stayed tidy and the fridge remained full) we began our 2015 holiday adventures and.... Wow. Wow. Wow.  I cannot recommend it highly enough and with day returns from Newquay Airport why not try and squeeze a visit in the next time you are in Cornwall?  It really is worth every penny.

We flew out on a tiny plane, the pilot was within touching distance.  It kind of felt like you were in a catapult being launched into the sky.  On arrival I was taken back by the amazing plants, white sand and (luckily) the amazing weather.  We took a couple of boat trips over our few days to St Martin's and Tresco.  Both of which have magical beaches and gardens and plants that are just stunning.

Not only stunning, but the food is incredible too - I guess because everything has to be cooked fresh.  Even the sandwiches were delicious.  I pretty much ate seafood for the whole time we were there, enjoying not having to share any food with little mouths!  In fact I would have welcomed little people to share some of the food as I am well and truly stuffed now.

In conclusion I have been lucky enough to visit some pretty special places in my life, but rarely have I been somewhere that makes you relax and unwind in quite the magically way the Scillies does.  It is an incredible, special place and you really must try and squeeze a day or two there as part of any Cornish holiday.

Phase two of our holidays starts on Saturday - we are off to Norfolk to visit family and friends for a week then we are staying in a static caravan in the New Forest.  Much to Richard's dread we may even have a visit to Peppa Pig World as we have two little people who love Peppa!

As for things here at Little Winnick, well we welcome the last Rally of the season in later today, they are here for the weekend, then we will closing the gates for the very last time for this year. We have already closed many of our pitches as we begin work on reseeding the grass.  In between jobs I am spending far too much time cooing over Steve & Jude's (our Wardens) new family member - a boxer puppy.  Apparently no puppies are allowed in our house!

If you are thinking about next years holiday then check out our tariff page for next years prices.  Our online booking will open in the next couple of weeks or you can give us a call on 01726 843687. Please note our office will be closed until 19th October.

Poldark arrivies in town

It was with great excitement that I stumbled across the Poldark set yesterday.  Charlestown has been transformed into the port featured in the popular Poldark series.  Rumor has it filming starts next week so we will obviously be there frequently just in case Ross Poldark needs any help at all - we want him to enjoy his Cornish stay.  I will attempt to get some pictures for you (of the set not Ross!), inbetween looking at Ross!  In all seriousness blog followers will know how much I love a good film set and we do get a few in Cornwall.  I find it fascinating watching locations we know and love being transformed for films and watching how they disguise modern elements of where they are.    Watch the second series of Poldark and see if you can see the Gribbins Head when they are in Charlestown or the little hut at the end of the harbour!

You might have noticed last week we missed a blog.  Well it has been a long couple of weeks.  Our youngest, 17 month old Bethany broke her leg.  It has put an interesting spin on life.  Trying to keep an outdoor loving active toddler still has proved impossible, despite being in a full leg cast she has learnt to walk again and is testing my nerves further by climbing on anything and everything.  She is in cast until the beginning of October, so we are becoming more and more creative of how to keep her dry and vaguely clean - neither of which comes easily to us.  Talking of blog frequency, I will be doing monthly blogs over the winter months.

Today is glorious.  We have another two weeks of the season and it looks like we are set to go out on a bang in terms of great weather.  Richard and I both love the Autumn.  I think it is the excitement with young children that Christmas is on it's way, the change in colours that surround the park and the fire that welcomes you when you get home that we love.  Cornwall offers some amazing places to enjoy stunning views or warm fires after a brisk autumnal walk.  Our favourites include:

• The Polgooth Inn, walkable from Little Winnick this traditional Cornish Pub has welcoming fires, a fantastic menu and is very dog and child friendly.  If you want to experience a proper Cornish pub with a Cornish welcome to match then we highly recommend.
• Lenwinnick Lodge - nestled on the tops of the cliffs on the edge of Newquay this modern Lodge offers great food and drink with views to enjoy.  Particularly good if the seas are rough.
• Sams on the Beach - Sam's is a locally renown for fantastic food.  Situated in the old lifeboat station you don't get much closer to the water than this.  Book to avoid disappointment
• The Duchy Nursery - Enjoy a stroll around the large nursery followed by lunch in front of the fire.  A sign of how good the food is - it gets very busy - even in the Autumn so go early or late to avoid waiting for a table.
• The Hidden Hut - okay so this is outside, but if you go for a walk and wrap up warm why not enjoy a warm drink and delicious food from the Hut nestled into the hill just a short walk from the beach.  Views and food don't get much better.
• Caerhays Beach Cafe - this little cafe is right on the beach and offers delicious food and fantastic hot chocolates.  Whilst researching
  this blog I notice there have a Torch Light Procession in October looking for fairies...I will be booking tickets for that!
• Lanhydrock Cafe - talking of hot chocolates - this, in our humble opinion is one of the best and there is a roaring fire to enjoy too and a huge play area for the children as well.

I should just mention that Heligan is looking stunning at the moment - it is Harvest Festival, it starts today but we had a sneaky peak yesterday as they were getting ready for it - well worth a visit to appreciate the stunning displays.

Glorious Gardens in Glorious Weather

I love Cornwall so much at times like this.  The days are long and gloriously sunny, in fact I might even plan a beach bbq on our day off this week - the question is which beach will we go to?   I will keep you posted.  It is like a switch has been flicked on the 1st September and the sun in out in full force.  This weekend, making the most of the weather we went to Pinetum Park on Sunday.  Richard had a thing about going and I had been dragging my heals; just not that keen for some reason.  I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, and would highly recommend a visit.

The layout and entrance to the garden would benfit from a little rethink as you are left asking 'is this it?'.  However once you go through the parkland your breathe is taken away.  The stunning vista is a testiment to the planting of previous owners Shirley and Ray Clemo (no relation!).  At the bottom of the parkland is a stunning lake, you are transported to some far off land - it is easy to forget you are in the heart of St Austell.  The Japanese Garden is utterly stunning.  Although heed the signs about not wheelchair/pushchair friendly.  I was a little stubborn and insisted I could manage the pushchair through - Richard thought it was hilarious when balancing on a narrow bridge I nearly fell in the water feature!

If you take pleasure in wandering around gardens then you are spoilt for choice locally and slightly further a field.  With the weather set to remain fair then why not plan a 'Sepetember Sun & Garden' visit to Cornwall?

• Pinetum Park, St Austell - A hidden gem, a love affair with gardens by two dedicated local people, recently brought by another plant lover - the parkland is stunning.
• The Lost Gardens of Heligan - I am a lover of Heligan and we are there most weeks.  One of our most favourite times of year is coming up - Harvest Festival - well worth a visit to enjoy the stunning colours, vegetables and fruits. Starts 19th Sepetember
• The Eden Project - The huge visitor attraction is hosting a food festival at the moment.  We will be going next Sunday to see Katy from Cbeebies.  But if a more distinguished chef is more your cup of tea then check out the two week programme.
• Lanhydrock - This National Trust estate not only has my favourite NT house (great example of upstairs/downstairs living) but it also has spectacular gardens with stunning beautiful herbaceous borders.
• Trebah Gardens - My Mum & Dad's favourite.  This is a special garden - a showcase of Cornish Gardens at their best.  With a lovely walk down to the small waters edge - it is quite magical.  

I would recommend picking up 'The Great Gardens of Cornwall' leaflet in reception.  You pay full price at your first garden and then at each subsequent garden you visit you get a discount.

September Sun (Honestly!)

Porthpean Beach 1st September

The 1st September.  How did that happen? We utterly love September.  It usually proves to be glorious and if day one is anything to go by we will not be disappointed.  I have spent the morning today down at Porthpean Beach.  It was glorious.  The tide was on it's way out so we had lovely wet sand perfect for making sandcastles, boats and mermaids and the rock pools were revealing themselves.  We had our best ever catch, we got two crabs, lots of shrimp like things, a fish and some snails.  I say 'we'; as usual I caught nothing however my neighbour who is 'rock pooling' expert and also rather a good sand castle builder caught everything!  Not quite enough to have on the barbecue!

In all seriousness Cornwall is renown for being a suntrap in September and the long range forecast promises an Indian Summer.  So why not head down for a bit of Septmeber Sun.  With 7 nights for the price of 5 you can stay for as little as £50 for the week, go on...treat yourself and have a well earned break.

If you are thinking of a visit here are a few things on you might like to go along to:

• 1-6 September - Gorsedd Kernow, St Austell.  A festival held in a different location each year to celebrate the Cornish Identity - this year St Austell has the honour, the highlight is a civic position on Saturday through the town at 11, with stall and entertainment.
• 5 September - The Big Autumn Market - Truro.  With over 50 stalls of food producers and street food stalls along with demonstrations, you are sure to see the best of Cornish Produce.
• 5 September - Grampound Fete and Carnival.  A lovely local carnival a short drive away
• 9 September - Padstow Lifeboat Harbour - Padstow.  The lifeboat will be in the harbour from 1.30 with live music and entertainment throughout the day.
• 10 -27 September - Eden's Food Festival - The Eden Project.  With a whole host of celebrity chefs showcasing their skills.
• 11 -13 September - Newquay Fish Festival.  Learn about local fish and see demonstrations from local chefs.
• 13 September - Truro Day - Boscawen Park.  A community day to celebrate Truro with over 40 local groups showcasing what they do and activities for children.
• 19 September - 4 October - Heligan Harvest - The Lost Gardens Of Heligan.  What better way to marvel at all the amazing produce usually displayed in the most amazing and creative ways.
• 25- 27 September - Great Cornish Food Festivial - Lemon Quay, Truro.  A truly huge array of all things food and drink related to Cornwall.  Lots of things to sample and try.
• Every Friday in September - Sunset, Fire & Feast Evenings - Bethruthan Hotel.  Check out the fantastic evenings run every Friday.
• 25 September - Lobster Fish Supper Friday - The Beach Hut Watergate Bay.  Enjoy everything Lobster related at this great restaurant.

This holiday park business is a  funny old game, as today the park has a completely different feel to it from this time last week with a completely different clientele staying with us. The park, as strange as it sounds really does have a little personality created by those staying here.  We have a lot of returning guests with us right now, many of whom we have had the pleasure of getting to know over the seasons.  It is always lovely to welcome people back, to hear their stories about their adventures and for them to see our family growing up far, far too fast.

Make the most of the summer we have left and give us a call to see
what we could offer you throughout September.

Food for Thought

Last Wednesday we were treated to a real food adventure.  Now it is fair to say on Tuesday night when I remembered I had booked us all in for a 'Family Foraging Day' with 7th Rise I moaned quite a lot.  The thought of being outside in the pouring rain whilst absolutely shattered was not my idea of fun.  We were craving a duvet day watching Frozen.  What actually happened could not have been further from this.  So, on Wednesday we packed our waterproofs and headed off for the 'lay-by'.  As the place we were heading for is a little bit of a secret so you just get a postcode and a lay-by to park in.  All a bit secret squirrel! We quickly realised we were the only people booked in.  Another big sigh.  Maybe we should of cancelled.  Still we were fully clad in waterproofs, we had paid for it.  We decided to embrace the conditions.

We met Matt our guide for the day and headed off for a 15 minute walk down the fields, spotting a couple of deers on the way to The Lost Cottage.  What an apt name.  The magical little cottage really is straight out of a fairy story, and I doubt changed much in the last 100 years.  7th Rise is brain child of Thom Hunt who continues to make a name for himself both on television and across the country as an expert in all things wild.   Thom's vision is to create a 'space and opportunity for the public to learn about and have incredible authentic experiences in wild environments'.   Whilst Thom is away filming his team have been running family days.

Well what a day.  The Lost Cottage is nestled on the edge of the River, Matt is a fish lover so told us all about the mussel and oyster beds we could see and took us on a tour of the site whilst looking at plants.  Part of the Tregothan Estate the house used to provide the charcoal and lime for the area.  On site there is access to the river, hammocks nestled into the trees, an outside bar, various animal hides in different stages of drying, an outdoor kitchen, a tree house and an abundance of plants to eat.  Matt's knowledge provided an interesting education for us.  Bethany seemed the best forager strapped to my back screaming like a little bird demanding yet more and more blackberries!

After a good hour and half exploring we collected various foraged bits from around the grounds and Matt set about cooking us a truly delicious lunch of hot smoked mackerel with potato cakes and foraged greens. Given our business I always maintain that food tastes better outside, but it really did taste amazing, washed down with  raspberry home brew.  So after our adventure we now have the following to do list: create a hot smoker out of the numerous bbq's we have had left behind this year, build a clay oven (The Lost Cottage has one in the making at the moment) and forage  for the tasty offerings around our amazing coastline.

Rarely do rainy days off become such a memorable experience, if you get a chance to go foraging, I can't recommend it highly enough, especially if you are lucky enough to get to experience the beautiful 7th Rise and their fantastic team.

Puddle jumping at Heligan (again!)

Now, back to reality.  So, it has been a bit damp this week. Saturday was pretty horrible, with thunder, lightning and a lot of rain.The summer is proving to be one of extremes.  Saturday night we were on a weather warning, then come Sunday we were down on the beach getting burnt.  If you are coming to stay in the next few days come expecting all spectrum's of the great British Weather and you will not be disappointed!

As I write this my little heart is still pounding after an adventure that went slightly wrong.  We went to Heligan for our weekly visit today.  A few hours well spent jumping in puddles!  On the way back instead of my usual Caerhays drive to encourage sleep I thought I would explore
Hemmick Beach after reading about it.  Well  I obviously missed the bit about the road to it.  Scary does not to it justice.  For the first time ever I lost my nerve and considered phoning for help!   I attempted a three point turn at one point only to become wedged and decided the sides of the car would have to be sacrificed to the hedges as it got narrower and narrower and narrower.  (if you don't believe me check out google earth as Richard did when I got back). I pulled myself together and continued on the extremely narrow lane to the beach.  What a view.  What a location.  Cornwall at it's best. I highly recommend going to Hemmick.  Just park on the National Trust carpark at the top of the hill to avoid any nervous breakdowns!