Plan your summer family holiday to Cornwall.
Come to Cornwall this summer for the ultimate family holiday break away.
Cornwall is the number 1 holiday destination in the UK, with its stunning scenery, amazing beaches and quaint fishing villages. Cornwall has the perfect balance for keeping the whole family happy, with adventure, relaxation, and a huge selection of attractions.
Hendra Holiday Park is located in a prime area for exploration of all of Cornwall’s fabulous places, as well as being an ideal choice for family fun, with all of our fantastic facilities.
Cornwall has so much to do: it can get overwhelming! Here is our Cornwall summer holiday bucket list. Pick your favourites or do them all!
1. Surf the Waves at Fistral Beach
Less than a mile and a half from Hendra Holiday Park, Fistral Beach is one of the most well-known and loved beaches in the UK. Famous for its surf, Fistral Beach is perfect for adventure and chilling-out.
With a selection of restaurants, cafes, shops and excellent facilities; it is a great choice for families.
If you want to rent a surf board, body board, or have a surf lesson, then Fistral Beach Surf School is right here, offering family lessons all tailored to you.
In August, head to Fistral for a taste of festival fun. Boardmasters is partly held here with surf and skate competitions and a pop up ‘surf village’ with shops, food and more.
2. Visit Land’s End
The UK’s most westerly point, offers jaw-dropping scenery as well the opportunity to have the most scenic road trip of your life.
Explore the coastline with the surrounding Sennen Cove, with its sandy white beaches.
Land’s End is set up for families, with a children’s play area, adventure golf, 4D film experience, and Greeb Farm.
Don’t miss out on this ultimate Cornwall bucket list experience.
3. Go Rockpooling at Porth Beach
Closer to us at Hendra is Porth Beach. A firm family beach favourite, with scoops of ice cream available, and also toilets and eateries nearby. Porth is a long beach and when the tide is right out there is a wealth of rock pools waiting for discovery.
See the different creatures, left behind when the tide goes out. Spot star fish, shoals of small fish and a variety of sea life. Take a dip in one of the larger rock pools, and explore the nooks and crannies of the rocks and areas of this large beach. A free and exciting family adventure: this is what a holiday in Cornwall is all about.
4. Catch a Show at the Minack Theatre
Or just enjoy the scenery. The Minack Theatre is a truly unforgettable experience.
This theatre in the rocks is a testament to what humans can create with enough determination and passion. Rowena Cade created the Minack theatre, with her helpers, using hand tools and the occasional stick of dynamite. Rowena started its creation in 1929. She was also an artist and etched designs into the wet concrete seats with a screwdriver.
Tour this Cornish wonder, and learn more about the amazing creation, whilst soaking up the view of the majestic Porthcurno, with its dazzling white sands, large cliffs and azure blue seas.
This summer you can see A Midsummer’s Night Dream, The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime, Songs For Explorers, a family fun show, and more.
5. Walk a Section of the South West Coast Path
Take your pick: you are surrounded by the South West Coast Path! Made even more famous by the recent film, based on Raynor Winn’s bestselling novel, The Salt Path. Starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, the film follows this couple as they overcome homelessness, after a deal with a friend gone wrong, and at the same time facing a life-changing health diagnoses.
Nearby, and not too long for reluctant walkers, a good stretch is from Porth to Watergate. On this walk, experience beautiful, seemingly endless views of the ocean. Stop at Watergate for refreshment or seek out more views and walk all the way to Mawgan Porth. Do note there are unfenced cliffs, so this walk is suitable for older children and always keep on the coast path.
To learn more about the South West Coast Path, click here.
6. Have an ultimate family day out at Camel Creek
Looking for a day of non-stop family fun that the kids will love? Look no further! Camel Creek is Cornwall’s ultimate family fun day out.
Here you will be able to explore a range of fun facilities, from amazing rides such as the log flume, Thunder Falls, Dragon Coaster, and Wave Rider, with swings suspended in the air: this one goes round and round. Also there’s Raging Rivers, a 20ft waterslide boat ride, plus Vertigo, a vertical thrill ride which plummets you from above.
There’s not just thrill rides though, enjoy the tea cups, kids carousel, mini log flume and more for the younger ones – there’s no missing out at Camel Creek!
Then there’s also indoor play area, 5D cinema, Adventure Golf, Splash Zone and a huge amount of animals too. Animals include horses at the stables, farmyard animals, meerkats and a reptile house.
In school holidays enjoy character visits and shows too. We have only scratched the surface of Camel Creek: head over their website to see all there is to offer.
7. Visit Padstow and do the Camel Trail
No trip to Cornwall is complete without a visit to a Cornish fishing town or village. Padstow is a well-known, picturesque fishing town, with small streets, a harbour and views over the Camel Estuary.
Our favourite way to get to Padstow is to cycle on the Camel Trail, from Wadebridge, where you can enjoy a flat trail, and views. Park up and explore, making sure that you stop at The National Lobster Hatchery, where you can see conservation in action and view baby lobsters and big lobster Mumas! These unique creatures will fascinate kids and adults alike.
Padstow Lobster Hatchery, Cornwall
8. Try a Proper Cornish Ice Cream
You can even do this one right here at Hendra Holiday Park. We have our own ice cream shop, Always Sundae, which serves delicious, organic, Cornish ice creams, made at Roskilly’s: a Cornish Farm.
Enjoying Cornish food is a must, and luckily you can get your fill at all Cornwall beauty spots and attractions. Cornish cream teas (jam first, then cream, as per the Cornish way), pasties, and Cornish fudge are all there waiting to be enjoyed: after all, if you can’t treat yourself whilst on holiday, when can you?
9. Visit Cornwall’s countryside via steam train
Lappa Valley is an excellent family attraction. Plenty of fun and relaxation is to be had in Cornwall’s secret world of play and trains. Arrive and catch the steam train as it makes it way through the countryside, and into the valley. Get off and explore this historic valley complete with an old engine house dating back to the mid 19th century.
Children won’t know what to do first with swan peddle boats to choose from, adventure golf, musical and woodland trails, outdoor playgrounds, ride along cars, more train rides, and an amazing indoor play area at the Engine House.
10. Treat Yourself to a pint of Rattler
Another one you can do right here at Hendra Holiday Park, with Rattler available at our Terrace Bar and Restaurant, The Venue, as well as our new for 2025 Beach House, and Deck Bar.
There’s nothing more refreshing on a summer’s afternoon or evening than a crisp rattler.
If you want sample a range of ciders, and visit a great value family attraction, the Healeys Cider Farm is the place for you. With cider samples available, Cornish cream teas, tractor rides and farm animals: this attraction is a good all-rounder.
11. Visit Cornwall’s amazing gardens
Don’t be jealous: we don’t just have beautiful beaches, and coast, with also have some blooming beautiful gardens too. We are well and truly spoilt here in Cornwall!
The most well-known of the Cornish gardens in the glorious Lost Gardens of Heligan. This garden was lost to the brambles over time, and was rediscovered in 1990. Today you can witness the multiple gardens from productive, to pleasure gardens, woodland, farm yard and the garden also has its very own jungle complete with one of the longest Burmese rope bridges in the UK. Enjoy an adventure in the UK, with Cornwall’s sub-tropical climate which makes it an ideal place for the unique plants you will see at Heligan. Also, nearby to the jungle is a huge outdoor play area. Here kids can go wild and roam free, with the very fun jumping pillows, one for younger kids and one for older kids – these are sure to be a winner.
Other gardens include Trebah and Glendurgan on the south coast. These two gardens are close to each other, and both have a private beach too. Trebah is very colourful, and Glendurgan has its own maze.
12. Sundowners at a Beach Bar
The sun is setting on our Cornwall Bucket List. It is sad, but all good things have to come to an end. There is no better way to end the day than by watching the sun set over the sea. In Newquay you can head to one of the bars by the beach, including Fistral Beach Bar, the Mermaid at Porth, Holywell Beach Bar, or head to Lusty Glaze for one of their free sundowner sessions with live music.
Whatever you choose to do on your holiday in Cornwall, we know you will have a fantastic time and make some awesome family memories on your summer family holiday to Cornwall.
