Newquay

Newquay is a brash, bustling town, very much a modern holiday resort, with all the amenities one would expect to attract visitors seeking sun, sand, and surf. The latter attraction has made Newquay the "surf capital of the UK".

Though Newquay has a history as a mining community stetching back to the Iron Age, it is the 11 beaches here that have made the town's fortune as one of Britain's most popular family seaside resorts.

The original town here was called Towan Blistra, and it was not until the construction of a new quay here in 1439 that the town took on its current name. The town flourished as a fishing port, particularly in the Victorian period, when the pilchard fisheries were a major economic boon to the area. After the pilchard fishery died, Newquay became a leading port for the export of Cornish tin, lead, and china clay.

ATTRACTIONS
Tunnels Through Time - This exhibition shows the lifestyle of the early inhabitants of the Newquay area, through a recreation of 5th century iron-mining and living conditions.

Trenance Leisure Park - Newquay's major family attraction covers 26 acres, comprising Newquay Zoo (Cornwall's only zoo), Waterworld water park, a miniature railway, conservation centre, public gardens, boating lake, and self-drive electric cars.

St Austell Bay Heritage Trail - Not so much an attraction as an activity, the Heritage Trail has been set up to allow visitors to explore the industrial and scenic heritage of the area. Trail leaflets are available from Tourist Information Centres at Newquay, Fowey, St Austell, Lostwithiel, and Mevagissey.

NEARBY
Eden Project - two gigantic plant conservatories, the largest in the world, made up of 800 pieces of interlocking hexagons without any internal support.

Trerice - An Elizabethan manor house filled with fine period furniture.