Outdoor activities in Newquay

The vibrant town of Newquay is on many people’s radar, with its fabulous beaches, impressive food scene, and strong community spirit. Once upon a time, like so many Cornish towns, historically Newquay was a fishing port, but now this town is a hive of activity with plenty to enjoy for all ages.

Newquay beaches

Newquay beaches are known across the world, and for good reason. Newquay surf scene is arguably the best in the UK with many surfing competitions hosted here. Naturally, a beach day is the ultimate outdoor activity in Newquay, whether it’s building sandcastles, surfing on Newquay’s waves, or taking on a new watersport.

With 11 beaches falling under Newquay’s stretch of the coast, there’s an impressive seven miles to explore, so you’ll never bore of the plethora of Newquay beaches. From dog-friendly beaches to beaches holding the prestigious Blue Flag award, Newquay has it all.

Ticket to Ride surf lessons, Newquay ©Gwilym Thomas

Most beaches in Newquay have an activity centre offering surf lessons and hire equipment. However if you’re looking to broaden your horizons there are plenty more outdoor activities to consider during your time in Newquay. Perhaps you want to

Newquay Activity Centre offers coasteering, paddleboarding, kayaking and more. Or perhaps you fancy Lusty Glaze Activity Centre’s banana boat rides, jet ski lessons, and coastal boat trips, or if abseiling and walking the tightrope is more your thing there’s that too.

Mawgan Porth, near Newquay

Newquay walks

With such an impressive stretch of coastline, as you’d expect the coast path is rather wonderful here too, providing a plethora of walking opportunities.

If you head north out of Newquay along the coast path, you’ll pass Lusty Glaze, Porth Beach, Watergate Bay and Mawgan Porth, which would take around 2 hours to complete. Further north you’ll reach the iconic Bedruthan Steps and Porthcothan Bay, which is 10 miles away via the coast path.

On the south side of Newquay, you’ll see Fistral Beach, and the Gannel Estuary, a tidal estuary that separates Newquay and Crantock village with the River Gannel flowing into the sea over Crantock Beach. On foot, there are several different foot bridge crossings over the Gannel but in all cases they can be covered by the tide. Continue to follow the coast path and you’ll reach Pollyjoke Beach and Holywell Bay.

Newquay Sea Safaris

From Newquay Harbour, hop on a family friendly Newquay Sea Safaris cruise, where passengers will explore the hidden coves around Newquay spotting Cornwall’s wildlife in their natural habitat. Keep your eyes peeled for Cornish grey seals, dolphins and if you’re lucky you may even see a shark or two.

newquayseasafarisandfishing.co.uk

Body Bounce Bouncy Castle Fun Park

Body Bounce Bouncy Castle Fun Park is the name for the massive bouncy castles situated on Barrowfields, between Lusty Glaze and Tolcarne beach. Only suitable for those aged three to 12 years, energetic kids will love the giant 300 foot long obstacle course. For older ones, how about the Cornish themed 18-hole crazy golf course, fancy trying to break the course record?

body-bounce.co.uk

Giant Slip and Slide

You’ll have to travel 9 miles outside of Newquay, to St Columb Major for this outdoor activity, but we think you’ll agree that it’s certainly worth the trip. The Giant Slip and Slide, launched in 2021, offers fun for the whole family. The slide is a whopping 440ft long with a 3m high launch ramp and there are four lanes in total. The safety team provide inflatable hoops, rings and super-fast bodyboards for you to enjoy. The perfect way to cool down on a hot summer’s day, while providing a super-soaked adrenaline rush.

giantslipandslide.co.uk

Retallack Aqua Park

Another outdoor activity centre to have on your radar is Retallack Aqua Park. Just 9 miles from Newquay, for those with a competitive streak, you can’t go wrong. Visitors can choose to surf the perfect wave whatever the weather on Cornwall’s only FlowRider. Or perhaps you fancy tackling the inflatable assault course. The Aqua Park at Retallack features separate inflated islands, giant trampoline, ‘stepping stone’ climbing obstacles, tough balance beams and lots more in a  ‘total wipeout’ style set up.

There’s also an inflatable volleyball court on the watersports lake. This court will have you and your opponents bouncing, slipping, and sliding as you battle it out. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s also SUP and wakeboarding to try your hand at too.

awayresorts.co.uk