Dear Mummy, while staying at Coombe Mill Holidays in Cornwall, we braved the weather and headed to the Cornish coast. Fistral Beach is in Fistral Bay at Newquay on the north coast of Cornwall. It’s famous for being the home of British surfing with the consistency and quality of the surf that it enjoys. We’ve always wanted to visit Newquay and see what the fuss was about and it met our expectations.
We were lucky with the weather on New Year’s Eve and headed to the beach. As we neared Newquay the clouds opened up to reveal blue sky, however it was very windy! The first thing that struck us as we mounted the sand dunes was the amount of people who had taken to the shoreline to enjoy the sunshine.
Other families had joined dog walkers and surfers to frolic in the foam. Thankfully Fistral Beach has an extensive RNLI lifeguard presence in winter and we saw a couple of guards. With people in the water and huge waves crashing down it was reassuring that help was on hand should they need it.
Fistral Beach may be notorious for being the home of British surfing but there’s so much more on offer than the giant waves and golden sands. We sat awhile and enjoyed looking out to sea as the beach and the surrounding areas are home to some of the country’s most breathtaking views. It was a lovely spot to reflect on the year we’d had.
The coastal path that stretches across the beach and round Little Fistral and Cribbar is jaw dropping. The area looks straight out to the horizon and is one of Newquay’s most popular sunset watching spots. We didn’t have much time to investigate, as we stayed on the beach, but we’d love to come back during the warmer months to explore.
Of course the beach itself is utterly stunning and we spent time beach combing and looking for shells – we even found a dead fish, which I was fascinated by, spending time admiring its shiny silver scales and putting it back into the water gently. It was very breezy by the sea and we’d dressed up with hats and gloves, at one point my mummy’s hat blew off as the wind took it down towards the sand dunes.
The size of Fistral means that there is plenty of space for learners, intermediates and advanced surfers, with the north zone being cornered off for experienced surfers and the south being open to the latter. It would be silly not to splash in the waves when we were at the mecca of British surfing, so we had a little paddle! Next time I think we’ll bring wetsuits for all year round fun.
The best bit was being caught out by the tide! As my mummy was taking photos of me picking up shells when the waves came in a bit too fast and left us soaked. Luckily daddy was on hand to dry us off with warm clothes from the car and we used the hand dryers in the public toilets – which were some of the biggest and cleanest facilities we’ve ever seen! They even had shower rooms and lockers!
Afterwards we needed to warm up so we visited The Stable, Fistral Beach. There are loads of quality food and drink establishments in the surrounding area so we were spoilt for choice even in winter.
We loved the restaurant’s panoramic window of the bay and snuggled up on benches next to the log fire. We enjoyed a delicious pizza and my folks helped themselves to a jar of organic cider. It was the perfect location to watch the rolling waves come in, reflect and make plans for the year ahead…
Have you ever been to Fistral Beach before?
Love Bella x
dearmummyblog.com 
Wet suits and a body board are a must next time. Fistral beach is one of my favourites, the waves really are the best, this is a beach you can easily grow to love. Some lovely photos splashing in the sea and hunting for beach treasures, there are all sorts washed up here, we have spent many a day shell collecting and now I need to try those pizzas next time we go.
Thank you for sharing with me on #CountryKids
I am hungry and I so love those food photos.
You earned that pizza! Looks a wonderful place to visit
Many years ago I ended up staying in a B&B overlooking Fistral Bay the first time I visited Cornwall. It was a stunning place to look down and enjoy the views. Lovely part of the world at any time of the year isn’t it #CountryKids
That beach looks stunning. We’re heading to Cornwall this summer and I’m really looking forward to exploring the coastline. That pizza looks pretty good too!
I hear lots of great things about the beaches in Cornwall – looks beautiful. That pizza looks delicious too. Su #countrykids
Aaahh reminds me of our New Years holiday at Coombe milll a few years ago. It really was blustery at Fistral Beach but gorgeous x
Love your photos so much, too too cute.
Lovely pics. My husband always talks about us visiting Fistral Beach for surfing.
I can’t believe you actually saw some people in the water! Going for a walk is one thing but a swim!? x
Stunning beach scenes, and photos to match. Crazy to think people were in the water in winter… Brrrrr!
Fistral beach sounds like a lovely place to visit with your family, even if you don’t like surfing. I have been to Cornwall before, but never in this place. And good choice for going to Stables, their pizza is so yummy and their cider selection huge. I have one around the corner from my house 🙂
What a beautiful beach! I love walking on the beach in the winter, as long as it’s not raining. Looks like it was a lovely day, and what yummy pizza too.
There is something wonderful about a beach at any time of year, the wind in the winter, for instance, is so brisk and awakening. It looks like you really earned your pizza after the walk as well.
I love Cornwall never been fortunate enough to visit over the festivities looks a lovely adventure. That pizza looks delicious also
No, I’ve never been myself. My children keep asking to go to the beach and it looks so nice there with the golden sand that I must pop it on my list of beaches to try and visit with them this summer.
Always our face activity! Visiting the beach never ceased to heal both me and my son. #countrykids
I love visiting Newquay and mine love to sit and watch the surfers on Fistral Beach
I would love to visit this beach at any time of year, it sounds and looks so fabulous! My lot would have been running in the water, regardless of what they were wearing. My, that pizza looks good!
#CountryKids
I will have to check out Fistral when we go to Coombe Mill again at Easter
That beach does look stunning. The pizza looks delicious too. #countrykids
Oh my gosh, it looks stunning! I love the beach in the winter, so beautiful. That pizza looks pretty good too 🙂 #countrykids
Oh, what a beautiful day you had to start the year! Lucky with the weatherall be it cold! There are so many great beaches in Cornwall. We stayed at coombe mill in Christmas 2016 and Robert was 1&1/2 so was a bit little to enter the sea but it was amazing visiting some of the coast! Thank you for linking up to the #familyfunlinky and also a quick hi for #countrykids 😍
Lovely photos! I adore the beach anytime of the year.
oh i would love to visit newquey and look at the pizza , i bet it was demolished after that brisk walk
Winter beach walks are the best. We just got back from a trip to the north west coast and we spent lots of time on the beach. It looks like you had fun too.
I do like Cornwall, your trip looks like so much fun! Most go back this summer, if we can. Pizza looks yummy too!
What a lovely way in which to see in the New Year. #FamilyFunLinky
Love a good beech walk, some good fresh air and gentle exercise with a slice of pizza as a reward too of course x
Wow I can’t believe how sunny it was for the end of December! I would have loved to have walked on Fistral Beach with my puppy. Bella, I love your hat!! Oh and your beautiful smile!
You were good with the weather! We hardly ever venture to Cornwall, we are in Devon every year. Would love to check out Fistral beach.
I’m glad to hear there were adequate lifeguards there – I’m not sure I’ve ever seen any on the coast myself!
You had much better weather than when I visited! Beautiful photos. #countrykids
Aww, I miss Fistral Beach! We’ve not been to Newquay in years, and seeing your pics (even in this weather) are making me want to go back again 🙂
Louise x
I love the beach in Winter time!! I tell myself optimistically one day I will move to the coast!! #familyfunlinky
Beach photos are always so special, no matter the season! Bella! #familyfunlinky xoxo