With the UK's longest zip wire, the first 'permanent' simulated surf wave and a new resort that entertains kids year round, Cornwall can be fun whatever the weather"Fer-lip ?" My 10-year-old son Joe is seldom rendered monosyllabic with awe, but staring into the abyss that is Cornwall's Adrenalin Quarry, I could only concur. "Flip, indeed."Fifty metres below us was half a kilometre of bright blue lake ? a flooded quarry near Liskeard; its surface, like my knees, quivered like jelly. And right at the far end of that wind-whipped water was where we were supposed to be ? in, oh, roughly 30 seconds.From the 1930s, Clicker Quarry, as it was then called, was gouged apart in the quest for blue elvin stone. After the last drill fell silent in 1969, nature replaced the harsh, lunar-like landscape with something almost primeval. Now, vegetation clings to the sheer cliff walls, and buzzards and Cornish choughs hang on thermals overhead, seemingly oblivious to the screaming humans below.Spanning the length of the quarry, at 490m long and 50m high, The Zip, which opened last year, is the UK's longest zip wire. It's also the fastest as, winds permitting, riders on the twin parallel lines can hit 40mph. With our carabiners clipped into place (and a five-year old and his nan behind us in the queue), there was no bottling it now without looking a right numpty."See you both on the other side," muttered my husband. Before I could ponder what sort of man watches his wife and child get pushed off a cliff, Joe and I were careering over the edge and out across the water. Whooping with glee, we swooped like swallows, past coasteerers (Will Sneyd, Adrenalin Quarry's MD, is obsessed with finding "new ways of throwing people off cliffs") and to within a toe's dip of the lake's surface. Then, all too abruptly, we were bum-deep in wood chippings."That was insane!" stuttered Joe. Our descent had taken 35 seconds. The walk back took 20 times that, but three times we schlepped up that hill for, as Joe put it, "One ride is so not enough."As we discovered this summer, it's not just Cornwall's beaches that buzz.Lured by the promise of a barbecue summer, we and countless other staycationers, Dave and Sam Cam included, had headed west, dreaming of sandcastles and oh-so-slightly sunburned shoulders. Only the rain set in as we hit the Atlantic Highway and, unlike the Camerons, we'd no new baby on the way to pass the time.Fortunately, our destination, the five-star self-catering Retallack Resort & Spa, bills itself as "the ultimate all year round resort". Set just a few miles inland from Padstow and Wadebridge in St Columb Major, the accommodation here ranges from two-bedroom semis to super-swanky houses sleeping 12, complete with media room. Most, like our Eden lodge, have a Scandinavian chalet vibe ? an inoffensive theme that continued inside with bleached wood, muted tones and vast picture windows. This is self-catering for those who like their plasmas plentiful and their hot tub big and bubbly. That said, there's no escaping the estate feel ? you've neighbours here, lots of 'em ? or that, in places, it is still very much a (building) work in progress.Retallack scores highly for its on-site entertainment. During our stay, kids' activities ranged from bush tucker trials to laser clay shooting ? with coasteering and photography for blas� teens. But for high-octane kicks, the UK's first FlowRider took some beating. Basically a permanent surf wave, this �1m piece of kit shoots a thin sheet of water over a stationary "wave" made of trampoline-like material to create a safe, shallow rapid that you can "slide down, ride up or carve a turn on" ? allegedly.A brilliant rush for anyone who'd rather not do battle with the nippy Atlantic, post-August (or hardened types hacked off with waiting for a decent wave), FlowRider is way more than just a year-round surfing substitute. Incorporating elements of all board sports, clearly its embarrassment potential was high ? not least because Ben Skinner, the world's number two longboarder, had been practising on it earlier.Joe took to it straight away ? within minutes of joining a kids' session he'd been performing tricks with abandon. Then it was my turn. It was tipping down as, clinging to a bodyboard for dear life, I launched into the whirling torrent. The water's power was astonishing ? it took all my strength to steer the board, while the slightest shift of balance sent me shooting sideways. Lose control and next second I'd be flailing around in the churning "wipe-out zone". By the end of the hour I'd mastered some basic skills and had even managed to kneel up on my board, albeit briefly.The weather wasn't good enough for us to practise our new skills at the beach, so next we took to the nearby 18-mile Camel Trail, the largely traffic-free recreational route that runs from Padstow to Wenfordbridge. We picked up bikes and the trail itself from Bridge Bike Hire in Wadebridge (bike hire from �6 per day children, �10 adults; 01208 813050, bridgebikehire.co.uk) and set off under an ashtray-grey sky along the Camel estuary to Padstow and back. A persistent drizzle accompanied us as we pedalled through old railway cuttings where wild flowers ran amok, past heaps of quarried slate, under viaduct and over iron bridge, but even the buffeting wind that, at times, threatened to knock us from our bikes couldn't steal the joy from that glorious afternoon.But mums can't exist on fresh air alone. Fortunately, moments from Bridge Bike Hire was The Glasshouse (01208 814800, glasshousewadebridge.co.uk), serving pasta, pizza and local specials ranging from seafood bisque to confit of Cornish duck. Better still was Custard in Padstow (01841 532565, custarddiner.com) ? a Stein-free kooky kind of joint where beams, banquettes and chandeliers bunked up with knitted cupcakes and a 60s-style monitor showing The Omega Man's title sequence on a loop. A dinner menu was heavy with local produce.Eventually though, it was the sea that claimed us. With Joe desperate for some beach action, we braved the weather and headed to Watergate Bay, just west of Newquay, where we fell instantly in love with The Beach Hut restaurant (01637 860877, watergatebay.co.uk). We tucked away the lightest of crab salads, whopping burgers and berries with crushed meringue. And as Joe ran in and out, all barefoot, sandy and really rather wet ? and no one batted an eyelid ? there was simply nowhere else in the world that, at that moment in time, I would have rather been.? Seven nights at Retallack Resort (01637 882400, retallackresort.co.uk) in the two-bedroom Rock house, sleeping four, costs �800 over October half term or from �370 in low season. The more spacious two-bedroom Harlyn house, also sleeping four, is reduced from �950 to �799 for a seven-night stay over October half term. The FlowRider cost �20 per hour. Adrenalin Quarry (01579 308204, adrenalinquarry.co.uk) opens daily from Easter to the end of September; from October to Easter it is open half terms, bank holidays and some weekends. The first flight costs �12.50, subsequent flights �7CornwallFamily holidaysBeach holidaysAdventure travelSelf-cateringUnited KingdomShort breaksDay tripsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
No comments:
Post a Comment