Top ten things to do with Children in Cornwall this Summer
Heading to Cornwall with your children? Here are our top ten things to do with children in Cornwall this summer: I’ve ordered them in distance from Ekopod to help you plan your stay with us!
Number one- Trethorne
Our favourite recommendation for a wet day. A huge indoor soft play, with a separate area for under fours and some death defying slides! Regular sessions of meet the animals also let your little one hold rabbits and Guinea pigs. Suitable for toddlers up the site also offers crazy golf, zorb football, mini climbing walls, bungee runs, dodgems, bowling and a trampoline park. Although we normally recommend it for rainy days there is also an acre of outdoor play with its own mini boating lake. No dogs.
10 minutes from Ekopod
Number tw
o – Hidden Valley
Hidden valley is number three on our top ten things to do with children in Cornwall this summer. The puzzle park has a different puzzle challenge for a range of different age groups from outside trails to complete, a maze and a mansion to escape from (complete with secret passage ways). For younger children a brilliant outdoor play park, a mini train line and a fairy town to explore. All set in a beautiful garden. Dogs welcome but can’t go on the train or in to the forbidden mansion.
15 minutes from Ekopod
Home – Hidden Valley Discovery Park North Cornwall
Number three – Surfing
There’s nothing like the sense of achievement of learning a new skill and combined with the adrenaline of being out in the ocean your children will be buzzing about this weeks after you get home. The surfing beaches of Cornwall are World famous so it’s the perfect place to give it ago. 25 minutes from Ekopod is Widemouth bay a lovely place for beginner and which has a range of surf schools providing lessons for children from 8 years plus. Dogs are only allowed on the Black Rock side of Widemouth Bay during the day during summer.
25 minutes from Ekopod
HOME | surfschool (reubynash.wixsite.com)
Number four – The beach!
With 422 miles of coastline Cornwall has a lot of beaches! For those of you with young children we recommend the town beaches of Bude, Summerleaze and crooklets as being an easy stroll from the carpark, helpful when carrying a lot of stuff! Crooklets has cafes just beside the beach itself and a ramp down, so a bit easier if you have a pushchair. Crooklets also has a particularly good range of rock pools. These two beaches are close the cafes and shops of Bude and are connected at low tide. On Summerleaze you’ll also find Bude sea pool. This huge semi natural sea pool is lifeguarded and has a clearly designated shallow end. Perfect for paddling or swimming if you have anyone nervous of waves! During the summer there’s a nearby monster slip and slide which you can also incorporate into your day!
For those who don’t mind a bit of a walk from the car park Hawkers Cove is another favourite of ours. Set in the camel estuary this is a very sheltered beach with white sand and turquoise water that wouldn’t look out of place in the Caribbean. It has lots of very shallow areas and the calm waters are lovely for exploring by paddleboard. There are no facilities at Hawkers Cove, but Rest a While Tea Gardens are a short walk a long the south west coastal path. Hawkers cove is right by Padstow so worth combing the two if you go. There is a lobster hatchery in Padstow for something a bit different for the kids to visit . Dogs need to be on a lead on Summerleaze during the day, they are banned on Crooklets and there is no restrictions at Hawkers cove.
Bude is 30 minutes from Ekopod
Hawker’s cove 50 minutes.
Number five – Coasteering
Coasteering! For children aged 10 and older head over to Port Gaverne for this exciting activity. Here you’ll find Cornish Rock Tors, set up for all confidence levels and based in the National Trusts idyllic Port Gaverne. They have been running these trips for 18 years, so you’ll be in experienced hands! Cornish Rock Tors also offer sea kayaking and giant paddleboarding so there’s a wealth of activities for the adventure seeker.
30 minutes from Ekopod
Cornish Rock Tors – Adventure Activities in Cornwall : Cornish Rock Tors
Number six- Tintagel Castle
At number four we have Tintagel castle. This has a lot of steps so probably not one for people with toddlers unless you don’t mind doing a lot of carrying down steep steps! Get immersed in Arthurian folk lore at this stunning ruin, take in beautiful views and try and spot Merlin’s face on the cave below. Time your trip with low tide if you want access to the caves and the beach. Tintagel town is a fun place to have a wander through after as it fully embraces the mythology behind its famous castle. The old post office in town is also worth a stop – I’ve never seen such a curved roof on a functioning building. Dogs are allowed at Tintagel castle.
30 minutes from Ekopod
Tintagel Castle | English Heritage (english-heritage.org.uk)
Number seven – wildlife watching boat trip
Wildlife safaris – Cornwall has a wide variety of marine wildlife. So if you’re a family of animal lovers, book a trip and see what you can spot. If you get lucky you might see seals, dolphins or even whales and you’ll definitely have brilliant views of the Cornish coastline! Wavehunters are primarily based out of Padstow but do, do trips from Port Isaac which is closer to us. Port Isaac is famous for being the setting of Doc Martin and Fisherman’s Friends. Make sure you have time to explore Port Isaac itself either before or after the trip. There are no age restrictions on their boat trips.
Port Isaac is 30 minutes from Ekopod.
Boat Tours & Trips in Cornwall | Wavehunters UK
Number eight – Steam train experience
For more traditional form of transport head over to Bodmin for the Bodmin and Wenford steam railway. A full trip there and back trip on the line takes in 13 miles of pretty Cornish countryside. Most people get the all line pass. This means getting on in the middle station (Bodmin Central) doing a trip there and back one way to Parkway and then there and back in the opposite direction to Boscarne Junction. You can take picnics on board, or order food for your journey. Dogs are allowed (just not on the seats!)
30 minutes from Ekopod
Home – Bodmin & Wenford Railway (bodminrailway.co.uk)
Number nine- Bodmin Jail
Also in Bodmin is Bodmin Jail. Recently reopened the jail offers fascinating insights into Cornwall’s darker history. Check out their website for a variety of immersive tours created specially for children. These tours can be a bit gory and spooky so make sure you check the age recommendation for them before you book. They may be unsuitable for smaller children. For the summer holidays Bodmin Jail has an extra exhibition on smugglers. There are tickets available for self-guided or guided experiences. This is another great wet weather option!
30 minutes from Ekopod
Cornwall Historical Sites and Attractions | Bodmin Jail
Number ten – The Eden Project
Last but not least of our top ten things to do with children in Cornwall this summer is The Eden project. Probably probably the most famous on the list it is 45 minutes from Ekopod. The huge biomes are an impressive feat of engineering and the rainforest biome has the worlds largest indoor rainforest. This summer they’ve opened a new natural playground in the centre of the park for children aged 16 and under. A great place to visit when your staying in your very own dome!
45 minutes from Ekopod
Well, there you have it, my top ten things to do with Children in Cornwall this summer! As with anything you want to visit in the summer I aways recommend pre booking anything you particularly want to visit. A lot of attractions only do pre booked tickets or timeslots and I’d hate for you to be disappointed by missing out on anything.
Finally for all the children that stay at Ekopod they’ll find their very own welcome pack. We hope that they enjoying getting close to nature with their stay here and come back full of magical memories of wildlife, natural wonders, exploring, starry nights and campfires!
For more inspiration for your visit check out our guidebook!
