Going abroad this summer? Poor you. No, we’re sure it’ll be very nice and
everything, but do you realise exactly what you’re missing?
You’re missing classic riverside pubs and beach cafes; exciting wildlife
safaris and glamorous rooftop cocktails; waterfall swims and barefoot walks;
open-air cinema and open-air nudity; medieval revels and 165ft floating
bagpipers; art, eccentricity and the chance to throw yourself down a river
in an armchair. In short, you’re off just as these islands reach their
beautiful, if sometimes baffling, best.
So stick around and enjoy. Here’s our pick of the finest diversions this
summer has to offer. No passport required.
SOUTHWEST
1 CATCH, Penzance, Cornwall If you’re concerned about where your food
comes from, there’s nothing better (or more satisfying) than catching it
yourself. Just about every coastal resort in the British Isles can oblige –
see www.ukcharterboats.co.uk
for your nearest – but our favourite base is Penzance: the tide running, the
sun on the bay, St Michael’s Mount on the horizon, mackerel tugging the line
– the perfect summer afternoon. Moored in Penzance, Mermaid II (07901
731201, www.cornwallboattrips.com)
runs two-hour mackerel trips from £12
2 BEACH CAFE, Kynance Cove, Cornwall Here is the quintessential Cornish
cove, tucked away on the suntrap Lizard peninsula, 10 minutes’ walk from the
nearest tarmac. It’s a place holiday memories are made of: hide-and-seek in
the gorse, cornets with clotted cream on top, chasing crabs out of rock
pools with your shrimping net. The whitewashed beach cafe is washed up on
the rocks and does fresh crab salad, Cornish pasties from Ann Muller,
“Lizard’s undisputed pasty queen”, and Kelly’s ices, crowned with Rodda’s
clotted cream. Two miles west of Lizard village; the cafe is at www.kynancecovecafe.co.uk
3 BEGINNER BAYWATCH, Cornwall A cunning mix of riptides and
rock-pooling, the Junior Baywatch sessions at Newquay’s Lusty Glaze beach
strive to introduce youngsters to the perils and pleasures of the seaside
all in one. Led by lifeguards, kids aged 8 to 14 learn basic surf-rescue
techniques and probe the curious marine life of the Cornish foreshore, on
the bay’s horseshoe of shining sand. The one-hour session with Lusty Glaze
Adventure Centre (01637 872444, www.adventure-centre.org)
costs £20; it also offers junior surfing lessons (aged 7-16) from £35
4 SURF AND SING, Surf Relief festival, Cornwall A combination of music
festival and surfing safari, this is the only UK festival that takes place
on a beach – specifically Watergate Bay in Newquay. Stereo MCs headline,
with able support from local lads the Rumble Strips and the Wonderfuls, and
there are Pro Surfing and Iron Man competitions, lessons, and less energetic
activities on the sands, such as sampling the wares of the Cornish Curry
Company or the spit roast from the Cornish Pig Company. The festival aims to
raise funds for disabled and disadvantaged youngsters to learn to surf. July
26, 1pm-10pm, tickets £10; www.whitestuff.com/surfrelief
5 HIGH DRAMA, Cornwall and Stirlingshire Swingers of all sizes are
welcome on a family tree-climbing day with Mighty Oak. It’s a new sport from
America, and safe for ages four and up: you’ll be harnessed in, shown the
ropes, then hop from branch to branch into the forest canopy with a guide.
It has several sites across Cornwall. Less death-defying – marginally – is
Go Ape, a Tarzan-style treetop assault course vaulting 90ft waterfalls at
Aberfoyle in Stirlingshire. A three-hour climb, for up to four, costs £120;
or £15pp for 10 people or more; 07890 698651, www.mighty-oak.co.uk.
Go Ape (0845 643 9215, www.goape.co.uk)
costs £25; £20 for ages 10-17
6 RIVERSIDE PINT, Devon Ale foaming over tonsils, water foaming over
rocks, the sun shining down and the hand pumps gushing: a waterside pub
makes summer complete. The perfect spot is highly subjective – but we defy
you not to fall in love with the 17th-century Waterman’s Arms, overlooking
tinkling Bow Creek, near Tuckenhay. Hidden away at the bottom of a steep
valley, the streamside tables are perfect for savouring a pint of the fine
Palmer’s Copper Ale. The lunches, sourced from local suppliers and served
under an outdoor awning, attract foodies from as far away as Exeter and
Plymouth. Accommodation available, doubles from £80, B&B; 01803
732214, www.thewatermansarms.net
7 SNORKEL, Dorset and Yorkshire Millions of us do it abroad, but we
tend to ignore snorkelling at home – even though there are great sites all
round the UK coastline. Kimmeridge Bay in Dorset is so proud of its undersea
attractions that it has installed a 400yd snorkelling trail, marked by
numbered white buoys. You can expect to see wrasse, blennies, grey mullet,
bass and pollock – pick up a waterproof identification guide from the marine
centre. Nothing so organised in North Yorkshire, but North Landing, near
Flamborough Head, has shallow water, dramatic rock outcrops and an abundance
of fish, kelp and crustaceans. Purbeck Marine Centre, Kimmeridge Bay; 01929
481044
8 FAMOUS FIVE ADVENTURE, Brownsea Island, Dorset No wonder Enid Blyton
loved Brownsea. Accessible only by boat, it’s a magic raft of cliffs and
caves and pine woods floating in Poole Harbour. For the Famous Five, it
became Whispering Island, where they shinned down a secret well to discover
smuggled loot. Every day this August, Brownsea’s wardens will recreate their
escapade for young visitors, with a cryptic treasure trail across the island
and Blytonesque picnics for sale. Ginger beer, anyone? Island admission:
£4.40 adults, £2.10 children, plus ferry fare from Sandbanks (£4.50/£3.50, www.brownseaislandferries.com);
01202 707744, www.nationaltrust.org.uk
