The Cornwall Blog

For this month's blog story I wanted to share some of the great places in Cornwall where you can meet animals. From sanctuaries and farms to wildlife parks, they all have education and conservation at their heart. These are just a few of the places we love to visit in Cornwall... Paradise Park, Hayle Located in Hayle in West Cornwall, Paradise Park is a firm family favourite. It's great for kids, with a little train, soft play and a lovely array of colourful birds and small animals to see. All in all, a fun family day out. Newquay Zoo This little zoo has a real passion for conservation and you can really see how much the team love their animals. Zebras, sloths, penguins, red pandas and brown hyenas are just a few of the animals you can see. Cornish Seal Sanctuary, Gweek A firm favourite, the seals are such characters! It's best for a dry day as most of the sanctuary is outside, and it's more than just s...

There are few things better than taking to the sea on a stunning Cornish sunny day. It won't surprise you to hear that up and down the county we have a multitude of ways that you can enjoy the vast waters that wrap around Cornwall. From spotting dolphins to picnics at sea, or perhaps something for those who have a need for speed or for those who simply want to mess about on the river, catching fish. Let's start tranquil, what could be more beautiful then a picnic on the River Fowey . This area is my neck of the woods and it truly is lovely. You decide where you might like to go with 'Sunbeam', a 1930s 20 foot classic wooden motor boat. Bring your own picnic or they can provide one for you. An afternoon tea amongst the kingfishers - glorious.  So how about wildlife-spotting, here we really are spoilt for choice, at Padstow perhaps book Padstow Sea Safaris , an experienced team doing there very best to show you the likes of dolphins, puffins and seals.   In Looe harbour ...

If you mention places in Cornwall Padstow definitely comes to mind. This little harbour town attracts many visitors every year and has no shortage of things to do. Helping to put Padstow on the map is of course Rick Stein and his culinary prowess. Turn pretty much any corner and you will find a Stein's patisserie, seafood restaurant, fish and chips or cooking school! Definitely worth sampling on your Cornish holiday. The harbour is the place to be, watch the wildlife across the estuary as the fishing boats bob up and down. With a real variety of independent and high street shops, cosy pubs and delicious restaurants, Padstow doesn't disappoint. If you are needing a place to stay and are looking for a bed and breakfast full of character and style, look no further than Armsyde Bed and Breakfast. This handsome home is just a stone's throw from the harbour and is finished to a high standard. The 18th century former sea merchant's house has been converted into ...

Rick and Jill Stein announce an exciting new grill menu at St Petroc’s Bistro in Padstow. Rick Stein’s Mediterranean-style bistro is now expanding its menu to incorporate three new grill dishes, including an 8oz sirloin steak with pommes coq d’or, 12oz rump steak with tomato, mushrooms and thin cut chips and a special 16oz Chateau-briand for two to share. St Petroc’s Bistro has always served simple, classic bistro dishes, offering a mixture of both seafood and meat options. In addition to the new grill menu, signature dishes such as the Parmigiana di melanzana, whole grilled lemon sole with mushrooms and brown shrimps, and escalopes of salmon with sorrel sauce will still be available. Head chef at St Petroc’s Bistro, Paul Harwood, comments: “We’re really happy with the new steak dishes. We’ve sourced a really high quality Aberdeen-Angus with Charolais cross for the new grill menu, well-known for being tender, succulent and full of flavour. “Our rib-eye steak proved so popular...

Last week I mentioned that Padstow Contemporary Art Gallery was opening its Autumn Exhibition, and last Friday evening attended the private viewing. There was a warm atmosphere within the small exhibition space, welcoming as we stepped in from the crisp Autumn darkness. All the design team from Pickle Design attended, eager to see John O'Carroll's new work alongside regular exhibitors to his gallery. The featured image in this post is called Damascus by Gareth Edwards, and is hung upstairs. His work in the lower gallery evokes the Camel Estuary, and the choice of media gives it the impression that it has formed from the boatyards and sands wonderfully. Simon Gaiger's sculpture draws on nautical mythology, especially memorable in the piece Charybdis, based on the spokes of a carriage wheel, and effortlessly conjuring images of the Greek sea monster.

Padstow Contemporary Art Gallery is opening its Autumn 2008 Exhibition next Saturday, the 18th October. It features work by Gareth Edwards, Simon Gaiger , and, of course, John O'Carroll , the resident artist and curator. John also has another exhibition running in Holland, Archaiologia, at Galerie Roger Katwijk . This is where, in a few weeks, he will be presenting his new book cataloguing his work from the last ten years. Padstow Contemporary Art Gallery is located in an atmospheric alleyway in the centre of the town, and is open from 11am to 5pm daily, and 11am to 1pm on Sunday. The image above is "Grey Wing" by Simon Gaiger.

There has been a boom in businesses offering cycle hire as more and more people look to healthy options for their holiday entertainment. Ski resorts push mountain biking as soon as the snow starts to trickle away in the swelling streams, and it is not just adrenaline sports fans that take the headlong trip any more. There is an ever increasing number of families looking for excitement in this way. There may not be mountains in the South West, but there are a great number of companies that provide bikes to travel over the largely untamed landscape. A lot of these are based on existing cycle trails such as Trail Bike Hire on the Camel Trail near Padstow, but some now delve into the moors with mountain bike leaders. Coupled with cycle hire, this is a very convenient way to edge out of our individual comfort zones. The very factor that puts many off cycling in South West, the hilly terrain, can be the most attractive reason to make the extra effort. Fitness is not the only concern, there ...