2 Bay Retreat

St Merryn is an area is of outstanding natural beauty. The coastal paths, many owned by the National Trust, offer some spectacular coastal walks. The area is an ornithologists delight and photographers and artists alike will be captivated by some of the scenery.

The Local Slogan boasts ‘7 bays for 7 days’. These beaches are: Trevone, Harlyn, Constantine, Booby’s, Mother Ivey’s, Treyarnon, and Porthcothan. All of these bays and beaches are very clean and are among the finest within Cornwall, each one with its own outstanding attributes. From May to September lifeguards patrol most bays, making the water very safe for all the family.

Treyarnon Bay is Bay Retreats nearest beach, one of the most unspoilt beaches in North Cornwall! It has some spectacular walks along the coastal path, has a car park, public toilets with disabled access. There is a beach shop, with deckchair hire.

Constantine Bay is a large beach that sweeps around the coastline with golden sand, and is exceptionally popular with surfers. You’ll find secluded areas amongst the sand dunes and a complex of rock pools that children love to play in. The coastal path links Constantine with both Treyarnon and Booby’s

Booby's Bay is a beautiful isolated beach. It has fine golden sand and some rocky outcrops. There are some fantastic cliff walks including a collapsed sea cave called "Round Hole". The beach is quite isolated but is well worth a visit.

Harlyn Bay is around two thirds of a mile long and is made up of sand and pebbles. It has sand dunes and stunning cliffs and is home to the Harlyn surf school and the Harlyn Bay Inn and surf shop.

Porthcothan is a large sandy beach in a triangular shape. It is backed by cliffs and sand dunes and easily accessible.

Mother Ivey’s is a beautiful, isolated, rural beach, which is hidden away in a bay. This means that it doesn’t get so much attention from tourist so is well worth a visit.

Trevone is another breathtaking bay that offers lovely clean golden sand. It is great for its rock pools where you will find crabs, shrimps and small fish.

Cycling ‘The Camel Trail’
Cycle hire is available at Padstow or Wadebridge. There is 26 miles of scenic cycle path from Bodmin, through Wadebridge and onto Padstow. Cycle as much or as little as you’d like, stopping off for refreshments en route!

Surfing
Surfing – plenty of choice of great surfing beaches. Harlyn Bay, Treyarnon BAy and Constantine Bay have local surf schools where wet suits, boards, lessons and equipment can be hired. Watergate Bay offers the world famous O'Neill Surf Academy right on the beach overlooked by Jamie Oliver's '15 Cornwall' restaurant

Great places to eat and drink locally:
St Merryn
Prynns Seafood Restaurant
Farmers Arms (especially the weekend Carvery)
Cornish Arms (now taken over by Rick Stein)
Harlyn Bay
Waves Restaurant (at Harlyn Bay caravan & camping site)

Watergate Bay
Watergate Hotel
Watergate Bay Beach Hut
Jamie Oliver's '15 Cornwall' Restaurant

Padstow
Variety of award winning restaurants - the famous chef Rick Steins Seafood Restaurant, St. Petroc’s Bistro, Stein’s Café and No. Six as well as numerous ‘fish & chips’ to be sampled! For those who love shopping Padstow has an array of unusual shops - great for browsing!!

Golf
There are numerous golf courses nearby, Merlin, Lanhydrock, and the championship course at Trevose just 2 miles away.

Fishing
Padstow offers fishing trips of every description, as well as hire and tackle shops. Local fishing trips are also available; just visit the fishing shop to the rear of The Treyarnon Hotel

Extreme Sports
Watergate Bay has its own ‘Extreme Academy’. Great to try your hand at kite surfing, sand boarding, amongst others – or perhaps have an ‘Extreme Hot Chocolate’ at the beach café on a windy day and be entertained by the many sports enthusiasts there.