Miles upon miles of cracking beaches for sandcastle building and surfing are all around Bude: Crooklets and Summerleaze are closest within a mile of the park, but others like Widemouth Bay, Northcott Mouth, Sandymouth Bay and Duckpool are all musts as well. Surfboard and wetsuit hire is in Bude, along with four surf schools. All is seriously scenic on land too: appreciate it at its best with coast and countryside walks along the South West Coast Path or the miles of public footpaths for dog and human walks, or by a ramble around Bude Marshes or one of the several nature reserves of north Cornwall. Also easy to find around Bude are three golf clubs, five riding schools (a trot on the beach?), two leisure centres and activity centres for clay pigeon shooting, climbing, kayaking and archery. Or travel a little further afield for Cornwall's most topping attractions like the Eden Project near St Austell, the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay and the Crealy Great Amusement Park at Wadebridge. Over the border in north Devon, have a day trip to the rather fab RHS Rosemoor Gardens in Great Torrington, and another two trips taking the kids to the Milky Way theme park and award-winning The Big Sheep, both at Bideford.