Ayr Holiday Park

If it’s not in St Ives, it’ll be nearby: walk into town and catch a bus to many of Cornwall’s top attractions such as the Eden Project, Mousehole village with its safe sheltered beach, and glorious Marazion and National Trust-managed island St Michael’s Mount. Naturally artists will fancy a trip to Tate St Ives first: it has 70,000 works of art by 3000 artists and currently holds Britain’s national collection of art. Newlyn, another arty area, set up the Newlyn School artists’ colony in the nineteenth century and now has several art galleries to amble around at. To see the best of the Newlyn artists’ work, potter along to Penlee House in nearby Penzance, which holds the biggest collection. Pirately Penzance, less than seven miles from the holiday park and Cornwall’s most westerly town, is just another of dozens of nearby spots worth spending a day at whatever your tastes; if historical, go underground at Poldark tin mine, the only complete underground mine in Cornwall; if watery, take a dip at the Jubilee Pool, one of the UK’s oldest lido; and if sandy, the aforementioned Mousehole and Marazion to bask at. Sticking strictly close to home will fill all your holiday days more than nicely, whether you prefer sunbathing on the sand or plunging into/onto the water. Porthmeor and Porthminster, both within half a mile of Ayr Holiday Park, are top for watersports: standard surfing and kayaking are the order of the day here, but you can also try some stand-up paddleboarding, kitesurfing, diving and water skiing. Other beaches abounding in this area include Penwith and Porthkidney Sands, nicely solitary towards its dune end; the surf of Praa Sands and the three-mile length of sand at Hayle; throw your bucket and spade into the car boot and see where you end up. The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Flambards theme park and Newquay Zoo are just a few other Cornish highlights reachable by car before the kids say they’re bored; one of the best things about Cornwall, we think…