Porth
Porth is approximately 2 miles north of Newquay and is a seaside village and cove, with a large sheltered beach. It was formerly a small shipbuilding port and Trevelgue Head also known as Porth Island on the northern side of the beach is one of Cornwall’s finest ancient monuments. The site was a coastal settlement featuring an Iron Age promontory fort and 2 Bronze Age burrows, reached via a narrow footbridge. You will also find a blowhole at the end of the headland which can be seen at mid-tide. It has good transport links to Newquay and further up the north Cornish coast. It falls within the catchment area of Newquay for schools, the nearest being St Columb Minor Primary and Newquay Treviglas Secondary.
Mawgan Porth
Mawgan Porth can be found on the rugged North Cornish coast 4 miles north of Newquay and midway between Newquay and Padstow. A small village with a lovely beach, great for surfing or body-boarding and relaxing with the family exploring the rock pools and caves. There is also stunning scenery, numerous walks along the coastal path and inland, superb surfing beach, local pubs, restaurants, cafes and local shops. There are many activities in the local area, Merlin Golf course, pitch and putt, crazy golf, coarse, sea and trout fishing, go-kart racing, surf schools and ten-pin bowling. It has good transport links up and down the coast road. Mawgan Porth falls with the St Mawgan Primary catchment area and Newquay for secondary schools.
St Newlyn East
St Newlyn East is a village approximately 5 miles inland south of Newquay. It was named after the patron saint of the church, St Newlina. The church is in the centre of the village and originated in Norman times but the present building dates from the 14th and 15th centuries. St Newlyn East was home to the East Wheal Rose Mine which flooded in 1846 killing 39 miners and closed in 1881. The St Newlyn East pit can be found in the village, it was dug in memory of the mining disaster and was used by local preachers to preach sermons and for Cornish wrestling, it was renovated in recent years with the aid of lottery funding and the local community use it for village celebrations. St Newlyn East has a band room, home of St Newlyn East Brass Band. You’ll also find Trerice Manor nearby, owned by the National Trust it is a Tudor manor house about a mile from the village. The popular Lappa Valley Steam Railway is also on the outskirts of the village. Village amenities include a corner shop, public house and village primary school, with the secondary schools being in Newquay or Truro.
Perranporth
Perranporth is situated 8 miles from Newquay and was originally a tin mining village and is now a popular medium-sized family seaside resort with 3 miles of soft, sandy beach facing west onto Perran Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, popular for surfing, body-boarding and kite surfing. At the south end of the beach are cliffs with natural arches, stacks and tin-mining adits. To the north, you’ll find Penhale Sands, extensive sand dunes which reach nearly a mile inland and this is where you will find the very challenging Perranporth Golf Club. At the seafront Promenade Gardens, you can relax or hire a boat to row around the lake. On the road to St Agnes located at Cligga Head, on a plateau above the cliffs is Perranporth Airfield is a civil airfield. If you enjoy walking take a hike along the beautifully scenic coastal path between Holywell Bay and St Agnes. Perranporth’s surrounding countryside was an inspiration to Winston Graham when writing the Poldark novel. The main street of Perranporth has various pubs, restaurants, cafes and shops. Perranporth has a primary school with the secondary schools being in Newquay or Truro.
Holywell Bay
Holywell Bay is a small village located 6 miles west of Newquay and gets its name from a natural spring well, believed to have curative properties, parents would bring sick children and dip them in the well. There are two Holy Wells in the area but some doubt which one gave to village its name. Trevornick Valley Well can be found near the 18th tee on Holywell Bay Golf Course, whilst Holywell Cave is the right-hand side of the beach, where the eroded rocks give the appearance of steps reaching up to a font. Poldark filmed many of its beach scenes here. There is a car park a short walk from the beach with cafes and toilets, in Holywell Bay village you’ll find pubs and shops with a golf course and pitch n putt nearby. Cliffs encompass this rural beach and the iconic Gull Rocks which protrude out of the bay. The beach is owned and looked after by the National Trust who care and conserve the area, there is a large open bay with golden sand backed by dunes idea for surfing or bodyboarding, as it is exposed to large Atlantic swells. At low tide, you can explore the rock pools and the grotto-like Holywell Cave with its calcium deposits or paddle in the lazy river that crosses the beach. The nearest primary school is at Cubert and secondary schools can be found in Newquay or Truro.
St Mawgan
St Mawgan-in-Pydar is located 4 miles north of Newquay. A picturesque village nestled in the wooded Lanherne Valley with the River Menalhyl running through it. You will find many old and quaint buildings within the village. The Parish Church with its magnificent interior was built in the 12th and 13th centuries with the later addition of a bell tower containing 8 bells in the 15th century, in the graveyard you can find the stern of a rowing boat which is a memorial to men who drifted ashore frozen to death in 1846. The Convent of Lanherne was previously a manor house between the 13th and 18th centuries when it became a convent and has remained one ever since. Newquay Cornwall Airport is located at the top of the village and was originally part of RAF St Mawgan, which still operates adjacent to the airport as a training facility and serves as a base for Cornwall’s Air Ambulance Service. In the centre of the village is a green, a peaceful Japanese garden, a post office and shop with an adjoining tea room, local pub, craft and gift shop and antique shop. There is a primary school with the secondary school being in Newquay.
Mitchell
Mitchell is a village found in mid Cornwall on the A30 trunk road, 7 miles from the coastal town of Newquay. Within the village is a 16th century coaching inn now the Plume of Feathers pub and restaurant. A mile west of the village is Carland Cross where there are Iron Age burial mounds and flint arrow heads have been found in local fields. Nearby you’ll find the National Trust manor house of Trerice Manor and Lappa Valley Steam Railway. The nearest primary school is at St Newlyn East or Summercourt, with the secondary schools being at Newquay or Truro.
St Columb Major
Between Newquay and Wadebridge is the historic large village of St Columb Major (known locally as St Columb) located 6 miles east of Newquay. The village has some fine old houses, church, pubs, shops and other local amenities. The church of St Colomba has an impressive tower, inside you’ll find a large collection of brasses and a 17th century letter from King Charles I, thanking the Cornish people. Twice a year the town hosts “Cornish hurling” which is a medieval game, similar to Rugby Football where two teams hurl a silver ball between goals set 2 miles apart and is played on Shrove Tuesday and the Saturday 11 days later. You’ll find Castle-an-Dinas nearby which is an Iron Age hill fort. St Columb Major has a primary school, with the secondary schools being at Newquay or Wadebridge.
Crantock
Crantock is a quaint village 4 miles southwest of Newquay, with village green, church, traditional Cornish pubs, tea gardens, gift shops, convenience store and popular sandy beaches and dunes. In the centre of the village, you will find the village green, to one side a Round Garden, owned by the National Trust, a place to sit and enjoy the peace of this ancient place. Opposite the green is the Memorial Hall which was built to commemorate people who died in both World Wars and used for village events today. There are several picturesque cottages (many thatched) within the village including the Old Albion Inn which is around 400 years old and full of history, beneath one of the fireplaces is the entrance to an old smuggler’s tunnel which used to run under the village, both the main fireplaces within the inn also have pasty ovens! St Carantoc Church dates back to the 6th century, inside you will find an intricately carved wooden screen and to the rear are the village stocks. The gorgeous sandy beaches of Crantock and Porth Joke are both owned by the National Trust. Crantock Beach is a large sandy beach backed by steep dunes between the East and West Pentire Headlands with the River Gannel running alongside, very popular for swimming, snorkeling, surfing, body boarding, kayaking and paddle boarding. There are car parks with toilets and cafe. Porthjoke also known as Polly Joke is a more secluded beach nearby, located in a narrow cove between West Pentire and Kelsey Headlands, there are no facilities or toilets. There are spectacular walks from Crantock across West Pentire Headland toward Holywell Bay. The nearest primary school is at Cubert and the secondary school being at Newquay.
Cubert
Cubert is a quiet inland village, 5 miles southwest of Newquay. Within the village, there is a church, village shops, pubs and restaurants, it is within walking distance to Holywell Bay and Polly Joke beaches. The church, in the centre of the village, dates back to the 14th century, it is considered unusual as the spire and tower are more or less equal in height. Cubert is surrounded by farmland with ancient grazing rights onto Cubert Common, an area of sandy grassland popular for walkers, wildlife enthusiasts and horse riders, a Bronze Age barrow stands on the southern side of the common. Just outside the village centre you will find The Smugglers Den Inn, a 16th century thatched pub and restaurant. There are several hamlets within the parish such as Ellenglaze, Treveal and Tresean. The village has a primary school with the secondary school being in Newquay or Truro.
Quintrell Downs
Quintrell Downs is a growing village on the outskirts of Newquay. The centre of the village has four roads converging onto a roundabout, within this area, there is a village shop, several pubs and restaurants, a recreational area and a garage. Towards Trethiggey you will find a fantastic garden centre with a restaurant. There are excellent transport links including a railway station with unmanned level crossing, servicing the Atlantic Coast Line between Newquay to Par which then links onto the Penzance to London Paddington line. The village is named after the surrounding area of moorland and the Downs which was called the common and is situated south of the quaint Two Clomes Pub. The nearest schools are in Newquay, both primary and secondary.
Indian Queens, Fraddon and St Columb Road
The three small villages form one community, situated 7 miles from Newquay, just off the A30.
Indian Queens is a village, west of the Goss Moor and north of Fraddon. The A30 trunk road bypasses the village. Within the village there is a Victorian preaching pit, the amphitheatre was constructed out of a disused quarry, it comprises large stepped rings. Indian Queens is well known for its Silver Band. There are a few stories of how the village got its name, one of a Portuguese princess staying there on her journey to London, her appearance is said to have led the villagers to think she was an Indian queen. Alternatively, the name is thought to derive from Pocahontas, the daughter of the Native American chief and there is a road in the village called Pocahontas Crescent.
Fraddon is south of the linked villages of St Columb Road and Indian Queens, again the A30 bypasses the village, where you will find Kingsley Village with its shops, restaurants and petrol station. The Penhale Round, a restaurant located beside the A30 and named after a site of a prehistoric settlement dating back to Middle Bronze Age on which it is believed to have been built. South of the village you will find the settlement of Blue Anchor. The village pub, Blue Anchor Inn is renowned for being the first place the king’s messenger stayed on his journey to announce the victory of the Battle of Trafalgar.
St Columb Road is a village linked to Indian Queens and Fraddon. St Columb Road railway station is on the Atlantic Coast Branch Line between Newquay to Par which then links onto the Penzance to London Paddington line. Between them, the linked villages have several pubs, restaurants, shops and local amenities with good transport links. The primary school is at Indian Queens with the secondary schools being in Newquay.
Colan
A small hamlet approximately 5 miles east of Newquay. The Fir Hill Manor which forms part of the thousand acre Colan Woods Estate. Within Fir Hill Wood there was a small mining settlement worked for ochre and umber in the 19th century, today you can find several derelict buildings in the area. The village is also home of Colan Church built in the 13th century and named after its patron St Colanus. There are several walks around the church, woodland and country lanes surrounding Porth Reservoir on the Colan Estate. The nearest primary school can be found in Summercourt or Newquay and the secondary school at Newquay.
Summercourt
A mid Cornwall village approximate 6 miles southeast of Newquay. The village is centred on a crossroads between Newquay and St Austell, and the A30 now bypasses the village, giving it great transport links. Within the village, there is a pub, The London Inn, a convenience store and post office. On the outskirts of the village, you will find The Fox’s Revenge, a restaurant and pub at the nearby Carvynick Country Club. Summercourt is well known for its Fair held every September, it is the longest established fair in Cornwall. There is a Pre-school and primary school in the village with the secondary school being at Newquay or St Stephens.
Goonhavern
An inland village between Newquay, Perranporth and Truro, located 6 miles from Newquay and 2 miles from Perranporth. Originally Goonhavern was a mining village and there are old disused tin mines especially around Ventongimps and Wheal Frances. The village has a convenience store with post office, The New Inn pub, a snooker club, community hall and village park. Within the family run Goonhavern Garden Centre are various shops including pet and veg shops and The Bay Tree Restaurant. Goonhavern has a village primary school with the secondary schools being in Newquay or Truro.
St Eval
St Eval is a hamlet between Newquay and Padstow. Much of the village land was acquired to build an RAF Coastal Command Station (RAF St Eval) in 1938. The only remaining buildings being the Norman Church and Vicarage and Trevisker Farm. The village was taken over by the RAF during World War II, with the church tower being used as an observation post and navigation mark. In the church there is a beautiful stained glass window presented by the RAF to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the opening of RAF St Eval. The station closed in 1959 with the squadrons moving to nearby RAF St Mawgan. There is a prehistoric settlement on the site of the current Trevisker School and playground, they found evidence of a Bronze Age and Iron Age settlement. (The first Bronze Age site of its kind in the UK). Trevisker School is the nearest primary school with secondary schools being in Newquay or Wadebridge.
