⛺ Weather at the campsite
📰 Cornwall right now
Good to know: the Penzance meet-up day with our friends is flexible — we'll pick the best day by weather. Zoo, castle and theatre tickets are already booked (thanks Techla! 🎉). And remember — our car takes all 7 of us (4 adults + 3 kids), so any bus day can become a car day if that's easier on the morning.
Today
Day 1
Perranporth Beach & town
Monday 17 August
🚗 Nottingham → camp ~5½–6 h
🚶 Then walk everywhere
🩱 Swim gear!
💰 Mostly free
- Check in (ref 31138, pay £201.60 balance), pitch the tents, then walk into Perranporth
- Swimming, paddling, sandcastles, rock pools & beach games
- Explore Perranporth town
- Picnic, fish & chips or ice cream
- Back to the campsite and relax
🎒 Bring: swim stuff & towels, buckets & spades, suncream. Sea is ~16–17° in August — wetsuits are gold for the kids if you have them.
⏰ Suggested timings
07:00Leave Nottingham — ~300 miles, 5½–6 h plus stops
10:30Leg-stretch & snack stop on the M5 (Gloucester or Exeter services)
~12:30Big food shop at Aldi Bodmin — right off the A30 (also uses up the no-arrivals-before-midday wait)
~13:30Arrive Tollgate Farm — check in (our ref 31138, Techla & Bob's 31139), pay our £201.60 balance
14:00Pitch the tents — all hands on deck, allow ~1½ h ⛺
16:00Walk into Perranporth (20–25 min) — first beach session!
18:00Fish & chips (Pickwicks) or The Green Parrot
19:30Stroll back to camp, first night under canvas ⛺
⚠️ Pitch is ours from midday — the site has no waiting area, so do NOT arrive before 12:00. 13:30 gives comfortable slack. Watch for Tollgate Farm's arrival-info email (sent ~5 days before we travel).
💷 Budget eats: The Green Parrot (Wetherspoons, St George's Hill) is the cheapest sit-down family meal of the whole trip — and it's walkable! Or Pickwicks chippy, and pasties & ice cream at Ice and Bites.
🧭 Getting there & back
📍 Places — tap to open Google Maps
Today
Day 2
St Agnes, Wheal Coates & Chapel Porth
Tuesday 18 August
🚌 Bus 87 + walking
🩱 Swim gear!
💰 Bus fare + food
- Catch the 87 bus from Perran Sands Entrance towards St Agnes
- Explore St Agnes village
- Walk to Wheal Coates — the old tin-mine buildings on the cliffs (free!)
- Continue to Chapel Porth if everyone's happy walking
- Picnic with the coastal views
🎒 Bring: proper walking shoes, swim stuff for Chapel Porth, picnic & water bottles, windproof layer for the cliffs.
⏰ Suggested timings
09:45Walk to Perran Sands Entrance bus stop (5–10 min)
~10:00Bus 87 towards St Agnes (short hop)
10:30Explore the village — pasties from St Agnes Bakery
11:30Walk to Wheal Coates (~30 min, cliff paths)
13:00Picnic at the mine ruins, on to Chapel Porth if legs allow
15:00Hedgehog ice cream + beach at Chapel Porth
~16:30Bus 87 back to camp
Check live bus 87 times on the timetable link above — roughly hourly.
⛰️ Wheal Coates is about a 30-min walk from St Agnes village — some steep, uneven paths, so good shoes on!
💷 Bus for all 7 (4 adults + 3 kids) ≈ £25–35 return — driving is likely cheaper: park at the National Trust Chapel Porth car park (paid, free for NT members) and walk the cliffs the other way round.
🥟 Budget eats: pasties from St Agnes Bakery (baking since 1905), the famous hedgehog ice cream at Chapel Porth Beach Café, or a good-value lunch at The Taphouse.
🧭 Getting there & back
🧭Route from camp🚌 Bus 87 there & back›
🚗Or drive — all 7 fit!Park at Chapel Porth, walk to Wheal Coates›
📍 Places — tap to open Google Maps
Today
Day 3
Newquay Zoo & beaches
Wednesday 19 August
- Bus 87 from Perran Sands Entrance straight to Newquay
- Morning at Newquay Zoo — take our time looking around
- Lunch or picnic
- Explore Newquay town & harbour
- Afternoon at Towan Beach or Fistral Beach
- Ice cream / fish & chips before the bus home
🎒 Bring: swim stuff & towels, suncream, picnic (or grab it at Aldi by Towan Beach).
⏰ Suggested timings
09:40Walk to Perran Sands Entrance bus stop
09:50Bus 87 to Newquay
10:44Arrive Newquay bus station — 15-min walk to the zoo
11:00Newquay Zoo (tickets are date-only, any time works)
13:30Lunch — picnic or The Towan Blystra
14:30Town & harbour stroll
15:30Towan or Fistral Beach + ice cream
~17:15Bus 87 home (check the board — roughly hourly)
The 09:50 departure is from the current timetable — reconfirm the night before.
🚌 Example: 09:50 from Perran Sands Entrance → 10:44 Newquay Bus Station (~55 min). Buses roughly hourly. Bus for all 7 ≈ £25–35 return; driving is cheaper but August parking in Newquay is a faff — bus wins if the timetable suits.
💷 Budget lunch: The Towan Blystra (Wetherspoons) near the bus station — kids' meals and cheap mains.
🧭 Getting there & back
📍 Places — tap to open Google Maps
Today
Day 4
Carbis Bay & St Ives
Thursday 20 August
🚌 Bus + 🚆 train + walking
🩱 Swim gear!
💰 Transport + food
- Public transport towards St Ives — our train & coast day
- Time at Carbis Bay
- Coastal walk towards St Ives if everyone's happy
- Explore St Ives Harbour
- Porthminster or Porthmeor Beach
- Wander the little streets — pasties & ice cream
🎒 Bring: swim stuff & towels, comfy shoes for the lanes, seagull-proof grip on your pasty 🐦.
⏰ Suggested timings
09:15Drive to St Erth station (~40 min), park & ride
10:00Branch-line train — 14 scenic minutes to St Ives
10:20Carbis Bay beach (or hop off at Carbis Bay station)
12:30Harbour: pasties from St Ives Bakery or Harbour Fish & Chips
14:00Porthminster or Porthmeor Beach + the little lanes
~17:30Train back to St Erth, drive home
Trains run every ~30 min — no stress if one is missed.
🚆 Best of both with the car: drive to St Erth station (park & ride), then the little coastal branch train into St Ives — the ride is gorgeous and it skips St Ives' nightmare August parking completely. Train stops at Carbis Bay too.
💷 Budget food: Harbour Fish & Chips takeaway eaten on the harbour wall, or pasties under ~£3 from St Ives Bakery; the Sloop Inn is a decent-value pub right on the harbour.
🧭 Getting there & back
🧭Route from camp🚌+🚆 Bus & train there & back›
🚗Or drive — all 7 fit!🚗 Drive to St Erth, 🚆 train to St Ives›
📍 Places — tap to open Google Maps
Today
Day 5
Tintagel Castle ⚔️
Friday 21 August
- Drive to Tintagel early — our big castle adventure day
- Explore Tintagel Castle and the footbridge
- Cliffs & viewpoints (hold little hands!)
- Down to Tintagel Haven
- If the tide is right — explore around Merlin's Cave 🧙
- Picnic or eat in Tintagel village
🎒 Bring: sturdy shoes (LOTS of steps), light jackets — the headland is breezy even in August, water & picnic, coins/card for parking.
⏰ Suggested timings
09:30Leave camp — drive to Tintagel (~1 h)
10:30Park in the village (Visitor Centre ~60p/h)
10:45Walk the 600 m to the castle entrance
11:00Castle entry slot — ref 3SM290PB
13:00Pasty lunch in the village
14:30Tintagel Haven & Merlin's Cave (tide permitting)
16:30Drive back, dinner at camp
The 11:00 slot is booked — build in buffer, August traffic on the A39 is slow. For Merlin's Cave, check the tide times — the cave is only reachable around low tide.
🕙 Our entry slot is 11:00 (ref 3SM290PB) — castle open 10am–5pm. Village car parks are ~600 m from the entrance, and there are lots of steps and steep bits — allow plenty of time with the kids.
🅿️ Cheapest parking: the Visitor Centre car park (~60p/hour) or the Cornwall Council long-stay (~£3 for 2–4 h, ~£4.20 all day, free after 4pm). Grab pasties in the village for a cheap lunch.
🧭 Getting there & back
📍 Places — tap to open Google Maps
Today
Day 6 · ⭐ Grand finale
Minack Theatre & Porthcurno
Saturday 22 August
⏰ Entry 11:00 — leave 09:30
🩱 Swim gear!
✓ Theatre & garden booked
🎟️ Tickets
👨👩👧👦 Meeting friends
- Drive early to Porthcurno
- Visit the Minack Theatre & gardens — our slot is 11:00 (theatre-and-garden visit, not a show)
- Explore the auditorium — spectacular views over the sea
- See the exhibition on how Rowena Cade built the theatre
- Lunch or picnic
- Walk down to Porthcurno Beach for the afternoon
- Meet the other family at the Minack or on the beach
- Back to Tollgate Farm for our final evening 🌅
🎒 Bring: swim stuff for the beach, sun hats — the theatre terraces have zero shade, picnic & beach games for the afternoon.
⏰ Suggested timings
09:30Leave camp — drive to Porthcurno (~1 h 10)
10:45Park at the Minack (free for theatre visitors)
11:00Theatre & gardens slot — pass AEQHLAHA
13:00Lunch — picnic or the Minack café
14:00Down to Porthcurno Beach — meet the others 👋
17:30Optional: early dinner at the Logan Rock Inn, Treen
19:00Back to Tollgate Farm for the last evening 🌅
The 11:00 slot is booked — it's the longest drive of the week, leave on time!
🅿️ The Minack's own car park is free while we visit the theatre. For the beach afternoon: Porthcurno Beach car park (~£4.80 for 2–4 h) — or park at Treen (£2 for 2 h, £4 all day) and walk over.
🍽️ Budget dinner idea: The Logan Rock Inn in Treen — 16th-century pub, home-cooked food, right by the Treen car park.
🧭 Getting there & back
📍 Places — tap to open Google Maps
Today
Day 7
Pack up & home 🏠
Sunday 23 August
🚗 Camp → Nottingham ~5½–6 h
- Big camp breakfast, tents down (kids on sleeping-bag duty!)
- One last look at the sea 🌊
- Drive home with plenty of stops
⏰ Suggested timings
08:00Big camp breakfast
08:30Take the tents down & pack the car (~1½ h — dew dries as you go)
10:30Checkout deadline — must be off the pitch by 10:30
13:30Lunch stop on the M5
~17:00Home in Nottingham — washing machine on 😄
10:30 checkout is the site's rule, not a suggestion — start packing by 08:30. Sunday traffic home is usually kinder than Saturday.
🧭 Getting home
🎟️ Our tickets
Tickets are private — enter the family code to see, download or add them. (Ask in the family group if you don't have it 😊)
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🎟️ Tickets & costs
| 🦁 Newquay Zoo | £116.37 |
| 🎭 Minack Theatre & Gardens | £68.00 |
| 🏰 Tintagel Castle | £66.92 |
| Total (both families) | £251.29 |
| Per family | £125.65 |
All three paid attractions were booked together by Techla (Blue Light Card + family ticket savings applied 💪). Each family owes £125.65. Everything else on the trip is free apart from bus fares, parking and food.
⛺ Campsite booking
Tollgate Farm, Mon 17 → Sun 23 Aug (6 nights), two pitches booked together: ours ref 31138 (tent 4×6, £336.00 total) and Techla & Bob's ref 31139. Deposit £134.40 paid — £201.60 to pay on arrival at check-in. Consecutive bookings, so the pitches should be side by side. Pitch available from midday (no early arrivals — there's no waiting area); checkout by 10:30 on the Sunday.
💡 Money-saving notes
- Bus days: adult singles are capped (~£3); for 4 adults + 3 kids reckon roughly £25–35 return in total — check kids' fares with the driver, and compare with just driving (our car takes all 7)
- St Ives: park at St Erth and take the branch train — cheaper and calmer than St Ives parking
- Tintagel: Visitor Centre car park ~60p/h; council car park free after 4pm
- Minack car park is free during our theatre visit
- Cheap supermarkets: Aldi Bodmin (Tollgate Rd, off the A30 — arrival-day big shop) and in Newquay Aldi (Cliff Rd, by Towan Beach) + Lidl (Treloggan Rd) — ~20 min from camp for mid-week top-ups
- Cheap eats: Wetherspoons in Perranporth (The Green Parrot — walkable from camp!) and Newquay (The Towan Blystra), pasty bakeries everywhere, picnics from the Perranporth supermarkets
- Saturday: park at Treen (£2/2 h) instead of Porthcurno (£4.80) and dinner at the Logan Rock Inn next door
✅ Before we go
- Zoo tickets booked
- Tintagel Castle tickets booked (Friday)
- Minack Theatre & Garden visit booked
- Transfer £125.65 to Techla
- Pay Tollgate Farm balance £201.60 at check-in (ref 31138)
- Check email for Tollgate Farm's arrival & pitch-location info (sent ~5 days before arrival — should be around now!)
- Confirm Penzance day with friends (flexible — pick by weather)
- Check the Met Office forecast before beach days
- Pack: tents & camp kit, beach gear, walking shoes, picnic bits, suncream ☀️