Last year we were lucky enough to be holidaying in Newquay for Halloween and it was great to see so many attractions getting into the spirit of the event.
Newquay is a great base for exploring Cornwall as there are so many attractions on its doorstep and finding affordable accommodation is easy using Hotel Direct. It is a truly stunning Cornish town with award-winning beaches with probably some of the best surfing in the UK – although I am not sure I would want to brave it now the weather is turning on the chilly side.
We found something to do on every single day of our holiday and despite warnings that the weather was going to be awful those forecasts were wrong!
We picked the best day weather wise to visit Adrenalin Quarry and if you have tweens or teens then this is a must do! The Zip at Adrenalin Quarry is the UK’s Maddest zip wire at 490m long, 50m high and reaching speeds of 40mph with twin parallel wires crossing the flooded depths of the old quarry and sheer cliffs rise on either side it was perfect for my adrenalin loving boys!
Then there is the Giant Swing which is not for the faint hearted. The winch pulls you up slowly enough to realise that this is not a good idea before leaving your hovering in mid-air, then letting go launching you 160ft over the lake!
If you have a wide range of ages in your family, with some wanting adrenalin and others wanting something less frightening, then The Eden Project is for you. With the Skywire over the top of the biodomes to keep the adrenalin junkies happy, the venue is packed full of things to see and do. Our favourite area last year was making potions with their Room on the Broom exhibition and its is back for Halloween this year too – just make sure you do the lid up tightly otherwise you end up with a bag full of glitter!!
In Newquay itself is the Blue Reef Aquarium where the kids got to search for pumpkins and enjoy meeting some of the animals. This year they have a storms and shipwrecks theme which explores the myths and legends of the sea. Newquay Zoo was another hot with the children and although it seems tiny at first, it is actually bigger than it looks. The best bit about the zoo is that your ticket is valid for 7 days, so if you get stuck for something to do, you can go back and visit free of charge!
The one place that did Halloween brilliantly for us was the Cornish Seal Sanctuary. The kids got to learn all about the seals that had been rescued locally and how they were made better before being released back out to sea. We had to walk through a spooky alley to get to see the sea lions, otters and penguins and the kids before being treated to a talk about rock pooling in the area and getting to meet some of the local marine wildlife.
Newquay is easily accessible by road, rail or plane and the perfect base for exploring all that the West Country has to offer.