The staycation, the recession proof answer to the family holiday, people have started to run out of money, and the seaside is where everybody flocked to. People still do. I went on a trip with some friends to Cornwall. Cornwall is located on the far south west tip of England. It is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the UK and every summer millions of visitors pack up and take the open road to Cornwall. Many people decided to do the staycation because it is cheaper than the holiday abroad. I will be camping with 6 people and me. We will be staying near the popular seaside resort of Newquay. It is a haven for the young people (teenagers). Many of them flock to Newquay to soak up the sun, then get hammered in the evening thanks the the large amount of pubs and nightclubs. Firstly camping is the best way of doing it. Firstly it is cheaper than staying in a hotel, hence the reason that there are far too many campsites on the coast. It also supposedly brings the family together (but don't count on that!) Campsite usually charge for the week (4,7,14 days)and are usually good value. If you are going in a group it is great value. But please be aware that some campsites may get pissy if it is a group of boys. The sound of constantly drinking and causing havoc around the place is not appealing to the owners. You will have to ask nicely, but mixed groups usually work. I drove to Cornwall which is usually recommended. This is because you get the freedom of flexibility of going where you want, but be warned the prices of petrol prices are rubbish and if it is 1 or 2 people going then it is really not reccomended. It is worth driving to Cornwall if you live in the South West/ West Country/ South Coast/ London. Journey times do vary! My journey took 4 hours from Wiltshire, which is avarage including a stop in Exeter. Be aware that cornish roads are scary! The coastal roads near Newquay are especially scary! I think I have gained 10 years in aging thanks to those roads. But there are other ways of getting to cornwall. The train is a great way as it saves the stress of driving, If you book in advance you can get a deal and I do recommend you use thetrainline.com and have a railcard on you. You can save a lot especially when you book in advance. But the later you book it the more expensive it becomes, I know that if you went from London to Plymouth it can cost over 200.
Another method is by plane. Newquay has an airport which is served by quite a few airlines. The main ones include Jet2, Flybe, Ryanair, Air Southwest. The fares can be pretty good, the main destinations include London (LGW and LCY) Manchester, Bristol and Dublin.
Plymouth Airport is primarily served by Air Southwest which is useful for flights to London. The airport is also used as a stopover for Air Southwest which usually continues to Newquay. If you do use these methods you must be aware that some of the campsites are served by public transport but are irregular, infrequent and slow. It is better to stay put near your destination. I stayed in Porthcothan Bay which is 10 miles away from Newquay. The buses are every 2 hours!
Still, the holiday was brilliant, the beaches are amazing and it does make you appreciate what we have on our doorstep! As a short break it was seriously excellent! But to make you feel better Cornwall at one stage wanted to become their own republic, but still identify themselves as independant! So it does feel like you have gone abroad.
There is a wide range of beaches in Cornwall. The Atlantic coast is usually for surfers as the waves are very strong. The English Channel is usually much gentler. There is limited shopping opportunities in Cornwall, I noticed that Newquay only had one main supermarket (Morrisons) and I only saw a Tescos in Truro. Nothing else, but there are other main stores in the main towns/cities of Cornwall so please don't be put off by that but shopping for groceries will be a bit harder as you WILL have to travel to the shops!
So the staycation is it worth it?
Yes and no!
Yes because it is in some way cheap and no because you will need a car to get around. It can be stressful but at least you won't have deal with the stresses of language barriers, currency difference, and also strange food! It is worth it for a short escape to a different county!
