Route Highlight
Newquay
We can’t hide the fact that Newquay is the biggest party town along the whole southwest660 route. Some will love the surf bars, crowds and music, others will immediately press the accelerator and head for quieter spots.
Nevertheless Newquay originally prospered thanks to its coastal geography. It has a series of amazing golden beaches. There are now surf schools and watersport hire centres everywhere to suit all ages and abilities. If you want to explore the various sandy coves, Fistral is surf central, Porth better for families, Lusty Glaze is the most sheltered and Crantock wilder and less developed.
But it’s not just about riding waves, Newquay has a good selection of shops, cafes and attractions too, including a small zoo, aquarium and the slightly out-of-place Trerice National Trust Elizabethan manor.
During your trip
Other Route Highlights
The Surf Beaches
From Gwithian Towans near Hayle to Constantine Bay near Padstow, this stretch of the Southwest660 offers an impressive sequence of big sandy beaches with big waves to match. That means there’s always plenty of space on vast sandy expanses like Porthtowan, Perranporth and Watergate beaches.
Hayle
Hayle is one of Cornwall’s surprise packages. It’s the opposite of Padstow’s culinary chic. Instead, this former industrial harbour town is a glimpse of the old Cornwall. It was a centre for smelting tin with its industrial relics forming part of the mining World Heritage site.
