West Cornwall

Toms Holidays is situated at Riviere Towans, on the edge of the town of Hayle. Hayle is a very popular centre for self-catering and boasts a magnificent three miles of golden sands stretching around St Ives Bay to Godrevy Lighthouse. The towering undulating sand dunes form an impressive backdrop. This expanse of splendid beach is excellent for swimming, surfing and sun bathing and there are a number of shallow pools for children to play, and the deeper water provides many excellent sites for diving. The Towans provide a perfect location for family holidays and is renowned for having the best holiday bungalows in Cornwall. In the evening, as the sun sets over St Ives Bay, the beach is transformed into the ideal venue for an evening stroll or a walk in the dunes.

Hayle town, (Heyl is Cornish for "Estuary"), still a working port and harbour, is a busy and developing tourism centre. It has an impressive industrial history being synonymous with mining related industries such as tin and copper smelting. Harveys foundry once employed over 1000 men and exported beam engines all over the world.

Hayle is an excellent location from which to explore and discover the delights of West Cornwall. Within a 20 mile radius -

• Rugged Penwith

  Lands End is the most westerly part of the English mainland and can be reached easily from Hayle, either by the direct route of continuing down the A30 or by taking the more interesting B3306, which takes in views of the Atlantic Ocean over the granite cliffs, and passes through the villages of Zennor, Pendeen and St Just. Stop off at Zennor for the museum or visit the church and discover the story of the Mermaid of Zennor. It's a short walk down the footpath to the headland. At Pendeen take a short detour to the lighthouse and try to imagine living by the side of the foghorn! A little further on will bring you to the Geevor Mine Heritage site and the cliff top engine houses of Botallack, now looked after by the National Trust. The next town is St Just, which still retains the feel of its mining heritage. Cape Cornwall is worth a visit, or perhaps a game of Golf! The St Just airfield offers scenic flights or trips to The Isles of Scilly.

  We now rejoin the A30 to continue to Lands End from where we can see the Isles of Scilly. Just about a mile out to sea is The Longships Lighthouse, whilst about 6 miles to the Southwest is Wolf Rock lighthouse.

• South Penwith

  The South coast offers a more mellow environment and Mediterranean climate with sub tropical plants, and several gardens that are worth a visit. Marazion is the stopping off point for St Michael's Mount, administered by the National Trust. There are several ferries that operate to the Mount or at low tide you can walk across the causeway, for spectacular views of Mounts Bay and across to Penzance. Penzance itself is a lively town where you could easily spend a day visiting the many shops, walking the promenade or visiting the various museums and art galleries. A little further along the coast takes us to Newlyn, a busy fishing harbour, and once the home of the Newlyn School of artists. There are many old and interesting pubs and a museum of fishing.

  A few miles further on brings us to Mousehole (Mowzel) a classic Cornish fishing village. Find out about Tom Bawcock and "Mouser" or try and find some Starry Gazey pie. If you're nearby at Christmas time, the lights are well worth a visit.

  For the more athletic there is a coastal path, for walking holidays or cycling breaks, between Marazion and Mousehole, which is level from Marazion to Newlyn, with a slight climb out of Newlyn towards Mousehole.

  Further along the coast we will find the Minack Theatre cut into the cliff above Porthcurno Cove and the Porthcurno Museum of Telegraphy.

• St Ives

  St Ives Cornwall is the most visited town in the South West and sits across the bay from Toms Holidays. Consequently parking can be a problem in the height of the summer. However the town is well served by a park and ride system, operating from Lelant Saltings station and taking one of the most picturesque railway journeys in the country right into the centre of town. From the station you can wander the old streets, visit the many restaurants and coffee shops or just laze on one of the beaches. The Tate Gallery St Ives houses many works by prominent St Ives School artists as well as pottery by Leach and Hamada. Entry to Barbara Hepworth's studio and garden is included with entry to the Tate - so if you fancy a painting holiday in Cornwall, this is the place to start!

• South East Cornwall

  Travel southeast from Hayle and you come to Helston and the Lizard Peninsula. Helston is that "quaint old Cornish Town", famous for Flora day. It was also the birthplace of Bob Fitzsimmons, world champion boxer and Henry Trengrouse, inventor of the Bosuns Chair. Helston is an ancient Stannary town and worth a visit. As you head out towards the Lizard you will pass The Flambards Experience, the largest theme park in Cornwall, and the Royal Naval Air Station at Culdrose. There are many places to explore on the Lizard from fishing villages like Coverack, Mullion and Porthallow, coves like Gunwalloe and Kynance, and of course the most southerly point of mainland UK, Lizard point. In Lizard village there are examples of the stone workers art using the local green serpentine. This is also a good place to sample a pasty! Helford river is a sailing mecca, and at the top of the creek you will find the village of Gweek and the National Seal Sanctuary.

• Truro

  The only city in Cornwall, Truro is the ideal shopping centre with household names as well as many small specialist boutiques. Elegant and charming, Truro's picture postcard image is further enhanced by its magnificent Cathedral spires reaching up from the heart of the city. These spires have given their name to the annual Three Spires International Arts Festival that takes place in the city around late May. The cobbled streets and alleyways are a stage for colourful and entertaining street performers and the city's parks host a season of free daytime entertainment such as the ever popular 'Jazz in the Park' festival. The city has many cafés, restaurants and bistros to appeal to every taste and visitors can soak up the local history at the Royal Cornwall Museum. For a relaxing afternoon, why not take a stroll along riverside walk and watch the boats cruising the river. Or why not even jump on board and take a picturesque trip down to Falmouth and the coast.

• Cornish Surfing Holidays

  Toms holidays is a good place to base yourself for Cornish surfing holidays. The beaches adjacent to our site offer good north coast surfing conditions but many of our surfing guests choose to sample a selection of the best surfing beaches during their stay as Toms Holidays’ holiday chalets and bungalows offer excellent links to some of the best known surfing locations in the area.

  To the north, Porthtowan, Perranporth and Newquay (fistral) beaches are well known popular surfing locations that make the most of the north coast conditions. A very short distance to the south, is Porthmeor beach, one of the three St Ives beaches, is popular with surfers too, operating lifeguard patrols and with its own surf school.

  Occasionally, conditions will be better on the south coast then on the north. From Hayle it is a short drive down to praa sands which is one of the better beaches for south coast surfing. Cornish surfing Holidays with Toms Holidays offer the full range of conditions and beaches all within convenient travelling distance.

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