If you’re looking for a lakeside yurt holiday or luxury lodge escape in Cornwall packed full of activities on both land and water, then look no further. Here at Pengelly you’ll find great walking and cycling on your doorstep – as long as you don’t mind a few hills that is! There’s also an excellent horse riding school up the road. And for the water babies, then book yourself a surf lesson at one of our local beaches, take part in a coastal kayak adventure on the Lizard or closer to home, grab your swim stuff and go jump in the lake!
Land Lovers
Whether you are enjoying a romantic getaway with a couple’s retreat or are indulging in an overdue solo holiday in our lakeside Cornish yurt and log cabin, you will have plenty of opportunities to get out and about and enjoy this wonderful part of the UK. Afterall, there’s nothing quite like exploring the beautiful Cornish countryside on two feet, two wheels – or even four hooves!
Walking
An idyllic country retreat near Hayle and St Ives in West Cornwall, we’ve got some excellent walking on our doorstep with footpaths either side of Pengelly Retreat and Crenver Grove at Clowance Woods a 25 minute walk up the lanes. And that’s not to mention the strolling and exploring around the 5 private acres of land we have here at Pengelly itself.
For a proper leg-stretch then walk across from Pengelly to the National Trust’s Godolphin Estate, about a 45 minute’s walk. Once you arrive you can continue onwards up Godolphin Hill for stunning views of the surrounding countryside and coasts beyond. See the National Trust website for details of the hill walk: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/godolphin/trails/godolphin-hill-walk
A short drive away, we love the walk from Helston, through the Penrose Estate to Porthleven and back: a walk that takes in beautiful woodlands, wild coastline and some of our favourite cafes! There’s plenty of great walking (and cycling) at Penrose, with trails clearly marked on this map: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/penrose/documents/penrose-trails-map.pdf
And of course there’s the South-West coast path which runs the length of Cornwall’s coastline. We’re not saying you have to walk the whole thing! But being located centrally between both north and south means you can take your pick from a whole range of beautiful coast walks. Take a look at their website and filter down by interest to choose your perfect walk: www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk/walk-coast-path/days-out/
Cycling
Cornwall’s lanes are a real mecca for cyclists and you can see why with beautiful scenery and miles of cycling trails to choose from. Bikes can be hired from Hayle Cycles in Hayle or Lands End Cycles in Longrock. There are plenty of tempting routes to choose from but be warned if you are cycling from Pengelly there’s a couple of hills to negotiate!
Penrose Estate, just 10 minute’s drive away, is perfect for a traffic-free, off-road cycle ride. Some of the paths here are smooth tarmac and some of them are a little more bumpy but all surrounded by some lovely scenery. There are ancient woods, a scenic inland lake and coast path to explore here.
For those looking for a longer bike ride then why not try the Mineral Tramway Trails which criss-cross over the county offering a range of on and off road trails, encompassing some of Cornwall’s most significant reminders of its rich mining past. You can link into the Porthreath to Devoran 11 mile trail which connects North to South Coast or explore the countryside trails to the south of Cambourne. For a map and more information have a look at the leaflet: www.cornish-mining.org.uk/sites/default/file/Mineral_Tramways_Mining_Trails.pdf
Horse Riding
We are lucky to have an excellent horse riding centre just 15 minutes’ up the road at Wheal Buller Riding School. They offer horse riding excursions and lessons for all ages (from 4 years up) and abilities. Depending on availability and your level you can choose from beach rides at Gwithian or a stunning half-day or full-day hack across the countryside. Booking in advance is definitely recommended to ensure availability for the dates you need. www.cornishridingholidays.co.uk/
Water babies
If water’s your element, then our lakeside accommodation at Pengelly is perfect for you with our wild lake literally outside your front door. And if you are craving some surf action, then we are just 15 minutes from excellent surf beaches on both north and south coasts. So grab your surf or body board and hit the beach! For those who want to improve their skills then book a surfing lesson or two with one of the local surf schools. Or try your hand at kayaking on a wildlife-spotting kayak excursion.
Surfing
We are lucky with our location here that we have our pick of 3 fantastic surf beaches, all within 15 minutes’ drive of our lakeside luxury yurt and wood cabin. Gwithian and Godrevy Beaches on the north coast offer fantastic surfing – Gwithian is also known as a premier kite-surfing beach. While on the south coast, lovely Praa Sands is another stunner. All three have huge sweeps of golden sands so there’s room for all, even in the height of summer.
There’s nothing quite like the exhilaration of plunging into the waves here, even if it’s just for a splash with a body board. We can provide body boards for you to borrow from Pengelly, but please leave them for the next guests to enjoy when you leave!
And if you want to hone your ‘proper’ surf skills then there are surf schools at all three beaches. So book yourself a lesson for the ultimate surf training:
Praa
www.globalboarders.com/praa-sands-surf-school/
Gwithian
www.surfacademy.co.uk/
www.globalboarders.com/gwithian-surf-school/
Godrevy
www.shoresurf.com/
The beach car parks (everywhere in Cornwall!) can get very full, especially in the summer. The sea is magnificent here, but the currents can be dangerous, so when surfing or swimming always follow the lifeguards’ instructions and stay between the designated flags.
Kayaking
Kayaking is a great way to get out on the water and explore some of Cornwall’s gorgeous river estuaries and magnificent coastline.
We’ve been on a sea kayaking excursion from Cadgwith Cove (about 30 minute’s drive from Pengelly) with Lizard Adventure. They cater for all abilities and can provide all the equipment you need, plus single or dual kayaks. They run kayak trips in Hayle on the estuary or from Cadgwith/Mullion on the Lizard Peninsular and work in partnership with the National Trust. They can also offer coasteering, paddle boarding and survival skills training. www.lizardadventure.co.uk
The Helford River is another wonderful place to explore by kayak, the scenery is absolutely stunning here with beautiful woodland on either side of the river and estuary. Try Koru Kayaking who run tours for all abilities in this beautiful part of the world. www.korukayaking.co.uk
Upon your return to your little slice of lakeside Cornwall heaven, you can relax on the deck of the Boat House log cabin or dog-friendly Sail House yurt or take a different spot by the lake and watch the sunset throw shades of rust, iron and gold on the water’s surface, drink in hand and smile on face.
