We arrived at The Fistral Beach Hotel just as the daylight was starting to fade.

It is always rather exciting opening a hotel room and finding what is inside! It turned out to be rather luxurious…

The balcony overlooked Fistral Beach, which is very famous for surfing competitions. The geography of the bay creates ideal conditions for waves suitable to surf on.

I had a quick rest on the very comfy bed before giving my fur a brush and getting ready for dinner.

We ate in the Bay Bar, and I found the butternut squash parpadelle to be delicious.

The following day was a bit damp so I put on my yellow coat and set off to explore. On the way to the beach we saw a school of dolphins in the bay. Unfortunately my humans don’t have cameras that could capture the sight, but it was wonderful to see.

Once on the beach I had a walk about, but quickly found my wellingtons are not ideal in pools of water. The problem is that they float because I am not heavy enough to weight them down as a small human would. This made it likely that I would lift up and fall over so I had to tread very carefully.

It wasn’t long before I came across a group of cool dudes off to the sea with their surf boards. They were very happy to be photographed with me, though I did fall on my face prior to this photo being taken, so on close examination you may see sand on my snout!

I climbed up onto some rocks to sit and watch the waves and the birds.

We decided to walk up to Pentire Head to see if any more dolphins could be seen, but they had gone somewhere else.

The Gannel Estuary is on the southern side of Pentire Head, and as the tide was out it was possible to walk along it.

We went right across to the other side on this boardwalk before returning again.

Once back at the hotel after a little nap and brush up of the fur it was pizza time! I will confess I didn’t eat it all but shared it with my humans.

After a good night’s sleep it was time for more food.  I had avocado on toast with an egg for starters, followed by chocolate croissant and fruit.

After making a picnic we set off to Watergate Bay on the bus.   Here I am looking like a cool dude on the beach at the start of a walk along the coast back to Fistral Bay.

On the cliff above Watergate Bay, I had to remove my cap to prevent it being blown away.

We eventually reached Porth where an island is accessed by a little bridge.

There are great views of Newquay from Porth Island.

After leaving the island we crossed the sandy beach.

I stopped for a while to read about Porth’s history. In the past lots of industry happened around the beach; if you zoom in you might be able to read the sign.

After walking past houses and other humans development we arrived at steps leading to Lusty Glaze Beach.  There are many many steps going down to the beach.

The sun was low in the sky (as this was January) and nearly gone from the beach. The beach was very quiet, which is an advantage of visiting in winter.

I had a stroll about…

….and found lots of mussels in the rocks.

I put my special mat onto some rocks and settled down to eat lunch.

I moved my special mat onto the sand for a very quick nap. It’s not usually good to lie in the sun, but on a cold January day the rays are not strong, and the gentle warmth feels lovely on the fur.

There wasn’t time to stop for long as the tide was about to come in, and to avoid going up those steps, we walked along the shore back to Newquay Towan Beach.

There is an interesting house built on top of a very small island with a bridge leading to it on Towan Beach; my human can remember it being there when she was a little girl holidaying in Newquay.

We left the beach then walked on through the harbour, only possible due to the low tide.

There are surfers everywhere around Newquay; behind me, through the gap in the harbour wall, you might be able to spot some!

After a bit more walking on footpaths, then across a golf course, we were finally back at Fistral Beach.

At this point, my little legs were very tired indeed, so I climbed back into the bear carrier (I had been in and out of it for the whole journey!).

After a rest and tidy up, it was dinner time, and I opted for fish and chips, but I didn’t expect such a huge piece of fish! I ate over half of it, then was helped out by a human. Humans do seem to have a large capacity for food.

An early night was required after such a busy two days…

Before checking out of the hotel I had a full English Breakfast, which was very yummy indeed.

I think the seaside is wonderful in January; the beaches are quiet, and there is a peaceful atmosphere, but it is full of anticipation for the coming spring. The only downside is that it does get dark rather early.

I am very happy that I was able to go to Newquay.

Horace the Alresford Bear 20/1/2025