RSS
The Great Western Railway — affectionately known as “God’s Wonderful Railway” — first opened up Cornwall to mass tourism in the 1860s. That was when Newquay, the region’s ever-morphing beach town, was considered among the poshest places to visit in England’s southwestern peninsula, and where Londoners wore silk socks. Last week, First Great Western (a two-year-old private rail company) introduced the Night Riviera Sleeper from London Paddington to Penzance (30 miles from Newquay). Along with Lufthansa starting to serve Newquay this summer (the third international carrier to do so), the rail service underscores Newquay’s place as Europe’s premier surfing destination.
The Night Riviera Sleeper is less about speed (eight hours and fifteen minutes) than it is about style: think air-conditioned sleeper cars (in Britain, that’s a luxury) with interiors by the folks who tricked out the Eurostar. An overwhelming legion of passengers are likely to be those seeking Newquay’s battered shores for the perfect point break — young, affluent surfers who have helped make the watersport among the fastest growing leisure activities in the UK (it’s now worth $140 million to the Cornish economy alone).
The de facto epicenter of Cornwall’s new, sophisticated surf scene is the Extreme Academy at Watergate Bay, near Newquay. Billed as “a ski resort on a beach,” the complex has grown from a beach-hut shop to include a café, 15 luxury guestrooms and an outpost of Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant. Tilted perfectly toward the restless North Atlantic, the vast, sweeping beaches here are home to Britain’s first center for kitesurfing (among other sports) and some 3,500 surf students a year. This summer, Watergate Bay hosts Aussie-style surf-boat races (July 12), as well as the UK’s second ever polo tournament on a beach (September 9) — the first was held here last year.
read more: 02. Sleep | 03. Spa | 07. Beach | 08. Journey | 09. Active | resort | train | watersport
