Richard Rollon and his family find the long trek to Cornwall is well worth the hassle.
SETTING off at five in the morning with the prospect of a 340 mile car journey, isn't everyone's idea of a holiday. Add to that a car packed full of winter clothing, food to last a week and two fighting boys, with the youngest screaming "out, out, out!" after just 20 miles, is enough to make anyone switch off the alarm clock, role over and disappear back under the duvet.
However, seven hours later we took the right turn off the B3285 as we arrived at Haven Holidays' Perran Sands Holiday Park, Perranporth, In Cornwall.
The "All Action Park" has a choice of caravan and chalet accommodation. Ready erected super tents are also available.
Our top of the range two bedroomed Gold Olympic caravan entitled us to a "top priority" 1.30pm early check-in.
Gold caravans are 12 feet wide and are no older than three years old. Our modern, spacious, lounge was tastefully decorated in peach wall coverings with co-ordinating carpets and fabrics, top of the range fixtures and fittings, colour television and video.
Opposite the dining table was an open plan kitchen area, with gas oven, refrigerator, microwave, toaster and kettle.
The main bedroom had plenty of cupboards, a double bed, mirror and hair dryer. A nice feature of the room was the en suite style door to the bathroom. The smaller second bedroom had two single beds, ideal for the children, wardrobe and storage shelves. The bathroom was neatly planned, with a wash basin, WC and shower cubicle with integral seat.
With the blustery wind outside it was comforting to know that our caravan was equipped with a gas fire in the lounge and electric heating in the bedrooms and bathroom.
The park has a wealth of features and most facilities are included in the cost of the holiday.
There are indoor and outdoor heated pools, an all-weather multi sports court, mini golf, go karts, mini 10-pin-bowling, darts and pool tables.
There is a convenience store, which includes a bakery and off licence, gift shops, launderette and photo shop.
You won't find any award winning food, but there are plenty of places to eat, including The "Cafus Tam" family Restaurant, Pizza Takeaway, Tropicana Food Bar, Surfrider takeaway and Big Al's Fish and Chip Shop, where a portion of fish and chips cost us £3.30.
Evenings can be spent at the Oasis Family Club, Tropicana Entertainment Centre, Surfrider Cabaret Club (June 28 to Sept 9), Boulevard Saloon Bar and Strikes American Bar.
On previous trips to Haven my family and I have enjoyed a first class holiday experience, combining the parks' excellent entertainment and facilities with days out in some of Britain's favourite holiday locations.
And Perran Sands and Cornwall are no exception.
Perran Sands is located on a rugged, windswept, cliff top, nestled amid 500 acres of protected dune grassland, with fantastic views over the Atlantic ocean.
There is direct access to the golden sandy beach, but this involved a five minute hike via a very steep cliff pathway, which I would not recommend for people with walking difficulties.
During high tide, the cove's only access on foot is from the park.
There is no vehicle access, no cafes, no ice cream stalls and no toilet facilities. Just a marvellous golden sandy beach, great for building sand castles, as you watch those brave souls hardy enough to don a wetsuit on a chilly autumn day as they attempt to surf one of the breaking waves battering the dramatic coastline.
A 10 minute car drive south brings you to the small seaside town of Perranporth, with its shops, cafes, restaurants, pubs and take-aways. It is a popular holiday resort thanks to its three-mile stretch of golden beach. A century and a half ago, Perranporth was a tin mining area, with four seining stations (fishing-net with floats at the top and weights at the bottom for encircling), where the vast shoals of herring and pilchard were harvested.
To the West is Droskyn Point, the site of the Droskyn Mine and the striking Droskyn Sundial, constructed to mark the new Millennium. Off the Point is the Natural Arch, perhaps Perranporth's most famous landmark. Droskyn Point, on a sunny day, is a nice place to sit and watch the body boarders enjoy the waves.
Back at Perran Sands we were on the crest of a wave at the evening entertainment in the Oasis Family Club. There we joined in with the resident band Junction 21.
The true stars of the night time shows, which are a mixture of party dancing to holiday classics like Black Lace's Superman and Agadoo and cabaret performances, are the holiday makers themselves.
People like youngster Ryan Gibbs who had the audience in the palm of his hand with his rendition of Robbie Williams's Angels at the Junior Star Trail Competition.
It's great to see mums and dads enjoying a drink, with their children up dancing to the park's mascot Rory the Tiger.
Our children loved Rory and one of the highlights of their holiday was joining him and his friends Anxious the Elephant, Greedy the Gorilla and Bradley Bear (from Haven's sister company British Holidays) at Rory's Tea party where for £2.95 each they took part in fun and games and something to eat, followed by a photo opportunity.
Perran Sands has heated indoor and outdoor pools (when we visited in October the outdoor pool was closed). The indoor 25m long pool is accompanied by a smaller children's pool (but watch out for the dangerous sloping sides, there are warning signs, but both my wife and a few other bathers missed these and nearly slipped while gaining access to the pool). There is also a water flume.
Not too far away are two of the world's biggest conservatories, Eden. Here, two giant "Teletubby" style biomes (The Humid Biome Tropics Biome and The Warm Temperate Biome) have risen from the remains of a pit which was formerly used for China Clay extraction, in an area more than 60m deep and the size of 35 football pitches.
Eden, a living theatre of plants and people, is now the UK's most popular tourist attraction (two million visitors so far).
It aims to highlight and educate visitors about our dependency on plant life. Eden is a place where every plant tells a story and you will find it to the east of St Austell, signposted from the A30, A390 and A391. Entrance cost us £9.80 for adults, with under fives free.
On the subject of man's dependency on plants, a great day out is to be had at the Cornish Cyder Farm, a 10 minute car journey from Perran Sands, on the A3075 at Penhallow, Truro.
For £5 (adults) and £3 (children six to 16) visitors can take a
guided tour of the working farm where they produce more than 40 varieties of fruit products. The tractor ride takes you around the farm's 20 acre orchard where they grow six different varieties of apples.
Back at the farm the tour shows the bottling, pressing and fermenting processes, how they make their fruit preserves in the jam kitchen and a visit to see the farming memorabilia in the museum. For visitors not wishing to take the tour entry to the farm is free.
Another of Cornwall's great free attractions is Land's End -- but it will cost £3 to park your car. Land's End is just 34 miles from Perran Sands.
The place is so remote we passed a building which read "Builder, Decorator and Funeral Director" before driving past "The Last Inn in England".
We watched as people from far and wide queued to have their photos taken (at £6 per photo for a postcard sized print) beside the famous sign.
Land's End is much more than just scenic views, though. There are bars, restaurants, gift shops, outdoor play areas, a miniature mining village and a trawler and lifeboat to explore.
Worth a visit on your return leg, is the picturesque harbour at St Ives. Home to "The Tate", its narrow back streets include numerous artists galleries and gift shops. The beaches are clean and there are lots of restaurants, bars and cafes.
Meanwhile, back at the park, Haven has clubs for all ages (not child-minding facilities) to help entertain the children. These other clubs are Rory and Bradley's Fun Time for five to seven-year-olds, Tiger Club for eight to 11s, and T-Co for 12 to 16 plus, where one of the activities includes youngsters learning to make their own movie!
Perran Sands and Cornwall are a great holiday destination. The only downside of the whole holiday was the daunting trip back up the the busy M5/M6 with two screaming kids!
A two bedroomed Gold Olympic caravan which sleeps four will cost between £385 and £916 for a full week (Saturday to Saturday) at Perran Sands in 2003, depending on the season.
GETTING THERE
Perran Sands Holiday Park, Perranporth, Cornwall, TR6 0AQ. Tel: 01872 573551.
Head South to the M6, join the M5 and from Exeter take the A30 through Devon and Cornwall. One mile beyond the Wind Farm roundabout, turn right onto the B3285 towards Perranporth and the park is on your right before you go down the hill into Perranporth.
The 2003 season sees a host of new attractions and facilities at Perran Sands:
New outdoor pool terrace, New SubSea Explorer, New Aqua Jet Racer, New Seal Team, New Rory and Bradley's Learn2Swim, New Rory and Bradley's Fun time for fives to sevens. New Tiger TV, New David Bellamy's Park Rangers, New StarTime, New Big Laugh Show, New No. 1 Chart Busters Show, New PopStar Talent Competition, New Capones Interactive Show, New BWF Wresting and New Rory and Bradley's Krazy Kapers
USEFUL INFO
www.edenproject.com (Tel: 01726 811911)
www.thecornishcyderfarm.com (Tel: 01872 573356)
www.landsend-landmark.co.uk (Tel: 0870 458 0099)
To book contact 0870 242 2222 or see your local ABTA travel agent.
Telephone the park direct. 01872 573551.
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