Although I own a car, the idea of driving over four hours to Cornwall felt like a nightmare. So, we opted for the train from London instead. We were invited to Hendra Holiday Park in Newquay, and I’m thrilled to share my review with you.
Let’s talk about the journey to Cornwall without a car. Using my family and friends railcard, I managed to reduce the fare for one adult and one child to £92.95. Considering we’ve traveled to Denmark for as little as £25 per person, it’s easy to see why many people prefer to visit abroad rather than the lovely parts of the UK.
We took a train from Paddington to Par, then another from Par to Quintrell Downs, the nearest station to Hendra. The entire journey took 4 hours and 50 minutes. Despite packing bags full of snacks, drinks, and entertainment, the trip still felt long and boring.
I’ve made a tiktok about this.
Upon arriving at Quintrell Downs, it seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere. With poor phone service, we walked to a nearby Premier Inn to get a taxi number. The receptionist was very kind and let me use their dedicated phone for taxis. However, when I called, I was told there would be a 30-minute wait, which I politely declined. Being used to Uber’s quick service in London, waiting that long for a taxi felt like forever. The receptionist informed us that Hendra was about a 20-minute walk away, so we decided to walk. If you have wheeled luggage, the journey isn’t too bad. In fact, I quite enjoyed the walk, which ended up taking around 25 minutes in total.
Once we arrived at Hendra, we headed to the reception to check in. Our caravan wasn’t ready yet, so we left our luggage at reception and explored the holiday park. We immediately found an arcade and spent about an hour playing 2p machines, basketball, and other games. After that, we went to the Terrace Bar for a bite to eat, where they offer typical food like fish and chips, burgers, and more.
Not long after, our caravan was ready, and we were super excited to check it out. It was just the two of us on the first day, with the rest of our family joining us the next day, so we had our pick of the rooms.
Our caravan featured a living room with sofas and a TV, a fully functional kitchen with a gas stove, fridge freezer, cutlery, pots, pans, microwave, and kettle, three bedrooms that could sleep six people, two toilets, and one shower. I would say our room was about 90% clean. There were some crumbs on the floor that I ended up sweeping up, but other than that, there were no issues with the room.
Our first day was the only rain-free day of our holiday, so we decided to take advantage of it and head to the beach. Cornwall is renowned for its beautiful beaches. We took bus 93 from outside the holiday park, which took around 25 minutes. If we had a car, the trip would have been even quicker. The bus fare was £1.50 for children and £2 for adults, with both card and cash accepted. While it’s possible to get around without a car, having one is definitely more convenient. Don’t expect the frequent service of London buses here, and be aware that they stop running at a certain time. We missed the last bus and ended up spending £10 on a taxi back to Hendra. We used 123 Taxis, which we found nearby the Aldi where we did our shopping.
One thing I will say is that the internet connection seems to be bad all around, not just at the holiday park. I could barely get any service in Newquay town centre, by the Quintrell Downs train station, and at the holiday park itself. I’m not sure if this is just an O2 issue. The park offers free Wi-Fi near the entertainment areas, and you can pay for Wi-Fi in your caravan. I had no intention of paying for Wi-Fi, but we had to when we were stuck in the caravan due to torrential rain. It was £15 for three days for unlimited devices, which I didn’t think was too bad.
The activities we did at Hendra
Oasis Pool
We checked out the Oasis Pool, which needs to be pre-booked and is chargeable. For more details, check out this part of their website.
Arcade
We found two arcades! Bring your cash, although they have machines where you can get change by tapping your card.
Playgrounds
There’s a huge ship-shaped playground for the older kids, along with a rock climbing wall. There’s also a smaller playground for the little ones.
Henry’s Play Loft
This indoor soft play area for kids under 10 was a lifesaver, especially since the weather wasn’t great.
Evening Entertainment
We did this on our last night. The younger kids enjoyed the entertainment, while my nephew checked out the arcade.
Things We Missed Because of the Weather
Outdoor Pool
It’s free and looks lovely, but the weather kept us away.
Mini Golf
I wish we did this on our first day, but we were super tired. The next two days were just too wet to check it out.
Land Train
We could’ve done this in any weather, but we missed it because it sets off quite early in the morning.
You can find the full list of activities here.
Cornwall Beaches
We went on our first day just to have a look. It was raining, so not exactly beach weather.
Food available at Hendra
Onsite Supermarket
You can buy groceries here and cook in your caravan. There’s also a Morrisons a short drive away, about a 25-minute walk from Hendra. There is also an Aldi and Asda in the town centre.
The Terrace Bar
We had lunch here on the first day, but it was so busy on the second day that we ended up using Deliveroo.
Fish and Chips and Pizza Restaurant
These didn’t open until 5 PM, which wasn’t ideal. Having a car would’ve been helpful to check out some town centre restaurants. We bought food from the fish and chips takeaway one evening and that was really nice. See their sample menu here.
The Journey Home
The journey home was longer than the journey there. We prebooked a taxi using the Go2Cab app, which cost £10 for the five of us back to Quintrell Downs. From there, we traveled from Par to Plymouth and then to London Paddington. Our train was delayed, so we’ll be able to claim some money back for that.
People say there’s no such thing as bad weather, but there absolutely is, and it’s rain! No one feels happy when they see grey clouds. We had a lovely holiday, but we would have enjoyed it even more with consistent sunshine. It would have been nice to spend more time outside and explore the many beautiful beaches in Cornwall. Next time we visit, we’ll probably go in August.
Hendra has previously been featured in The Sun’s £9.50 holiday promotion, so keep an eye out for the next one.
See more on our tiktok.
