Padstow's public image took a bit of a knock last summer. Its rowdy neighbour, Rock, just across the Camel estuary made a bit of noise in the media - even finding airtime on Channel Four news - as the centre of public school holiday fall-out. The seasonal SW1 influx had the press refferring to it as Sloane-on-Sea.
So when Charlotte, my 15-year-old sister, suggested that I take her to Polzeath for a weekend so that she can learn to surf, I tried to put her off. But then I saw the trip as a challenge. Could you still enjoy the place without encountering the rowdies? Could you stray from the beaten coastal path?
The first challenge was to find a place to stay and it had to be a campsite, because Charlotte insisted. Most campsites have caught on to the fact that certain groups of young people can be, well, young people out for a good time. The hoarding outside one didn't mince its words: "Families only and the odd couple looking for a quiet site! No singles. No groups. No multiples of couples!"
The owners of Trewiston Farm and Caravan Park were a little more liberal - they just didn't want rowdies. They also, cleverly, took the sting out of camping by providing a full English breakfast or bacon sandwich on request at the farmhouse, and doubled as a B&B in case you were suffering canvas fatigue. It was a peaceful spot surrounded by green fields, with great amenities (hot showers and washing machines) but no sea view. If you strained, you could just about hear the crashing waves, though.
Putting the tent up, Charlotte tried to explain the difference between Ayia Napa and Ibiza music. But I nipped such youthful talk in the bud and insisted on a short walk to St Enodoc's Church, a sunken church with a cock-eyed spire. It is also at a healthy remove from the bad boys of Rock; and is the final resting place of Sir John Betjeman. Other graveyard curios included the first firewoman to die in service and a first world war headstone for "a seaman of the Great War known unto God" who had been washed ashore. It wasn't the last hint we had that weekend of the power of the sea. The churchyard had a fine view out over the Camel estuary.
But Charlotte had her eye on the headland and suggested we took the coastal path on to Polzeath - perhaps she was secretly hoping to run into Prince William or Harry, said to be regulars in these parts in the summer months. The path turned out to be more of a coastal A road, but the track on the other side of Polzeath, which takes you to the further headland, was more challenging and less trodden. It takes you up to a fantastic view out over jagged cliffs and, if you have the stamina and time, you can walk all the way to the small fishing village of Port Isaac.
We had neither. Charlotte wanted to get back to kit herself out in beach chic. Next to the hip surf-wear shops in Polzeath were streetvendors offering henna tatoos, hair wraps, friendship bracelets - it was more Goa than Cornwall. Charlotte had her surfing class and I had a go, too. But what I really wanted to do was just play in the waves. Trouble was, Polzeath was too popular. Packed. Mind you, it was August. So a secondary excursion to the other side of the estuary in search of some deserted beach seemed a good move.
You can rent bikes in Padstow and cycle inland up a disused railway line all the way to Bodmin, which is a good ride. But you can also head out of Padstow the other way to the beaches down the coast. You have to cycle up and down hills and along narrow country roads, but the beaches are worth it since they are a less populated. We bypassed Mother Ivey's, making instead for Booby's Bay. The wreck of a German U-Boat lies under the beach and is sometimes uncovered by the tide, with its iron ribs poking through the sand. It was a grim reminder of the power of sea, now gloriously benign and whacking great fun with white-water waves which we body surfed until we were too cold to carry on.
Back to Polzeath for some carbo-heavy, but super tasty fish and chips eaten at sunset on the beach and then on for a drink at the Doom Bar - named after the treacherous bank of sand just out from Polzeath that has wrecked so many ships. It's a bit of a surfers' hang out, but families and locals go there, too.
By the second day, we felt a need to check out the Stein phenomenon in Padstow so decided to have supper at the Rick Stein Café, less posh than The Seafood Restaurant. The food is all spice and exotica: Thai fish cakes, grilled cod with chilli broth and coriander, deep fried fish in a tortilla. It was tasty and we stuffed ourselves.
From there, we went on to Port Isaac, where there are plenty of fresh fish restaurants, including the Wheelhouse whose menu stayed with the seductively simple (seabass fillet with coriander, whole dover sole grilled with butter) and, a fantastic fishmongers - open six days a week -at the edge of the harbour.
North Cornwall has an indestructible charm - depite the braying hordes - and its shoreline is a bit like the sea that rolls on to it - if you sail on a slightly different course, you can avoid the rocks, delve deeper and find something unexpected and rewarding. Oh, and learn how to surf.
Way to go in Cornwall
Getting there: You need a car: hire from Beech Motors in St Austel (01726 74743), where a Ford Fiesta costs £66.98 for three days inc VAT and insurance. Tregoning in Wadebridge (01208 73331) charges £90. Train, from Paddington to Bodmin Parkway costs £49 with a supersaver (not valid on Friday) or £60.20 for a saver ticket. National rail enquiries: 08457 484950. First Great Western's best kept secret: going by Motorail to Penzance. The cost of the driver with the car as a return fare is £69. All other passengers travel at 50% of the walk-on fares. Booking line: 08457 000125, internet booking service: www.thetrainline.com or www.traindirect.co.uk..
Staying there: The Trewiston Farm and Caravan Park (01208 863205) charges £7 for a tent. Other family campsites include: Tristram (01208 862215, e-mail: tristramcp@aol.com) and South Winds (01208 863267), both near Polzeath. For B&Bs and hotels, phone tourist information in Padstow: 01841 533 449; Wadebridge: 01208 813 725; or Bodmin: 01208 76616
Things to do: You can hire bikes from Padstow Cycle Hire (01841 533533) to take on the Camel trail. Booking is essential. Daily rates (9am-5pm) are about £6. Sailing and windsurfing in Rock: A two-hour windsurfing session at the Camel School of Seamanship (01208 862881) costs £24. Two hours' tuition in a 16ft dinghy is £34, or you can hire one for £16 an hour. Surfing: Surf's Up! Surf School at Polzeath Beach (01208 862 003, e-mail: surfsup@saqnet.co.uk) £15 for 2 hours or £28 for a full day including wetsuit and board hire.
