Category: Festive

Shoreside inspired drinks

Christmas cocktail nights, seasonal hosting, or settling down with a warming drink over ice on a dark evening, add some coastal flavours and inspiration to your glass…

House seaweed bitters for umami notes, gin that could only have been made in St Ives or an oakwood and sea rosemary, alcohol-free, take on an after-work classic. What will it be?

Only in St Ives

St Ives Gin came into existence around six years ago in a restaurant looking out to St Ives harbour, says Tim at St Ives Liquor Company (Silco): “Considering the amount of G&Ts we sold and the fact we made everything else ourselves it made sense to make our own alcohol.”

Thinking about staying in St Ives? Have a look at our luxury St Ives holiday properties.

Image credit: Silco St Ives Gin restaurant

What started with a locally-sourced and made gin has expanded to nine drinks: other gins, liqueurs and ready-to-drink cocktails are now on the menu at Eat Silco.

Image credit: Silco St Ives Gin

“From day one, we’ve foraged for botanicals from the surrounding area. No air miles, sustainable, and, so, competitively priced,” explains Tim.

The west Cornwall coastal stars of the show at Silco are bladderwrack seaweed and the shoreline plant samphire. “Their minerality and salinity really balance drinks nicely,” says Tim.

“We have always used gorse in our drinks; we find the slightly bitter coconut flavour works so well in cordials and infusions. We also use seaweed to add an additional umami note.”

Spritz sans-alcohol

Days spent in the north Cornwall surf as instructor and evenings at work in London bars led Alistair Frost and Ed Grieg-Gran to create Pentire, a maker of non-alcoholic spirits, aperitifs and cocktails founded on botanical flavours native to the Cornish coast.

And Pentire has just released its own sea-influenced take on an after-work classic, originating from Italy: the spritz. Like other Pentire drinks, this one has been “crafted in collaboration with some of the world’s best bartenders, who share our love for the outdoors,” says Alistair.

Image credit: Pentire Coastal Spritz

The Pentire Coastal Spritz aims for a balance of natural bitter flavours and refreshing coastal tones, taking the company’s signature coastal blend and combining it with tastes of blood orange, sea rosemary and oakwood.

The core flavours in Pentire drinks came together during experiments in a kitchen in Port Isaac, after Alistair’s discovery – with the help of a botanist – of 1000 different plant species growing along just one Cornish headland.

“It’s a naturally bitter and refreshing aperitif,” says Alistair.

Discover the best places to eat and drink by the sea, exploring coastal dining spots that offer delicious cuisine and breathtaking views in Cornwall.

Foraged cocktails

At Tom Thumb cocktail bar in Newquay the drinks menu is currently all about the RNLI with a selection of sea-themed spirits ready to mix. These reach further along the coastline to the Channel Islands, including Salcombe Island Street Rum and a Tidal Rum from Jersey.

 Image credit: Jamie Mitchell, Tom Thumb

The ingredients that go with the spirits though come from much closer to the bar. “We always forage for local ingredients,” says Jamie. “We are blessed to have many naturally occurring products to use along the coast. We have always used gorse in our drinks; we find the slightly bitter coconut flavour works so well in cordials and infusions.

“We also use seaweed to add an additional umami note. The added saline from seaweed also brings underlying notes and can add another element to the drink almost as if its seasoning the drink for us.”

On the current lifeboat-themed menu is The Oggin (an old maritime word for the sea). “We infuse gorse and cacao nibs through a pear cognac, and add a number of other ingredients all bought together by our house seaweed bitters,” says Jamie.

Another drink on the menu takes its name from an active member of the Newquay RNLI. The Dangerous Bri is a cherry-flavoured carbonated Negroni, made with Tidal Rum and a kelp seaweed dilution.

A measure of coastal plant-infused spritz with soda, something stronger with seaweed bitters or the fresh taste of the sea with tonic, just some of the shoreside inspired drinks produced and mixed around Cornwall. Why not add a splash of coastal wonder to your drinks line-up this festive season.

Fancy staying in a holiday retreat with a hot tub? Check out our cottages with a hot tub for a relaxing getaway.

Festive Nights at Watergate Bay

From 1 December, Watergate Bay is lighting up with a festive spirit. From new shorefront dining experiences, wreath making, Champagne tasting, live music and a dozen Christmas trees each telling a different story, discover the advent of Festive Nights on the beach this December. Here’s what’s on at Watergate Bay this Christmas.

Find your retreat by the bay

Find out why December is the best time to visit Cornwall and some of our favourite winter retreats.

Twelve Trees of Christmas

Pearly oyster shells and bee-friendly flower seed packets, beach-found Lego bricks and hand-tied botanical decorations – this year the iconic Christmas trees around Watergate Bay will do more than just look beautiful; they’ll be telling stories too. Twelve Trees of Christmas draws on twelve different friends, partners, suppliers and team members, each will decorate a tree in their own unique way. Expect sustainable, organic displays from Emily at 3 Acre Blooms; recycled, repurposed decorations from Beach Guardian; botanical aromas from land and water, and coffee card baubles from Origin Coffee Roasters.

If you’re staying in the area, be sure to wait until dusk and experience the trees as they light up by the ocean.

Craft workshops

Through December Watergate Bay Hotel is hosting a full calendar of winter events to spark that Christmas feeling, including hands-on wreath making, monoprinting and calligraphy workshops. Feel festive whilst crafting a perfect gift to take home to a loved one- book your session here.

Want to stay in Newquay? Have a look at our luxury holiday properties in Newquay.

Zacry’s on the sea wall

From the start of December, the popular modern dining hub of Zacry’s is moving to the seafront position down on the sea wall, directly overlooking the tidelines of Watergate Bay. Tuck into a seasonally changing three-course menu, bringing the best of Cornish sea, sky and field to the table. If you’re staying with us in the area this winter, be sure to book your table.

Curry Fridays at The Beach Hut

Warming spices and local hero ingredients, head to The Beach Hut for their new Curry Fridays. Every Friday through November and December they’ll be cooking up authentic Indian feasts, with lively Bengali curries, and all of the extras; lemon turmeric rice, warm chapati, spiced carrot pickle, onion bhaji and quince ‘mango’ chutney.

Book your retreat by the bay and experience the seasonal magic of North Cornwall

Discover more about the area around Newquay and Padstow, and find out about Morwenstow, the often-forgotten area of Cornwall.

Celebrate by the sea

Create new family traditions and truly memorable festive moments. Coastal celebration brings the awe-inspiring and restorative power of the sea to your Christmas and NYE…

Find out why New Year is the best time to visit Cornwall and some of our holiday retreats to stay in for the New Year.

Winter might mean wet weather, temperatures that bite and short, dark days, but that doesn’t mean you need to steer clear of the seaside.

In fact, a coastal festive break might be just what’s needed to break out of the yearly cycle of heaving crowds in shopping centres, the last-minute panic buying, the relentless sounds of devices come to Boxing Day and wondering how to make December 31st special.

“An afternoon on a beach you have all to yourselves, before climbing into an outdoor hot tub back at your retreat as the sun sets.”

Image credit: Mia Rumble

Create your klys

The Cornish word for cosy or snug, klys can loosely be equated with the Danish concept of hygge – a way of life that embraces cosiness, warmth and good times with friends and family, with the help of scented candles, cashmere socks, twinkling fairy lights and anything else that says cosy to you.

“Think rugged coastal walks, cliff views and the ocean stretching out before you, ending in a warm and welcoming 12th century pub with delicious local food and drink.”

Where klys differs, is the role the beautiful Cornish wilderness has to play. Immerse yourself in the raw elements of our winters outside, before heading indoors to warm your soul in front of a log fire and a hot cup of cocoa.

Think rugged coastal walks, cliff views and the ocean stretching out before you, ending in a warm and welcoming 12th century pub with delicious local food and drink.

Or an afternoon on a beach you have all to yourselves, before climbing into an outdoor hot tub back at your retreat as the sun sets.

Celebratory splash

It might seem ridiculous – or completely insane – to plunge into freezing water when the mercury is dropping rapidly outside, but the effects of cold water are well known. Chief among them, that natural high thanks to the heady rush of chemicals, endorphins and hormones circulating around your body, lifting your mood, making you feel alive. Really alive.

Image credit: Mia Rumble

That cold rush surrounded by Cornwall’s varied and beautiful coastal landscapes is an unrivalled feeling.

Local favourite locations include Christmas day gatherings in Sennen Cove, Porthtowan beach and Coverack harbour on The Lizard, where you’ll be joined by other brave souls.

Don’t stay in too long, be aware of how you’re feeling and prepared – with warm clothes at the ready for when you get out. For cold water novices, check out the Outdoor Swimming Society and RNLI guidance.

Auld Lang Syne to a new scene

From assembling, hand-in-hand on a deserted beach at midnight to usher in the new year to gathering round a fire with the sound of the sea in the distance, the ocean is an epic backdrop for special celebrations.

Image credit: Mia Rumble

It’s a time of high drama at sea, with waves crashing into harbour walls and barracking monumental cliffs. Sealife of the most epic proportions can also be spotted in winter months, so keep those eyes peeled for fin or humpback whales cresting the surf.

“Think celebratory evenings filled with talk, laughter, insight and meaningful connection.”

Make a visit to some of the most impressive vantage points we have, like Cape Cornwall – exposed to the full might of the Atlantic and part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site.

Or share warming refreshment and celebrations at your retreat, while drinking in the expansive sea views – so you get the best of both worlds.

Deep connections

It’s Christmas Day afternoon or post New Years’ Day lunch. You’ve eaten too much, you’ve drunk too much, and now you’re slumped on the sofa in front of the TV surrounded by your family and friends. No-one’s really talking to each other. Sound familiar?

What if, you swapped the TV for a crackling fire with a sea view or candle-lit coffee table? Like staring at the sea or the stars, flickering flames are mesmerising and elemental. And in the winter months, they can be a source of warmth, literally and figuratively.

Think celebratory evenings filled with talk, laughter, insight and meaningful connection. Play cards or be more profound: explore your family’s or friends’ deeper selves: what are their private joys, fears, regrets and hopes? What do they wish they could do in a utopia and why? Celebrating by the sea could turn out to be more surprising than you expect.

Discover fresh perspectives and exciting ideas for the new year!

Gather and celebrate on the beach or find just the place to huddle up for the festive season.

New Year in Cornwall

Wondering what to do on New Year’s Eve in Cornwall? Welcome in the New Year with a bracing sea dip, don fancy dress and party on the streets of St Ives, or watch harbourside fireworks reflect into moonlit seas.

Here are some of our favourite ways to bring in the New Year in Cornwall.

Find out why New Year is the best time to visit Cornwall and some of our holiday retreats to stay in for the New Year.

Dress up for a street party, St Ives

This idyllic Cornish fishing village hosts one of the UK’s most famous New Year’s Eve parties, which sees crowds come from far and wide to hit the streets in fancy dress. Spectacular costumes and vibrant parades floods onto the beach and harbour, where food stands serve up festive treats. Listen for the chime of the bells at midnight, when fireworks fizz and pop over the ocean, bringing in another year in style.

Thinking about staying in St Ives? Have a look at our luxury St Ives holiday properties.

harbour beach st ives

Watch fireworks over Newquay Harbour

Another seaside town that hosts an almighty New Year’s Eve party, the highlight of New Year’s Eve in Newquay is the spectacular fireworks display over the harbour and ocean at midnight. Make your way through streets packed with party goers in fancy dress, squeeze into local taverns or book a table at a sea-view restaurant, and make your way down to the harbour for the countdown to the incoming year.

Have a New Year’s day sea swim, Bude

Blast away the cobwebs and embrace the New Year with an invigorating dip in the ocean. The craze of shedding your wetsuit and leaping into the icy waves has become a New Year’s Day tradition across Cornwall. Join in the icy experience at Crooklet’s Beach in Bude, or head to Summerleaze tidal pool for a more sheltered dip.

Want a relaxing holiday in Cornwall? Check out our favourite spas and saunas for a truly relaxing getaway

Dine by the sea

Fancy food, fine wine and starlit seas. Book a table at a restaurant with a sea view and dine beside the waves. If you’re not big on partying, this is the perfect way to see in the New Year in style, without the headache the next morning.

Enjoy a beach walk

A New Year’s break in Cornwall isn’t all about revelry. Welcome in the New Year at a more relaxing pace, with a stroll along the beach or the South West Coast Path, enjoying the eye-popping scenery as the sea breeze brings a glow to your cheeks. We recommend the 2-mile walk from Watergate Bay to Mawgan Porth, hugging the cliff-tops and keeping your eyes peeled for seabirds and seals at the pristine Beacon Cove along the way.

Book your New Year retreat and welcome in 2024 by the shoreline.

5 retreats for Christmas

The scent of pine needles, wood fires and sea salt. Christmas lights glinting from harbour waters. The chorus of waves from outside your window. Christmas spent by the coast invites you to step away from the busyness of this festive period and reconnect with the senses, making time to cherish loved ones, good food and relaxation. Because after all, that’s what Christmas is about.

Looking to celebrate the festive season, coastal style? Here’s our pick of five winter retreats with availability this Christmas.

Fancy staying in a holiday retreat with a log burner? Check out our cottages with a log burner for a cosy getaway.

Ellenglaze, sleeps 10, Holywell Bay

The ultimate decadent, glamorous retreat for anyone wanting to celebrate in style. Ellenglaze, a beautiful Grade II listed farmhouse tucked away in acres of land near Holywell Bay. Inside, you’ll find a heated swimming pool and a hot tub with a movie projector – we can’t think of a better way to watch a Christmas film. You can also keep cosy with the Aga and large fireplace, perfect for festive evenings.

Gwynver Beach Cottage, sleeps 10, Sennen Cove

Beach chic meets elegance at Gwynver Beach Cottage, a stunning retreat with almost instant access to one of the most beautiful stretches of West Cornwall coastline. Here, the little ones can play in the glass-walled garden room, with views of the ocean, as you relax with a newspaper. Plus, the chance to spot dolphins on Christmas Day from Sennen Cove is not to be missed.

Check out our other Sennen holiday properties from Beach Retreats.

Gwel Teg, sleeps 12, Porth

Ideal for a large family looking for a North Coast escape, Gwel Teg is just moments from Porth beach, meaning Christmas morning walks await. Stride all the way along the South West Coast Path to Watergate Bay, where you can enjoy a seasonal feast or warming hot choc with all the toppings.

Inside, Gwel Teg is stylish and modern, featuring a games room and hot tub, ideal for hosting a large family get-together.

Swell, sleeps 8, Falmouth

Spend Christmas on the South Coast at Swell, a modern and light filled family retreat seconds from Swanpool beach in Falmouth. Here, you’re close to Falmouth’s array of restaurants and bars, but far enough away to enjoy the peace and seclusion of Swanpool beach. There’s also a great coastal walk from here to Maenporth beach.

Seamist, sleeps 16, Watergate Bay

Our largest retreat, Seamist, sleeps 16 just a few minutes from the Watergate Bay shoreline. Here, there’s plenty of room for a multi-generational family to dine, watch Christmas films, unwrap presents and make memories by the coast.

Read our blog to find out more about what Watergate Bay, Newquay has to offer at Christmas, especially at night.

Stay by the sea this Christmas, with selected retreats offering up to 15% off and open for short breaks of 4 nights or more. 

New traditions

As the festive season approaches, create new traditions by the coast on a Christmas holiday in Cornwall. From Christmas morning sea dips to boxing day drinks at your favourite sea-view pub, spending Christmas in a different landscape means creating new festive rituals to return to year on year.

Add that little extra magic to your stay and form lasting memories with these new coastal traditions you could try.

Visiting with a large group? Discover our large holiday homes perfect for big families or friend groups.

Christmas morning sea swim

This one is local tradition: every year you’ll see Cornish folk (many with santa hats on) running into icy waters on Christmas morning.

Start the day with a dash of exhilaration and dip in the closest sea to your retreat. Then, return back to your retreat, light the fire and get cosy as you unwrap presents with your loved ones.

Discover Perranporth and check out our holiday lets in Perranporth.

Christmas drinks

On Christmas afternoon, swap the living room for a seafront pub and raise a glass to coastal wonder. There’s sure to be a lively festive atmosphere, and heading out for a drink is a great way to fight the post-lunch slump whilst taking in some of Cornwall’s incredible views.

Experience the magic of the season and discover festive nights at Watergate Bay.

Christmas Day coastal walk

Another way to wake yourself up after your festive feast is to refresh with a Christmas Day walk along the South West Coast Path. Rather than nodding off in front of the TV after one too many pigs-in-blankets, get the kids togged up and set off in search of sea vistas.

Beach scavenger hunt

A tradition that the little ones especially will enjoy. Set out on a Christmas treasure hunt along the shoreline, investigating what’s been washed in by the tide. Keep what you find as a Christmas memento, or search for a pretty shell or interesting rock to give to one another. It’s a great way to appreciate nature’s wonder and make gift giving about small acts of love.

Stargazing on Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, trade the twinkling indoor lights for the celestial wonders above. Wrap up warm and take a blanket on the beach (or your balcony), gaze at the starlit sky, and share stories beneath the cosmic canopy. It’s a quiet and magical prelude to the days of celebration ahead.

Seafood dinner

Sure, seafood isn’t typically included in traditional Christmas cuisine, but if you’re spending the season in Cornwall, why not sample some of the delightful local produce which the fishermen bring in every day?

Dine in an award-winning Cornish restaurant and make your festive stay extra special. Or, purchase some local fish and include a seafood recipe in your Christmas meal plan.

Image credit: Graham Gaunt photowork

Escape the ordinary and embrace coastal wonder this Christmas with Beach Retreats, creating new traditions by the coast. Book your Christmas stay.

National Trust at Christmas

Get into the festive spirit at the National Trust’s houses and exotic gardens, which transform every year into winter wonderlands. From holly-adorned great halls serving up mulled wine, woodland strewn with fairy lights, wreath making and Santa’s grotto, these Cornish heritage sites are the ultimate Christmas delight.

Fancy staying in a holiday retreat with a log burner? Check out our cottages with a log burner for a cosy getaway.

Here’s a run down of what’s on.

Find a festive retreat in Cornwall

Cotehele

Visit this atmospheric Tudor house with Medieval roots, with a mill on a historic quay, and a vast estate and garden to explore. This grand home, near Saltash, is a festive wonder, with a 60-foot garland in the Great Hall, festive lights along the stream and choir performances throughout the season.

See this year’s garland in all its glory from daily Saturday 18 November – Sunday 7 January, 10.30am-4pm. (Closed 25-26 December).

Trelissick

This lovely house and garden, set in an estate with maritime views and woodland walks, gets festive year on year. With Father Christmas in residency, mulled wine and spiced apple juice in the café, Christmas gifts in the shop and festive cheer in the stable yard, this is the perfect day out for all of the family. This year, pick up (or make) some Christmas gifts at the Christmas craft fair and festive weaving workshop.

Find Trelissick in Feock, near Truro, with Father Christmas around from 2 – 23 December.

Lanhydrock

Enjoy woodland magic and festive delight at Lanhydrock. This late Victorian country house features a countryside trail, Father Christmas’s woodland grotto and plenty of surrounding land for winter walks and bike rides. With frost-dusted trees and a festive cheer in the air, Lanhydrock makes for a perfect wintry visit. Open throughout the festive season.

Discover the essence of Cornish cosiness with Klysa, where every moment embraces the warmth and charm of this unique tradition.

Trerice

Trerice, near Newquay, is an Elizabethan manor house bursting with colourful plants by summer and a festive ambience by winter. This year, experience storytelling with Father Christmas, wreath making in the hayloft, and festive performances from the volunteer choir, the house and barn adorned with traditional decorations and festive cheer.

Father Christmas will be at Trerice on Saturday & Sunday 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17 and then daily between Monday 18 – Saturday 23 December.

Want to stay in Newquay? Have a look at our luxury holiday properties in Newquay.

Godolphin

Open throughout the festive season except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Godolphin hosts a range of Christmassy activities and events. From Christmas wreath making, craft sessions, candle and lip balm making, and a variety of Christmas performances, head here for a fun day out. The 500 acres of countryside are also perfect for a winter walk.

Godolphin is near Helston, experience the Christmas House Sat 2 – Sun 3 Dec, Sat 9 – Sun 10 Dec, Sat 16 – Sun 17 Dec, 10.30 am – 4pm (last entry at 3pm).

Find your Christmas retreat in Cornwall and be here for the holidays.

What’s klys to you?

Sauna-side chats, a growing community, warming cuisine in a warm environment and feelings of home. Here’s what klys means to Cornish experience creators, community farmers and chefs…

Find out why December is the best time to visit Cornwall and some of our favourite winter retreats.

As the curtains close on our exploration of klys, we visit local growers at the Loveland community farm, the new home of Situ café, Olla Hiki’s seaside sauna and the team at Canteen to find out what the ancient word means in our coastal community. While the specifics vary, at its essence, klys often encapsulates a glowing gratitude for being together and with nature. Opportunities in abundance here in Cornwall.

Find a klys retreat by the sea.

“The winter months are a more restful, recovery period for both the land and growers so there’s more time to chat over tea and biscuits”

Shared rest and recovery

The community field and vegetable garden in south Cornwall, Loveland, is alive with klys all year round. Gathered in waterproofs and wellies, locals plant trees and vegetables as wind whistles through trees and the earthy soil slides away to an ocean horizon.

Finn, Loveland’s coordinator, says: “Klys is that feeling of sharing seasonal food with friends and feeling the warmth of community. I’m always amazed by how many volunteers turn up even when the weather is awful, there’s something special about the fresh air and collectivity.

Image credit: George Brynmor

“We’ve even hosted some group events, including a traditional Cornish Apple Wassail ceremony to bless our community orchard. The winter months are a more restful, recovery period for both the land and growers so there’s more time to chat over tea and biscuits or around a fire.

“We have some winter vegetables growing, like broad beans and garlic, but it’s about nourishing the land to prepare for the growing season.”

“In terms of cosiness and flavours, Situ has warmth running through it. Our masala chai and golden turmeric milk are both naturally very warming drinks, with the spices brought over from India.”

A warm environment

After years on the move, the Ugandan-Asian inspired café Situ has opened up a permanent site that oozes sophisticated comfort from the moment you step inside. The brainchild of life partners, Sham and Alexa, there’s a tender attention-to-detail everywhere you look, from the hooks to hang up your coat, to the vases of dry flowers and the community notice board.

“Situ means environment so everything we do is conscious about space, the environment and how it makes our guests feel. We’ve incorporated pockets of autumnal greens and oranges to bring in the nature that our guests love,” Sham says.

“In terms of cosiness and flavours, Situ has warmth running through it. Our masala chai and golden turmeric milk are both naturally very warming drinks, with the spices brought over from India.

Image credit: Kasia Murfet

“Our menu is what we call heritage food, influenced by my own Indian-Ugandan roots. Last week, our featured dish was a hearty dahl and this week it’s a chickpea potato tamarind, which is a soupy curry. We combine traditional recipes and cooking techniques with locally-sourced ingredients to keep reinventing and moving modern cuisine forward.

“Situ brings together all the things that were comforting to me growing up. From the warming flavours and speciality coffee to the welcoming café culture. Hopefully, we can be a comfort to our guests, that’s our dream. That’s what klys means to us.”

“For me, klys is the feeling of opening up the sauna, lighting the fire with a crackle and looking out to the sea. It’s hearing people begin to chatter and laugh in this shared, safe space.”

Leave refreshed

From beaches to clifftops, the mobile Olla Hiki Sauna embraces the extremes of the soothing inside and the wild outdoors. Olla Hiki, which means to have a sweat in Finnish, is an immersive experience with an expansive sea view. From the revitalising warmth of the sauna, you can step out directly into nature and, for brave souls, venture into the salty water.

“I really missed sauna culture when I moved from Germany to the UK ten years ago. Especially during the winter months, they warm up your bones and feel extra cosy,” founder Sarah says.

Image credit: Evie Johnstone

“My whole idea is to connect people with their bodies, nature and each other. I want people to step out of the sauna and feel grass or sand under their feet, becoming completely present in the moment surrounded by the dramatic Cornish landscape.

“For me, klys is the feeling of opening up the sauna, lighting the fire with a crackle and looking out to the sea. It’s hearing people begin to chatter and laugh in this shared, safe space. It’s seeing people who arrive tense and leave refreshed. It feels such a beautiful thing to be able to provide.”

“I think we create a feeling of home at Canteen and you can’t get more klys than that.”

Feel at home

Nestled in the rugged landscape of Cornwall’s north coast, Canteen at the Eco Park has the ambiance of a snug living room that welcomes you home at the end of a long day. Its colourful, heart-warming menu experiments with vegetables grown just minutes away on the encircling land.

Chloe, the Canteen’s chef, says: “The space itself is quite like a cottage or ski chalet with its wooden-finish and natural materials. I think we create a feeling of home at Canteen and you can’t get more klys than that.

Image credit: Chloe Knight

“Our menus depend on what’s been grown so we have to be creative. It reminds me of my grandma opening the fridge and whipping something together with the ingredients we have. We always try to be inspired by the upcoming weather so, during the winter months, our meals are especially warming, filling and nourishing.

Fancy staying in Watergate Bay? Check out our luxury holiday properties in Watergate Bay, Newquay.

“Today, we cooked beetroots on the fire, skinned them and made a puree for our beet borani, mixed with cardamom and cumin. We also had spicy rice, flatbread with sweet potato butter, crispy chickpeas, tahini, pickles and our famous mayo potatoes.

“At the heart of Canteen, we say it’s good people, good food. From the first-time customers who become regulars to the close-knit staff community, we’re one big family.”

Find your place by the sea for a klys break

Experience the magic of the season and discover festive nights at Watergate Bay.

New year, new ways

What a klys – Cornish for cosy and snug – approach for the year ahead, and to those annual life-changing resolutions, looks like…

The New Year is upon us. The Christmas parties are over, and you may have overindulged in, well, just about everything. And with a New Year, comes the inevitable resolution making. As convention dictates, you might want to lose weight and get fitter. Perhaps you’d like to strike a better work/life balance. Maybe you just want to be happier? But what if, instead of focusing on those big, nebulous goals – which inevitably end up overtaken by events and unachieved by December – you adopted a klys approach to change?

Visiting Cornwall for a workcation? Have a look at our holiday lets perfect for extended stays and working.

Defined as snug or cosy, the Cornish word klys is all about making the most of the beautiful wilderness we have here, before sinking into the warmth and snugness of the indoors as the winter deepens around us. In other words, by making lots of small, tangible changes to your everyday – revolved around the concept of klys and in turn engendering feelings of contentment – you may actually reach those bigger goals as a happy by-product.

“Listening to an album from start to finish, to cooking a slow meal or simply watching the waves as they pummel the sand from the comfort of your window seat, these are all activities guaranteed to boost your wellbeing, physical and mental.”

“When I started feeling the drag of winter, I began to treat myself like a favoured child,” writes Katherine May in Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times. “I assumed my needs were reasonable and that my feelings were signals of something important. I kept myself well fed and made sure I was getting enough sleep. I took myself for walks in the fresh air and spent time doing things that soothed me. I asked myself: What is this winter all about? I asked myself: What change is coming?”

Keep making time to live slower this winter

Winter is cold, winter is dark. But perhaps it’s an opportunity to slow down; to meditate on the last year, to consider where the coming year will take you, and to focus on easily-achieved activities that restore rather than drain. Central to klys is the idea of experiencing the bracing, raw elements in the Cornish wilds, before retreating to a wood fire and a warming hot drink – your skin tingling and your soul full.

Step out of your front door and go for a rejuvenating walk by the sea (or if you want a rush of feel-good dopamine, and are well-prepared, a bracing dip). Instead of mindlessly scrolling through social feeds when you get inside, make a conscious effort to do something that doesn’t involve technology ­– or the, often bleak, news cycle.

“The feeling of klys needn’t be confined to solo activity – in fact, it’s a feeling amplified by sharing experiences with others, especially friends and family.”

From settling down in a comfortable chair to read a book by the fire or listening to an album from start to finish, to cooking a slow meal or simply watching the waves as they pummel the sand from the comfort of your window seat, these are all activities guaranteed to boost your wellbeing, physical and mental. Any time of year, but particularly now.

For klys times, make it friends and family time

The feeling of klys needn’t be confined to solo activity – in fact, it’s a feeling amplified by sharing experiences with others, especially friends and family. Think of it as an extension of the feel-good festive season gone by. While the winter weather can be harsh, these conditions make the vast expanse of a deserted beach outside – with friends and laughter and a couple of cosy hours spent in the pub after(with loved ones and locals alike) – all the more rewarding.

Check out our other locations and other retreats across South Cornwall.

“Give yourself to winter and the pursuit of klys, and come springtime, you will find yourself fortified and energised for the seasons ahead.”

Choosing to adopt a klys way of living for winter means adapting to the cold season accordingly. Not being afraid of nature and the elements, but rather embracing them wholeheartedly and being open to how they can make you feel, how they can change you.

“In our relentlessly busy contemporary world, we are forever trying to defer the onset of winter,” writes May. “We don’t ever dare to feel its full bite, and we don’t dare show the way it ravages us. An occasional sharp wintering would do us good.”

Want to learn more about how to make the most of your travel? Read our blog on how to do slow travel.

Give yourself to winter and the pursuit of klys, and come springtime, you will find yourself fortified and energised for the seasons ahead. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll have unwittingly achieved those goals you normally set yourself every January.

Experience klys this January, in a beachside retreat where you can embrace the elements outdoors before getting cosy indoors. Browse our selection below.

Klysa glow

James Bowden for land&water

Image credit: James Bowden for land&water

From rain on her face to a roast in the oven, land&water’s Pix Ashworth shares what klysa means to her…

Sea spray, frosty mornings, bobble-hat shaking winds. A pumping heart rate clambering up the coast path; surging endorphins emerging from the sea. Winter days outside in Cornwall can be thrilling – and all the better for coming inside to hot drinks and good food, good books and good company.

“Time outside makes us feel better inside,” says Pix Ashworth, founder of natural bath and body brand, land&water. Hailing from Watergate Bay on Cornwall’s north coast, the land&water collection captures “that warm glow we feel after time in the elements”.

This sensation chimes with the whole idea of klysa – the Cornish word meaning ‘to make snug’ – when “the outdoor elemental wilderness makes the indoor cosiness feel all the more inviting and impactful”.

Visiting Cornwall for a romantic adventure? Check out our romantic cottages.

Image credit: Goodrest Studios for land&water

So we invited Pix to share some favourite winter scents and sensations, inspired by that uplifting balance between time outside and inside at this time of year…

Image credit: Goodrest Studios for land&water

OUTSIDE

Rain on my face

“We live a few miles inland amongst farmland, and there’s a 5km circular walk I do regularly at the weekends. A mix of blustery winds, patches of sunshine and the odd rain shower is the perfect winter walk for me. As long as I’m warm, the sensation of rain on my face is refreshing, invigorating and somehow satisfying – it completes that ‘blast of fresh air’ feeling.”

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Land and water woman and sea

Image credit: James Bowden for land&water

Glowing cheeks

“When I picture this sensation, I think of the very moment that I open the door to our house, arriving back home after walk. Sometimes it’s almost dark, in those shortest winter days – even if it’s only late afternoon. But it’s a life-affirming moment, full of positivity and simple happiness.”

Warming pasties

“Our winter beach trips always involve pasties. We cook them at home, wrap them in baking paper and then lots of tea towels to keep them warm. That moment of cold hands opening them up on the beach – followed by that delicious waft – is something else… A heady mix of warm pastry, steak and salt-filled air.”

INSIDE

Wood fire

“Our little sitting room at home is known as the ‘Snug’ (should we rename it the ‘Klys’?). The first thing I do every winter evening when I arrive home is light the open fire. It’s as much about the atmosphere it creates as the warmth it gives off – and there’s something very soothing about watching the flames come to life.”

Image credit: Goodrest Studios for land&water

A roast in the oven

“It’s unusual for a winter weekend to go by without a roast meal. For me, that smell emanating from the kitchen is synonymous with coming in from a blustery walk or a family football session in the garden – happy chaos and the anticipation of fabulous food.”

Bath salts

“Hot baths are a staple in the winter and I particularly cherish them after time out amongst the elements. The scent of the pure essential oils, particularly the restoring lavender and indulgent linden (it’s a smell to sink into!) hang in the air long after my bath.”

Image credit: Goodrest Studios for land&water

Join Pix for a winter walk, talk and swim on the beach and cliffs at Watergate Bay:

Create your own klysa experience with land&water’s Bathtime bundle:

Land and water bath and body bundle

“Slow, glow, soak, breathe, moisturise… The Bathtime bundle gifts the full reset and restore experience, to light up the day’s downtime and emerge soothed – and softer all over. Bundle includes: one Candle 220g, one Bath Salts 250g, one Pulse Point Oil – Soothe 9ml, and one Body Lotion 250ml.”

Pix by the fire land and water

Browse Pix’s tips for winter self-care, from good reads to playlists and experiences, over on the land&water Journal.

Experience a surface-level change of pace, and enjoy slowing down and savouring the simple joys of coastal living along the Cornish coast.