Tag: Watergate Bay

10 restaurants with sea views

There’s no better way to appreciate a sea view than dining beside it, creating an enriching experience as you taste the flavours that the coastline in front of you has produced. We have hand picked 10 seafront restaurants, where you can sample seafood caught in the nearest bay and soak up views of the rolling tides.

PORTHMINSTER KITCHEN, ST IVES

This acclaimed beachside restaurant combines Cornish produce and global flavours in dishes showcasing the freshest seafood, garden grown produce and foraged coastal ingredients. Recently awarded a 2 Rosette award for culinary excellence, this is a go-to destination for the finest of Cornish cuisine.

THE COLONIAL, TOLCARNE BEACH

A slow paced, lavishly designed restaurant and bar positioned right on the sand of Tolcarne beach in Newquay, The Colonial is the perfect dinner spot for those looking to unwind and indulge. Their menu is inspired by the colourful flavours of the Caribbean, but you can expect seafood and traditional hearty dinners throughout the year. Wave watch on the terrace with an invigorating cocktail or settle by the open fire for a full three courses and wine.

LEWINNICK LODGE, FISTRAL

Lewinnick is the ultimate coastal restaurant. Situated on Pentire headland, you can soak up sweeping vistas as you eat, the perfect viewing spot for striking sunsets. With a bar area, pool tables, fireplace, plush carpets and sofas, you can wind down with a glass of something bubbly before heading to the sleek and sophisticated restaurant room for a classically Cornish supper.

THE MARINERS, ROCK

A chef’s take on pub grub, washed down with the finest of Cornish beer. This loved-by-locals pub overlooks the Camel Estuary and serves up the likes of crispy pollock hot dogs, Porthilly oysters and market fish of the day from Cornish waters.

THE FISH HOUSE, FISTRAL

If you’re a seafood lover, this beachfront restaurant is your go to. Situated on Fistral beach, the Fish House is in a prime position for sunsets and dramatic surf. Sample the flavourful menu of Sri Lankan prawn curry and spiced monkfish before walking across the beach back to your retreat.

GYLLY BEACH CAFÉ, FALMOUTH

Gylly Beach Café sits right on the sand, where you can gaze out at the ships and sailboats dotted along the water. It serves hot food and drinks all day and evening long, so taste the chilli kick of panko breaded squid or the zest of fresh lemongrass seabass with the buzz of the beach in the background.

UGLY BUTTERFLY, CARBIS BAY

There’s no such thing as an ugly butterfly, in the same way as there is no such thing as food waste. This is the motto of Carbis Bay’s new sustainable restaurant, showcasing beautifully presented dishes crafted with locally sourced ingredients. Offering an all-day dining experience, the Ugly Butterfly bar uses trims and offcuts from the ingredients used in the restaurant to create delicious drinks and bar snacks.

OUTLAWS NEW ROAD, PORT ISAAC

Nathan Outlaw is to Port Isaac as Rick Stein is to Padstow. For the ultimate fine dining experience, sample cured mackerel and spider crab at this harbourside eatery, before wandering the streets of Port Isaac under the moonlight.

THE BEACH HUT, WATERGATE BAY

One of Cornwall’s best beach-side hangouts, The Beach Hut welcomes surfers, families and even the dog. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, food is unfussy and tasty, the atmosphere laid-back, and all with a view of Watergate Bay’s two-mile stretch of beach out front. Perfect for sunset watching and sundowners.

THE SARDINE FACTORY, LOOE

Dine overlooking harbour water and you’re guaranteed fish as fresh as they come. The Sardine Factory is a go-to restaurant for seafood lovers, and its sustainable fish dishes won the prestigious accolade of a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2020.

Charlie Walters, head chef of The Sardine Factory, is currently representing Cornwall competing on this year’s Masterchef: The Professionals.

Stay in a retreat near the best Cornish restaurants and enjoy a foodie trip to the coast.

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

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&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.

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

Arts on the beach at Watergate Bay

Head to Watergate Bay on the 9th and 10th September for a free family weekend of theatre, aerial performance, dance, music and craft workshops inspired by the ocean. Arts on the Beach 2023 is a celebration of creativity, community, imagination and ocean culture, set against the mesmerising backdrop of Watergate Bay.

Discover roaming sea giants and sailors’ love songs, mermaid’s tales and shoreside silent discos. This event, new to Watergate Bay for 2023, is brought to you by the team behind Polo on the Beach
and the Watergate Bay events calendar.

Book a retreat in Watergate Bay to experience the weekend in full.

The programme

Mirroring the many moods of the ocean, September’s line up will ebb and flow against its dramatic backdrop – from a lively programme of dance troupes, aerial performance, live music and interactive theatre, to getting hands-on with bubble bikes, lantern and willow building, sea-themed arts and crafts, and dancing workshops. Expect large-scale puppetry from Autin Dance Theatre, dance and parkour from Prodigal UPG, roaming ‘land based synchronised swimming’ from Cscape’s Bathing Belles, aerial shows, stilt walking captains and inspired choreography born from the sea. Workshop sessions will see beach-goers making a giant willow sea turtle with City of Lights, creating mermaid tails with Beach Guardian, pedal-powering bubble bikes and getting stuck into sea crafts with Blystra Arts. As the evenings draw in, the beach will light up with silent disco headphones on Saturday and the Old Time Sailors’ stirring sea shanties will echo from the cliffs on Sunday. The programme is brimming with imaginative performances and runs throughout the day from 11am on Saturday – then all over again on Sunday.

It’s set to be a lively, fun-filled and exciting weekend. Will Ashworth, Watergate Bay Hotel founder and executive director, said about the event:

“We’ve always loved creating inclusive events on the beach for our wider community, as well as visitors. Thanks to additional support from Visit Cornwall, being able to provide this exciting new event for people to come along to for free means everyone can be part of something special.”

Line up

Saturday 9 & Sunday 10 September
From 11am

Performances

• Out of the Deep Blue by Johnny Autin Dance Compan –
puppetry/dance
• On the Strandline by Prodigal UPG – dance/parkour
• Sea Dogs by Prodigal UPG emerging ensemble – dance
• Hall for Cornwall Youth Dance Company present DAWN choreography by Rob Mennear
• Bathing Belles by Cscape – dance/performance
• Tipping Point by Off the Wall – aerial show – Saturday only
• Captain O’Goldie/ Detrius of the Deep by Hotch Potch Theatre –
roaming on stilts
Participation workshops
• City of Lights – two-day build of a willow sea turtle and end
performance
• Blystra Arts – two days craft tent with four artists offering sea/
eco-friendly activities and pedal powered bubble bikes
• Beach Guardian – beach clean and mermaid tail workshops
• Watergate Bay Kids’ Zone Beach School

Music

Saturday 9 September, 5-7pm – Silent Disco
Grab an LED headset and be part of one of the UK’s largest silent
discos at this unique dancing venue right on the beach.
Sunday 10 September, 5-8pm – Old Time Sailors
A merry band of musical marauders, ready to lure audiences back
in time on an immersive journey of dance, song and 19th-century
knees-up shenanigans. 17 musicians playing over 30 songs, will be
roaming the tide line.

Find out more about the event here. We’ll see you on the beach!

Fancy a long weekend packed with oceanside entertainment and creativity? Book a self-catered retreat by the two miles of beach and enjoy two days of sea-themed, sustainably minded festivities.