The boating lake sits in Trenance Gardens, in the valley of the River Gannel on the southern edge of Newquay, about ten minutes’ walk from the town centre.
It is the calm end of Newquay — a lake with boats on it, formal gardens round it, a café beside it and a Victorian railway viaduct striding across the valley above — and it is free unless you get in a boat.
Rowing boats and pedalos for hire in season, on a lake big enough to be worth the twenty minutes and small enough that nobody gets into trouble.
Terrapins live in the water and are, by consistent report, the thing children look for. They are descendants of released pets, which is not ideal ecologically and is undeniably part of the lake’s character.
Wildfowl — ducks, moorhens, swans and herons.
A path round the water, level and short.
Trenance Gardens are the setting and are the reason to come even if the boats are not running.
Formal beds and rose gardens — the roses get specific mention and are well kept.
Open parkland and mature trees.
Crazy golf and play areas.
Trenance Heritage Cottages — a pair of restored cottages, the oldest buildings in Newquay, with a tea room and small exhibitions run by volunteers.
A café by the lake, well liked, with outdoor seating.
The viaduct — the Great Western Railway crossed this valley on a viaduct to reach Newquay, and it dominates the gardens. The original was Brunel-era timber; the present structure is later.
Newquay is a surf town and a stag-and-hen town, and Trenance is neither. It is where residents walk dogs and take small children, and it is where visitors go when they have had enough of the beach.
Newquay Zoo is inside the gardens, which makes the obvious plan: zoo in the morning, gardens and boats in the afternoon.
The Gannel below the gardens is a tidal estuary with a footpath running out towards Crantock, and it is one of the better short walks from Newquay — mudflats, wading birds, and at low tide the crossings over to the Crantock side.
Free to enter the gardens and walk round the lake. Boat hire is charged, seasonally.
Time: an hour to two.
Location: Trenance, ten minutes’ walk south of Newquay town centre, or a short drive.
Parking: Trenance car park, charged.
Facilities: café, tea room at the cottages, toilets, play areas.
Access: level and surfaced round the lake and through the main gardens — genuinely accessible.
Season: the gardens are open all year; boat hire and the café are seasonal.
The gardens and the lakeside path are free. Boat hire is charged in season.
Rowing boats and pedalos.
Yes — descendants of released pets, and the first thing most children look for.
Newquay Zoo, crazy golf, play areas, rose gardens, a café and the restored Trenance Heritage Cottages.
About ten minutes’ walk south, into the Gannel valley.