Unlike it’s festive calendrical neighbour, New Year always seems geared, for the most part, towards grown-ups. Loud bangs, fast-flowing booze and late nights aren’t exactly what one usually looks for in a child-friendly celebration. So, if you think your potential babysitter would appreciate a big night out more than you would, and you’d really like to celebrate with your children, what is the best way forward? New Year’s Eve is, after all, during the school holidays.
The obvious first move is – you guessed it - to book a cottage at Treworgey in Cornwall. I needn’t labour this point but let me just mention log fires, kids’ clubs, indoor sparklers, champagne in the fridge, lights in the trees outside and treats on the tea tray.
But even if you’ve made the error this year of booking somewhere else in the county (don’t worry, it can happen to the best), or if Treworgey is fully booked when you read this, South East Cornwall is still a fantastic place for a family New Year and this blog is still for you!
Fireworks with the kids
If you don’t fancy propping their eyes open until midnight, Looe (Treworgey’s nearest town) puts on an impressive free display at 6pm right over the harbour and the showers of light reflected in the water make it a beautiful sight. Pick up some ear defenders for little ones (tip: the normal worksite ones can be made really small and are much cheaper than ‘special’ children’s ones), take along some sparklers and enjoy the show with the sea breeze in your hair!
Looe is touted as one of the best places in the UK for New Year, as the fancy dress street party floods in and out of restaurants and pubs and gives the little fishing town a fantastic carnival atmosphere.
Food
There are plenty of fantastic NY tasting menus with champagne and all the works in various Cornish restaurants and hotels. However, these aren’t always the most relaxing (or economical) options when you have young children who get grumpy past 9pm. Here are a few less-refined options that are never-the-less great with the kids:
- In Looe: pretty much every restaurant picks a fancy dress theme which both staff and punters join in with. Great fun for the kids at the more family-friendly restaurants, but be sure to book early! Some great Looe restaurants that welcome kids include: Mama J’s Italian, Ocean and Earth Thai, Chennai Indian, The Plough on the Quay, the Sardine Factory and the Sail Loft.
- Fish and chips on the quayside whilst watching the fireworks in Looe is a cheap, mess-free (the gulls will take care of that) and totally relaxed way to eat on NYE.
- If you are staying at at Treworgey, the easiest option of all (and arguably one of the tastiest) is to order food into your cottage from Coombe Kitchen, our on-site meal service. Auntie Jane at Coombe Kitchen does a special festive menu of treats that you just bung in the oven.
Special events
- Get your skates on at the Eden Project, near St Austell: put up specially for the winter in the middle of the spectacular Eden site, the skating is as popular with the kids as the chocolate-dipped churros and hot crepes to be had at the rink-side. Open on NYE till 4pm.
- Lostwithiel Giants’ parade: A buzzing musical carnival parade with giants meanders through the streets of this pretty old town in South Cornwall. Usually starts around 11.30pm.
- New Year’s Day Dips: a local tradition in many Cornish seaside towns including our local town, Looe (11am), Readymoney Cove, Fowey (midday), Gorran Haven Beach (11am), and Harbour Beach, Newquay (1.30pm). Watching is almost as satisfying as joining in, and much warmer.
