Approaching via the quiet residential suburbs, nothing warns you of the sudden splendour of Newquay’s cliffs and beaches. This is the North Cornish coast at its best…

…Young people fill the streets leading down the hill to the beaches, rocky outcrops and caves. Surfers making their way to Fistral Beach through the golf course avoid flying balls by following the path which sinks below the bank and the rises up into the undulating dunes. .. Below is Fistral, the finest surfing beach in the land, its long, even breakers booming in across the golden sand. There are gaggles of surfers all over the beach, groups of men playing beach cricket and girls listening to music in the sun.

Read more about Newquay in Candida Lycett Green’s new book Seaside Resorts, available now from Amazon (or from The Oldie website for £14.99).