Hendra Holiday Park is one of Cornwall's largest and best-known campsites, located just outside Newquay. It's a full-service holiday park rather than a traditional campsite — think excellent facilities, organised activities, and a lively atmosphere that suits families with younger children particularly well. If you're looking for a quieter, more remote experience, Hendra isn't it. But if you want a well-run, well-equipped base for a Newquay family holiday, it's hard to beat.

Location

Hendra sits about a mile from Newquay town centre, with regular bus links and easy access to the town's beaches. Fistral Beach — Cornwall's most famous surf beach — is around 10 minutes by car. The site is inland and reasonably sheltered, which makes it a more forgiving environment for tents than the exposed coastal sites further west.

The Pitches

Hendra offers a wide range of pitch types including grass touring pitches, electric hook-up pitches, and hardstanding options. The site is large and well-organised, with pitches spread across several areas. Grass pitches are generally level and well-maintained. Given the sheltered inland position, you have more flexibility on tent choice here than at exposed clifftop sites.

Facilities

Facilities are excellent and a key part of Hendra's appeal — heated indoor and outdoor pools, a bar and restaurant, a well-stocked shop, laundry facilities, and clean modern shower blocks. For families with young children, the on-site entertainment and activities make it a genuinely easy holiday option.

What Tent Works Best at Hendra

Because the site is sheltered and well-maintained, you have more flexibility here. That said, Cornwall weather is always variable, so a tent with a solid hydrostatic head rating is still worth bringing. Our recommendations:

• Vango Savannah Air 600XL — 6-person, pitches in 5 minutes, great value family package with footprint
• Vango Sherwood Air 600XL — 5,000mm HH, King Size Midnight bedrooms, extended living area
• Kampa Saunton 6 Air — spacious tunnel tent with darkened bedrooms, ideal for longer stays

What to Pack

• A camping washing line or airer — Hendra has laundry facilities but an airer saves queuing
• Wetsuits and surf gear — Fistral and Watergate Bay are close and the surf is reliable
• Fabsil spray — keep your tent waterproof even on a sheltered site
• Camp chairs and a good table — you'll spend a lot of time outside

Nearest Beach

Fistral Beach is the closest surf beach and one of the UK's most famous. Newquay also has Towan, Great Western, and Tolcarne beaches within easy reach — all excellent for families. Watergate Bay is around 15 minutes north and worth the drive.

Verdict

Hendra is the right choice if you want a well-equipped, family-friendly base for a Newquay holiday with younger children. The facilities are genuinely good, the pitches are well-maintained, and the location gives you easy access to the best of Newquay. It's a holiday park rather than a wild camping experience — but it does what it does very well.

Browse our Cornwall Camping Essentials collection or visit our showroom at 4 Bamber House, Victoria, PL26 8LQ. Call us on 01637 877619.