Cornwall – The British Riviera

Surfing - Waterskiing & Wakeboarding - Coaching - Qualifications - Town - Accommodation 

Cornwall – Don’t leave without…

- Sampling Rick Stein’s fish and chips on the waterfront in Padstow.

- Spending at least one evening at the Oystercatcher or Mariners. 

- Taking the ferry across the estuary and on to Polzeath for lunch at the Underground Pasty Shop.

- Racing a tandem with a friend round the Camel Trail via Wadebridge.

- Munching on some Nachos at the Blue Tomato Café in Rock.

- Playing a round of golf on the St. Enedoc Golf Course. 

- Cliff jumping off the huge stack on the left side of Polzeath beach… and surviving.

CORNWALL 

North Cornwall, and more specifically the towns of Rock, Polzeath, Padstow and Trevone - has long been a favourite British holiday destination.

And with good reason – the pace of life is relaxed, the towns quiet but friendly and the sea warm and clear. Not to mention the rugged shoreline, dotted with golden beaches, washed by some of the best surf that the UK has to offer. For surfing and waterskiing, you can’t do much better than this awesome watersports destination.

Waterskiing & Wakeboarding

If you drive for 5 minutes along the coast road from Harlyn Bay, you come to the little fishing village of Padstow, tucked into the mouth of the Camel river estuary. A short ferry ride and you are in Rock and the Camel Ski School, where our Waterskiing and Wakeboarding courses take place.

The Camel Estuary offers year round flat water and pleasantly warm conditions from May through October. Flanked by the rolling hills of North Cornwall farmland, and edged with sandy beaches, it is a picturesque place to Waterski.

Waterskiing takes place in two well marked ski lanes in the back of the estuary, which stay open in all tidal and wind conditions, behind one of the school’s two top of the range ski-boats. The reliable conditions of the Camel Estuary, along with the pleasant summer temperatures and warm water, make it one of the UK’s best places to waterski or wakeboard.  

The Camel Ski School is one of the UK’s most popular and well respected waterskiing and wakeboarding schools. The School itself has been running for the last 30 years, with brothers Charlie and Simon Toogood in charge for the last seven of those. Today it is a British Water Ski affiliated school, and uses only BWS qualified instructors, so know that you are in safe hands.

The CSS give personal instruction on not only your personal waterskiing and wakeboarding, but also your teaching techniques – you will spend time shadowing the other CSS instructors, and do some teaching and boat driving yourself as part of the course.

You will spend so much time in and around the ski school, and in and out of the water, that by the time the exam comes around in the third week you will have had a lot of first hand experience of how instructing at a leading waterski school works. You will also have had a chance to try a variety of different sports – give wake skating, wake surfing or even barefoot waterskiing a go…

QUALIFICATIONS

BWS

- Qualifications included: BWS Instructor (Wakeboard and Waterski), SBDA (Ski Boat Driver Award), ICC.

The BWS (British Water Ski) is the national governing body for water skiing and wakeboarding in Great Britain. British Water Ski is responsible for the development of the sports and training and registration of instructors. The BWS is affiliated to the International Water Ski Federation (IWSF), making their qualifications internationally respected.

On the BWS instructor course you will develop an understanding of the BWS teaching method, the structure of waterskiing and wakeboarding in the UK, the principles of teaching and the technical elements of waterskiing and wakeboarding.

- ACCOMMODATION

Our self-catered accommodation in Rock is located just up the hill from the Mariners Rock pub. The newly converted flats all boast outside eating areas with beautiful views of the estuary, open plan kitchens and living rooms, a fridge, freezer, oven and dishwasher, a utility room with a washing machine and a tumble dryer (no wet boardies in the morning!) and TVs in all sitting rooms.

From the flats it is less than a five minute walk to the ferry to Padstow, the local co-op, the waterski school and the pub, making life very easy – catering for yourself is a doddle.

In Harlyn Bay, accommodation on our 6 week Surf Instructor course comes in the form of several large, warm static homes just up the hill from the beach. Each static home has a living room with TV, kitchen, a couple of bed rooms and beautiful views over the bay.

The Mariners Rock 

TOWN

The busy tourist towns of Rock, Padstow and Polzeath all share a very Cornish charm – life runs at a relaxed place, people are friendly, and everyone knows how to enjoy themselves.

Award winning eating places include The Blue Tomato Café in Rock, and Rick Stein’s various enterprises in Padstow – eat at his traditional fish and chip shop, or book well in advance for a table in his famous seafood restaurant. All sorts are attracted to the area – families with kids, thrill seekers, couples and teenagers – and this diverse crowd makes for a fun and bustling atmosphere.

Considering its size, there is a famous nightlife in this little area of North Cornwall - The Mariners in Rock and The Oystercatcher in Polzeath being the obvious suspects. Going out tends to be a more relaxed affair than you might find in close neighbour Newquay, with the emphasis on pints with friends rather than raves - but if you can get yourself invited to a local house party however, you might find a different story...

ACTIVITIES

Cornwall is a true haven for watersports enthusiasts, with powerboating, windsurfing, kitesurfing, sailing and even rock jumping on offer, as well as surfing and waterskiing. The Camel Ski School offer the opportunity to try wake surfing and wake skating if your feeling particularly keen.

Back on dry land, hire a bike and explore – Cornwall’s North Coast has steep and imposing cliffs interspersed with pretty sandy bays and hidden surf spots. If you tire of adrenaline hunting, there is nothing more relaxing than packing a picnic in your rucksack and heading off with some friends along the South West Coastal Path to a deserted beach for a lazy afternoon.

As well as less mainstream sports such as surfing and waterskiing, there are two world class golf courses in Rock, the St. Enodoc links and a new inland course at Roserrow, as well as a tennis academy and busy sailing club. Alternatively hire a boat for a days fishing trip, or a bike and cycle the Camel Trail. The Eden project and the bright lights of Newquay are only a short drive away if the weather takes a turn for the worse.