Crantock Beach is a hop, skip and a jump down the coast from Newquay. A beautiful, white, sandy National Trust beach on a river estuary, so calm and quiet it feels like a world away from the hustle and bustle of its busy seaside neighbour.

The day we arrived we trekked over the steep sand dunes to be greeted by a vast white sandy bay. Settling on the edge of the river bank, the sand sloped gently down to the water, perfectly warm from the sun.

The river was brilliant for small kids, shallow enough for the boys to paddle and roll around in without us worrying too much. As such, every child on the beach congregated here, making sand castles with moats, crabbing, paddling up and down on their boogie boards. Dan took the boys on a crab hunt up the river, turning over random rocks searching, whilst I dozed under the parasol reading a book.

By the evening the tide began to turn and the estuary quickly filled up with sea water. Kayaks and fishing boats followed the tide in, whilst jet skis and speedboats sped the other way for an evening carving up the ocean.

We sat spellbound by the scene; gentle lapping water, people playing cricket, beach barbecues being lit; a perfect summer’s day.

Images by Lou Archell