[Stormrider]

I can honestly say that i have never had any hassle off any of the Newquay locals.In fact,once they noticed that i even came down to Newquay in closed season.I gained their repect,and a few of them became good friends even putting me up for a few days.I even get discount in some of the surf shops where some of my friends works.

[zshift]

maybe there should be some sort of congestion charging scheme to reduce the number of people in the water during peak season. It could work like a bus pass...maybe 10 waves for a tenner? It could all be policed using the existing surf cams. that way both locals and tourists have the same opportunity...fairs fair.

[Sad?Old Hippie]

Dude u jest

Mother Ocean wos put on this earth 2 give us surfa types t cheep(as in FREE) thrills we yearn 4 out there, 2 suggest we pay 4 it, get real mate

Dont even suggest it, sum drongo in t world of t powers that be will hook on 2 it n try n make it happen

Surfin is not only free, it is FREEDOM, lets keep it that way

No insult 2 u meant here, this is t hips speekin, sure ya wosnt beein serious

[zshift]

no i wasnt being serious, I object to even paying nt carpark charges...specially if just to check the surf for 10 minutes ...but you can see how it could be done though ...probably by some rich asshole that owns the beach.

[sazzle1978]

Jesus, does it matter who surfs where. Surely the locals know all the decent secret spots that tourists wouldn’t anyway. And as for the locals saying they are invaded by townies and Ibiza rejects, every town in the whole of the UK has ‘townies’ that choose to dress in sovereigns and Reebok Classics. I would say Newquay suffers from this more than others due to the severe lack of decent quality clothing shops (New Look does not qualify as a decent shop!) And as for the Ibiza Rejects comment, those who have been to the nice part of San Antonio which involves sunset bars, decent music, trendy people and swish décor (I.e NOT the infamous ‘westend’ which is like newquay at night) would not choose Newquay as second best….no offence or anything! The place is great but I’d choose Ibiza and find the money pimping myself if that is the type of holiday I wanted! (actually maybe I lied about the pimping myself bit!!) Newquay has a vibe that is unlike Ibiza and surely the waves are open to everyone since many Cornish people are not born and bred Cornwall?!?

Remember nobody owns the ocean!

[Sad?Old Hippie]

Well said dude, Muther Ocean owns us, after all its where we originaly came from n will b here long after we're gone

Agree wiv ur other comments 2 n no offence taken

[Sacrificial Pawn]

Although i haven't been a member of this forum for long i wanna make my point on this topic.

I live in Stratford, a town over-run by international tourists all year round, so i sympathise with the newquay locals. I does get annoying when u can't even nip into town and get something to eat without battling through tourists.

One thing though on the point of locals. I ride BMX, at the local riding spot there are always groms and beginners getting in the way, this is not because they are trying to get in the way it's simply the lack the knowledge of the scene. everyone has to start somewhere, and it helps them a lot more to speak to them, give them advice, the problems soon decrease.

Also not all people in the water are idiots getting in the way, most of them aren't lucky enough to live by the coast but make an effort once or more a year to get down there and surf. when they do get down there they usually do respect the locals, it's the loutish tourists that cause the problems.

[Sad?Old Hippie]

Sacrificial Pawn...Hey

Cudnt agree wiv u more dude...well said n well put on all accounts

Personally I've no problem wiv t tourist elememnt, (after all woz 1 meself not too long ago ), in fact welcum it...it makes t place feel more special than it allready is that peeps want 2 cum n visit

Wot I do object 2 is t loutish behaviour of t few that then spoils it 4 t many...as said, woz a tourist meself but I allways acted in a proper n becumin manner n still managed 2 ave a great time aswell

Have no problems wiv da groms...aint that advanced meself n ur right in saying it helps to talk n help em all u can...we all ave 2 start sumwhere n aint bein like this all in t spirit of our wunderfull pastime/sport of surfin

Ave no time for loutish behaviour either from 'locals only' peeps or t drongo pi**head types...theres enuff room 4 us all...peace luv n harmony dude...thats t way 4ward...NO WURRIS

Only A Hippie Kno's How It Feels

[Alsone]

I agree entirely. I am a tourist and I always treat the Newquay locals with respect: Not all tourists are bad!

Yes sometimes tourists are bad surfers, myself included, but we just don't get the practice, as one of the previous commentators said, we all have to learn! Personally, I always try to stay out of the way of the locals and apologise if I do get in someone's way. That way everyone has fun, locals and tourists alike.

Incidentally, the last time I was in Newquay I spent over £800 (excluding accomodation) in just 12 days!- of that less than £100 was spent in the pubs and clubs.

The balance was spent in the local shops which not only meant that it went into the pockets of many locals, but where those shops were national concerns, it went towards maintaining their presence in the town by ensuring they were profitable. I also visited the zoo and aquarium. My £800 alone may not support Newquay, but multiply that by the number of tourists who come to Newquay and it is soon apparent how dependant Newquay's economy is on tourist money.

Yes, tourists can be a pain sometimes, but it is only the minority who cause problems and without their money many of the shops and facilities in Newquay that are taken for granted wouldn't exist because they wouldn't be sufficiently profitable.

The way forward for Newquay in my opinion is to concentrate on promoting surf tourism with a corresponding crackdown on lager tourism, large groups of twenty something lads and the stag / hen parties. In my opinion it is these beer fuelled groups that cause the problems not the average tourist.

Alsone.

[Sad?Old Hippie]

Originally posted by Alsone

The way forward for Newquay in my opinion is to concentrate on promoting surf tourism with a corresponding crackdown on lager tourism, large groups of twenty something lads and the stag / hen parties. In my opinion it is these beer fuelled groups that cause the problems not the average tourist.

Alsone.

Bin sayin this 4 soooooo long

Tis t only way 2 go down ere...sum1 else said it in a former post also

If t poweres that b wud just wise up...build t reef...promote t surfin element...etc

Said it b4...theyve got thier heads so far up thier asses they cant see straight

Now if t Hipps woz runnin things.....

[Alsone]

Hippie for Council!

Why don't you stand?????

Agree with what you say.

Trouble is in my opinion, those in power seem to think that by turning Newquay into an Ibiza Mk2 they can draw big money into the town. Problem is that this is driving the good tourists / family holiday makers out. Overall, therefore money wise in the long term you're not any better off - in fact the locals are worse off as all the money gets spent in the pubs, not the shops!

What you do get though is lots of trouble, drugs, vandalism and violence.

Look at Faliraki (can't spell - apologies).

Over there things have got so bad they are now driving the louts back out and trying to revert to a family resort. The trouble with this is it takes a long time to persuade people to come back.

Surf tourism is a much better option - Crack down on the louts / stag parties, promote surfing and family holidays. That way Newquay will be a nicer place and remain financially viable as a resort!

Alsone.

[Sad?Old Hippie]

Cant stand politics...aint got time 4 it...full of self obsessed, self important, self hungry, self indulgin self self self peeps...I aint made that way so dont think I'd cut it

I get t feelin that we r facin t usual problem ere...live 4 2day n dont wurri bout 2morro...every1's out 2 make a fast buck...more pubs n clubs goin up etc...we're seein t result now after this last summer

I've made it clear I aint against young peeps havin fun...jeez I woz that age myself 1nce...just cant agree wiv t behaviour 2day thats all...I've bin there n dun it...stoned..pi**ed..gettin ur rocks off..thing is I made sure my behaviour dint affect any1 it shudnt...kids 2day have no idea bout respectin others n thier property

My solution...crack down hard on em instead of slappin em across t wrists...bring back National Service aswell...teach sum respect n order

Also...T powers that b wake up n c wot potential Newquay reely has...promote t surf element...build t reef...put this place not just on t surfin map but at t top...surf t pi**head element right out of town...its possible if only theyd wake up

Last point...U mentioned sumthin in t Fistral Beach thread about how nice Fistral is...allready kno that my friend...just tend 2 stay cleer of it cause of its popularity...bit of a loner u c...got my secret spots n my beloved Whips, (now now MJ, calm down gal, deep breaths, count 2 10, there there..thats better)

[sazzle1978]

Hhhhmmm putting my marketing and PR

Personally I don’t think it is too bad, though I don’t live there so do not see all the stuff you see. Rebranding it as Surf resort is a good idea, though it is in theory already that so the council would need to do something different like have brochures made purely for surfers and surf camps only to differentiate it from the normal Newquay family camping brochures. Introduce more hostels and surfer friendly bars/pubs. Also you need good PR

You could also do with a massive injection of cash to provide something else for the youngsters to do. A huge cinema and leisure complex on outskirts would be great, something with sports bars, bowling, multiplex cinema, cheap but good restaurants. At the moment all they have to do is get drunk and god forbid if it rains it’s the pub or the playstation!

Then I would introduce a few more trendy hotels, bars and restaurants with big plush sofas, lots of chrome and lighting and supercool mellow djs to watch the sunset from…you know the ponsy ones, which serve things like paninis and Thai fish cakes for pub grub. But they attract the right people, not like the dark and dingy clubs that Newquay currently has.

You can have different target markets such as surfers, trendy wendys and families but the council needs to have some sort of direction and plan for the future. At the moment it is a bit of a free for all: grannies on coach trips, families in caravans wanting ice cream, kids on their first adult free holidays, stag and hen dos, surfers etc etc

Having said all that I’m a pretentious cow, bit of a surfer groupie (because mainly they have the best arses around!!) and I still like the place!

[Sad?Old Hippie]

Originally posted by sazzle1978
(because mainly they have the best arses around!!)

YOU CAN BET UR ASS ON THAT 1 HUN

HMMM...Had u down as a guy...p'raps u could explain ur name 4 us

Ave 2 agree wiv ya on all uve said tho....u show great 4sight 4 a gal (wait 4 it...I'm in truble now)

[Alsone]

Agree with you Sazzle.

Although, I think the council have already branded Newquay a surf resort. I think the problem here is that they are still selling it as an Ibiza party resort also. The answer as I see it is to continue to promote it as it is but without the party element. A crackdown to make those who treat it as such un-welcome and reluctant to come back is needed as well (a few coppers arresting the drunk wouldn't go un-noticed).

I couldn't agree more about the facilities, although this takes money! The surfing centre was a step in the right direction.

I certainly agree that other non-beer related centres of activity such as a cinema / bowling complex and some posh glass and steel fronted restaurants / surf orientated bars overlooking Newquay bay wouldn't go a miss. Problem is convincing people to invest.

Hippie,

As for changing things, I understand why you don't like polititians. Trouble is someone needs to stand up for the views of the residents.

If you don't fancy standing, then why doesn't you (or someone else) perhaps at your suggestion, set up a residents forum to put forward the views of the locals?

This could involve possibly a residents meeting a couple of times a year and the odd attendance at the odd council meeting to put the views of the residents across. That way you could all get your views about the direction Newquay should take heard without becoming too involved.

Face it, if no one can be bothered, then nothing will change!

Alsone.