From the Ritz to a Falmouth Beach Cafe

Swanpool Beach Café in Falmouth is pleased to announce that it is the UK’s first establishment on the beach to be serving Cornish-only tea from the Tregothnan estate, thanks to a budding new partnership of the two local businesses. With only 15 miles between Tregothnan and Swanpool, there is a natural partnership for the two successful Cornish companies to work together.
Pete Lochrie, owner of Swanpool Beach Café, is committed to using local produce and jumped at the chance to make his tea menu exclusively Tregothnan grown, including four black teas and ten herbal infusions.
Pete said: “We are delighted to be one of the country’s first businesses to be selling Cornish only teas. Not only are they are such a high quality product but the fact that they are grown just a few miles away is very important to us – we use local produce wherever we can. We are particularly happy that we can bring our customers the same high quality that one can expect at Claridge’s and The Ritz at our humble beach café!”
A place where heritage and innovation meet, Tregothnan is internationally known for producing the first and only tea grown in England. The tea – Camellia sinensis – thrives on its estate in the unique environment lining the waters of the Fal estuary.

Since selling their first cup of truly English tea in 2006, Tregothnan has captured the imagination of the tea-drinking public – not only in Cornwall but in some of the most salubrious establishments in the UK. Excitingly, the current owner of Tregothnan, Lord Falmouth, is a direct descendant of the legendary Earl Grey himself.

Duncan Hutchings, tea specialist at Tregothnan, said: “Swanpool Beach Café was the obvious choice for a new local stockist for Tregothnan and we are very excited to be working with them. The setting is simply wonderful and the environment friendly, fun and welcoming. Whilst we are supplying our teas to Fortnum and Masons, Browns and The Ritz, we are reaching out to a wider customer base so that locals and tourists can come along to Swanpool and dine alfresco with a delicious Tregothnan cuppa and a slice of homemade cake.”

Swanpool Nature Reserve

It’s very sad to report but trees in Swanpool Nature Reserve have been cut down with a chainsaw. Quite substantial alder trees and sycamores in three areas but close together.
Swanpool Nature Reserve has SSSI status, gained in January 1995 and is private ground and anybody tresspassing on the reserve could be prosecuted by Natural England. There has been a tradition of people dumping their garden waste on the reserve and this is not an acceptable practice.
Has anybody seen any of this unlawful activity taking place on the reserve? If so could they contact Pete Lochrie, proprietor of Swanpool Nature Reserve. Telephone 01326 314740 or email swanpool.beach@yahoo .co.uk

Swanpool Beach on the net

You can now ‘like’ Swanpool Beach on Facebook at www.facebook.com/swanpoolbeach AND follow us on Twitter @swanpoolbeach

No firework display this year

Unfortunately there will be no firework display at Swanpool Beach this year. Please check back in the future for new events at Swanpool.

Drive In Movies at Swanpool Beach 2011

Swanpool Beach in Falmouth is set to host two nights of Drive In Movies on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 August.

Playing host to Falmouth’s first drive in movie during 2008, the Swanpool Beach car park proved to be the perfect location for the outdoor extravaganza. Building on the success of 2008, two films were shown last year attracting hundreds of people who enjoyes the screening of Hollywood classic Mamma Mia and Disney’s classic, The Jungle Book.

This year Swanpool Beach will be showing two films on two consecutive nights, 12 and 13 August. The movies are yet to be confirmed but organisers have promised they will be classic films with mass appeal for old and young alike.

Proprietor of Swanpool Beach and event organiser, Pete Lochrie said: “Our first Drive In Movie in 2008 was a huge success and last year proved that people love the experience of a true Drive in Movie. We have the perfect location for staging events like this so I am sure this year will be just as good, if not better.

“We’re in the process of finalising details for the two nights and will be able to announce what films we will be showing soon, needless to say they will definitely be two films that people will enjoy. We’re also hoping, that just like last time, people will really get into the spirit of things and dress up for the event.”

Tickets for the Swanpool Drive In Movies will be available to buy online soon via www.swanpoolbeach.co.uk and will be priced at just £25 per vehicle. Cars, campers and minibuses are all welcome and the ticket price is the same no matter what the size of the vehicle or number of people. Swanpool Beach car park can accommodate up to 250 cars for each movie.

Swanpool Beach Cafe will be open for food and drink during the evening until the start of the films at around 9pm. Tempting movie extras like popcorn and candy floss will also be available from a range of food outlets that will be based at the car park on the night.

From 7pm on both nights the magical and captivating Swamp Circus will be performing their rare and exciting blend of contemporary circus theatre in the open air by the beach.

Pete added: “As we did before, we will be putting up a big screen at the far end of the car park and people will be given a radio frequency to tune their radios to so they can hear the film through their car stereo. People haven’t got to worry about a bit of drizzle, they will still be able to enjoy the film in comfort and be part of a great family friendly event.”

Full detail s of Swanpool Beach Drive In Movies and how to book tickets will soon be online at www.swanpoolbeach.co.uk

Kayak Hire at Swanpool Beach

Come down to Swanpool Beach and get out on the water in one of our single or double kayaks. Kayaks are for hire every day! For more information take a look here: http://www.swanpoolbeach.co.uk/kayaks.html

Curious Swan Behaviour at Swanpool Nature Reserve

As Pete Lochrie of Swanpool Beach reported a couple of months ago (in the paper) the situation regarding the Swans on Swanpool Nature Reserve in that there were two breeding pairs for the first time in over 30 years.

The northern pair ie. The Cob from the last ten years and his new Pen, nested on the raft and laid 8 eggs and managed to rear 4 cygnets. The southern pair (interlopers that the Cob and Pen tolerated) nested in the reeds and had 6 eggs and managed to rear 5 cygnets. Alas when their five cygnets were paraded on the water two of them were lost to seagull attacks.
So both pairs with their cygnets were observing the imaginary boundaries between them and going along very well when early last week I found that the four cygnets from the northern pair had joined forces with the three cygnets of the southern pair and they were quite happily mingling together.
This was very curious behaviour so I sought the advice of the Chiefswanherd at Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset and apparently this happens from time to time, it could be that the southern Pen has a louder call which drew the cygnets to her. It may be that it was very windy and they got blown down the southern end, unable to swim against the force of the wind. Alas again they managed to lose another cygnet and are now down to six cygnets and all happily staying together.
The northern pair don’t appear to be bothered, she could be an inexperienced Pen and not have had cygnets previously or maybe she just wants a ‘gap year’.
However we’ve got 6 beautiful cygnets and two pairs of swans that need feeding on the nature reserve and they make a lovely sight. Proper swan/duck food available at the Swanpool carpark hut.
Some photos to follow in the gallery shortly!

2011 update

Haven’t posted here recently, we’ve just been so busy! What a great start to the year with so much sunshine and a great Easter!
The weather seems to have broken now though but rest assured we’ll still be open everyday with good coffee, food and Quirky Ice Creams.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all our customers! Hope you had a good Christmas too. As ever we’ll be open every day of 2011 so come down and see us. Plus – keep an eye on the website for any upcoming events.
Unfortunately we have had to make a few adjustments to our prices due to the VAT increase but we’d like to assure you that the quality of your food and drink will be as high as ever!

Change of Management : Sam Swap

Cafe Manager Sam is having a baby! So while she’s off on maternity leave. Ben becomes manager, Lauren takes Ben’s place and taking the vacant slot left is…. Sam! Only this time it’s a ‘He’. Sam joins as Supervisor, supporting Ben and Lauren with the everyday running of the cafe.
Hopefully we’ll still see plenty of manager Sam over the rest of her pregnacy and then in the spring with her new baby girl!