14 CATCH A BREAK IN CORNWALL
As I was going to St Ives, I met a man with seven wives, each wife had seven sacks, each sack had seven cats and each cat had… You don’t have to know the answer to this riddle to enjoy a weekend with your family in this little fishing port on Cornwall’s north coast. St Ives Surf School offers three-day surf camps for absolute beginners to advanced surfers from its headquarters on Porthmeor Beach (three-day course and self-catering package from £150 per person; stivessurfschool.co.uk). Surf students learn about beach safety, paddling techniques, how to catch waves and the fundamentals of getting on the board in the water. Parents can enjoy the Tate St Ives, just a stone’s throw from Porthmeor Beach, or the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden nearby. St Ives has plenty of options for eating out and there are nearly as many pubs as residents.