Fir Hill is a truly unique glamping retreat and outdoors wedding & event venue near Newquay.
My friend Liv and I had the pleasure of staying here with the dogs a couple of weekends ago, and we had the most amazing time! We spent two nights here at Fir Hill staying in one of the 3-berth yurts, with our own outdoor kitchen and seating area. The dogs were in pure heaven, and since coming home I’m genuinely considering giving everything up to run away and live in a yurt in the wild outdoors 😂 it’s so much fun!
About Fir Hill Estate
Located just outside Porth in Newquay, Fir Hill is one of Cornwall’s oldest family estates, with 62 acres of private woodlands overlooking Porth Reservoir. It’s been owned by the Hoblyn family since the 16th century, but after a large fire in the 1940s, the estate was left abandoned until Charlie Hoblyn took over to start this restoration in 2012.
The site is now home to beautiful maintained fields/gardens, woodland paths, orchards and fruit trees, plus the Fir Hill glamping retreat itself which houses 15 Mongolian style yurts and large, modern communal areas.
Unique Weddings, Wedfests & Events at Fir Hill
How does the space work for events?
Fir Hill lends itself perfectly to unique and outdoorsy events, weddings and celebrations. The whole site is available for hire, which would be an amazing, private experience thanks to its secluded location. And even though the estate is tucked out of the way in the middle of the countryside, with no one else around, it’s still really close to the A30 (and even Newquay airport!) to ensure your guests can get there easily.
The luxury yurts on the site can provide beautiful, comfortable accommodation for over 70 guests (plus with the option of hiring additional bell tents for around the huge field space!), and The Cowshed offers an indoor chill out space and communal showers and toilets too.
There are also loads of communal outdoor seating areas, such as the Terrace and Upper Terrace areas which are perfect for gathering for food and drinks, having music, or whatever you like! Fir Hill can also organise marquees around the site for your event as well.
If you didn’t need to hire the whole site for your event, you can also do partial hire of specific areas as well (eg. stag/hen dos, reunions and small parties). The owner, Charlie, is super friendly and helpful if you have any questions!
What is a ‘Wedfest’?
I hadn’t heard of this phrase before, but it’s basically a wedding celebration in the theme of a festival (sounds RIGHT up my street!). It often happens across a couple of days / a weekend, so people really feel in the festival spirit.
Fir Hill has hosted a few of these and they work so well with such a spacious site like this that’s totally private!
Glamping & Yurt Holidays in Cornwall
Your Luxury Yurt Space
You can also book a weekend or week holiday in Fir Hill’s luxury yurts too (like we did!), with friends or family – and even the dogs (they have dedicated dog friendly yurts). This was so much fun and I’d highly recommend if you’re looking for a glamping holiday in Cornwall!
The yurts themselves are beautiful Mongolian style ‘Gers’ yurts (there are 4 x ‘couples-plus’ yurts which have a double bed and single bed, and 9 x family yurts which sleep up to 6), and are decorated inside with proper beds & bedding, rugs, tables and mirrors to help you make yourself at home. They have proper doors with locks as well for when you’re out exploring (not that you really need that in a place like this!), and solar lanterns are provided as there’s no electricity throughout the fields.
Outside, each yurt has its own private ‘garden’ space, with outdoor ‘kitchen’, seating area, water tap (fresh, drinkable spring water!) and BBQ. You’re totally off-grid up here, but I love that Fir Hill provide gas camping stoves, a cool box, and crockery/cooking utensils for you in the sheltered kitchen area so you can still make everything you need!
The Communal Areas
Down by the entrance to the site, there are lots of outdoor communal areas and terraces to chill out on, and also the beautiful ‘Cowshed’ building, which houses 8 toilet & shower rooms, a communal indoor kitchen, and lounge area with TV. You can also find wifi access down here and charging points (as there’s no wifi / electric at the yurts – although we did get a little 4G/phone signal by ours!).
This space really makes the whole experience feel super luxurious, because even though you’re totally off-the-grid in your yurt area, you’re never far from home comforts and a great space to relax and socialise.
Dog Friendly Glamping
There are several dog friendly yurts available on the site and I’m so glad we brought the dogs with us because they had THE BEST time. It all feels really relaxed, so the dogs were happily running around the fields and woodlands enjoying themselves, and because each yurt has its own garden space, we spent most of our time chilling in the outdoors in the sunshine with them.
It’s also really close to Newquay which is super dog friendly! Most restaurants and beaches are dog friendly so you can take your pups with you for the whole day. Just bear in mind that some beaches (including Porth beach) have dog beach bans between May and October between certain times of day – but you’re pretty much always find after 6pm!
The Location & Things To Do Near Porth, Newquay
Fir Hill’s location is fantastic both for exploring the Cornish coast, and finding delicious spots to eat and drink, as Newquay has so much! I’ve listed some of my favourite spots and things to do below.
Beaches & Coast Path
- Porth Beach
Porth beach is an absolute beauty on a warm summer’s day! The beach does have a dog ban between May – October which means they’re not allowed on between 10am and 6pm in these months, BUT a great place to stop for the sunset. Also don’t forget to pop into Roo’s Beach for some shopping and coffee!
- Watergate Bay
Watergate Bay is a huge stretch of beach when the tide is out, and is dog friendly all year round, making it the perfect spot for getting out some of that doggy energy!
- Mawgan Porth
We love Mawgan Porth for a surf and also because it’s dog friendly all year round as well. There are lots of rocks and caves to explore here too. Best spot for a sunset!
- Bedruthan Steps coast path
This is an iconic strip of Cornish coast thanks to the interesting rock formations and cliffs, so don’t miss a hike around here!
- Treyarnon to Porthcothan coast path
I think this is one of the most epic stretches of coast path in Cornwall. Incredible on a clear day – but I’d recommend keeping dogs on leads as some of the cliffs are sheer drops!
Where To Eat & Things to Do in Newquay
- 12 Beach Road in Newquay
This fun eatery looks out over Towan beach in Newquay and has a balcony and terrace for outdoor eating too. The decor inside has a beachy lounge vibe, and dogs are very welcome too! I’ve had tacos here before which were amazing, and on our recent visit we were spoiled with amazing cocktails, and one of the best chicken burgers I’ve ever had! Liv had the surf & turf, and I’m definitely keen to come back and try more of this epic menu.
Find out more at: https://www.12beachroad.co.uk/
- Bellyboarding with Dick Pearce boards
If you haven’t got dogs with you then you definitely need to try a surf lesson (or even coasteering) when you’re in Newquay, BUT bellyboarding is something you can do with dogs if they’re happy splashing around in the shallows with you. Dick Pearce is an awesome brand based here in Cornwall who create handmade wooden bellyboards that you can hire from various shops around Newquay or buy your own! This is so much better for the environment than buying those cheap £5 foam boards and chucking them after a couple of uses, so definitely check them out to hire instead.
Take a look at the Fir Hill website to book your next glamping trip or unique Cornish wedding/event!
*We were offered a complimentary stay at Fir Hill (and lunch at 12 Beach Road) in exchange for a review, but all opinions are my own. This space is amazing! Thanks so much to Charlie for having us.
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