Headland Hotel | Helen Glynn Jones

Yesterday would have been the 100th birthday of author Roald Dahl so, in celebration, my Wednesday Wander this week has a Roald Dahl connection.

This is Headland Hotel in Newquay, Cornwall, and it was the location where Roald Dahl’s The Witches was filmed, starring Angelica Houston as the Head Witch.

With magnificent sea views overlooking Fistral Beach, the hotel has a storied history. The so called Newquay Riots took place during the building of the hotel, when local fisherman claimed the land was common land where they had dried their nets for generations. Out of work miners were eventually brought in to complete the build, but arson, looting and general anarchy carried on for several years.

However, eventually the hotel was completed, and the first guests arrived in 1900. It was considered the height of luxury at the time, and several royals, including King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, stayed there. However, after the Second World War the hotel fell into decline, until the 1970s when it was purchased by the Armstrong family, who restored it to its former glory.

Since then, the hotel has been used for many TV and film productions, and is also a very nice place to stay. We were lucky enough to spend a few nights there several years ago, and I can recommend the food, the ambience and the spa, as well as the surfboard storage lockers (very handy when catching a wave out front!)