Kernow Adventure Park: Cornwall's Flooded Quarry Aquapark

Kernow Adventure Park is one of Cornwall's quietly brilliant family days out: a 21-acre flooded former granite quarry near Mabe Burnthouse, ten minutes from Falmouth, turned into a properly fun water-bound activity centre. Inflatable aquapark, stand-up paddleboards, swim lanes and electric boats, all on the spring-fed clear water of Kessel Quarry, with granite slopes rising on every side.

What it is

Kessel Quarry was worked for over a century for its high-quality granite, and like several other Mabe-area quarries it filled with spring water once the workings closed. The current owners have turned the resulting lake and the surrounding 21 acres into a self-contained water-sports site, with four core activities running through the warmer months:

• The aquapark is the headline attraction, a large floating inflatable obstacle course with slides, climbing walls, jump platforms and the inevitable plunges back into the water. Designed for older children and adults, with age and swimming-ability minimums on the website. Sessions run for a fixed time slot.
• Paddleboarding on the open water is a brilliant introduction to SUP for novices. Calm, flat, easy to read, with no tides or currents to learn. Many beginner paddleboarders come here before tackling the open coast.
• Wild swimming has its own dedicated swim lanes set off from the aquapark and paddleboard areas, making this one of the more controlled wild-swim spots in the area for anyone wary of the open coast.
• E-boats are small electric self-pilot boats you can take out around the quarry, ideal for younger children, parents who would rather stay dry, or anyone wanting a slow tour of the site.

Where it is and how to get there

The site is at Kessel Quarry, signposted from the lanes around Mabe Burnthouse. From Falmouth and Penryn it is around ten minutes by car. There is a free visitor car park on site, and the postcode plus current opening hours are at kernowadventurepark.com.

For Trewena guests, the quarry is roughly five minutes' drive, putting it among the closest paid attractions to the cottages.

On site

Beyond the four activities, the site has the things you need for a half-day visit:

• A small sandy beach at the visitor-centre end of the quarry, where most sessions launch from.
• The cafe and changing facilities in the main building.
• Wetsuit and buoyancy-aid hire included in aquapark and paddleboard bookings, which keeps the practical kit problem solved.
• Picnic areas around the quarry edge for downtime between sessions or a longer afternoon.

The site backs onto walking country in the wider Mabe Parish, and a footpath connects across the fields towards Argal Lake and the network of quarry lanes covered in our walks near Falmouth and Penryn guide.

When to visit

The site is open through the warmer months (typically March through October, with extended hours in school holidays). Booking ahead is essential in summer school holidays and on warm weekend days, when slots sell out a week or more in advance. Quieter visits midweek in spring and early autumn give you more flexibility on timing.

Beyond the quarry

If a day at Kernow Adventure Park has put you in the mood for more outdoor, our cluster of guides covers natural pairings nearby:

• Via Ferrata Cornwall, the iron-stairway adventure centre in the next quarry along.
• The best places to paddleboard in Cornwall, for taking the SUP basics out to the open coast.
• The best wild swimming spots in Cornwall, for once you are ready for cold open water.
• The Argal Lake walk, the gentle inland reservoir loop a short walk away.
• Walks near Falmouth and Penryn, for the wider Mabe Parish footpath network and the granite quarry country.
• The Flicka Foundation Donkey Sanctuary at Mabe Burnthouse, for the gentler family day-out option a few minutes away.