Stand on the very edge of the craggy cliff as the gale blows a hooley off the sea. The spume flies through the air, drenching you even though you’re a hundred feet above the beach. Gulls are wheeling and crying above. The clouds are tearing across the sky. It’s all drama, and it’s exhilarating.
In summer it’s a different story and just as compelling. The glorious Cornwall coast is just one of the county’s many attractions. Inland we have wild moorland and serene farmland, rolling hills studded with ancient mines, fabulous hiking trails like the Camel Trail, and Poldark country at its finest. Let’s explore.
17 stunning Cornish beaches to fall in love with
- Perranporth Beach is huge, surrounded by cliffs and dunes, popular for snorkelling, paddling and sunbathing
- Chapel Bar beach is ten minutes walk from Padstow, where Rick Stein’s seafood restaurant is and where the Camel river flows into the ocean
- Bedruthan Steps Beach near Newquay is sometimes closed because of falling rocks from the cliffs, but when open it is magnificent with its views of towering rock stacks and dizzying cliffs
- Walkers love long, sandy Carne beach on the lovely Roseland Peninsula
- Cadgwith Beach consists of two shingle beaches on The Lizard, by the pretty fishing village of Coverack
- Sandy, golden Porthcurno Beach is a beauty, stretching on and on…
- The beaches at Whitsand Bay give you more than 3 miles of sands to stroll, all the way from Rame Head to Portwrinkle
- Falmouth’s huge Gyllyngvase Beach has gorgeous sea views to Pendennis Castle
- Castle Beach in Falmouth is great for exploring rock pools
- Porthtowan Beach has excellent surf
- Polzeath Beach is quieter than the beach at Padstow and is brilliant for surfing
- Prussia Cove is rugged and eerie, an unusual coastal experience for adventure-lovers
- Carbis Bay Beach is a mile from St Ives, popular for chilled times
- Kynance Cove’s famous white sand beckons, with its amazing serpentine rock formations
- Sennen Cove Beach lies north of Land’s End, just as good for relaxing as it is for surfing
- Portreath Beach is perfect for swimming and sunbathing
- Crackington Haven Beach is a proper haven from the bustling crowds, in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
10 cool Cornwall attractions not to miss
- The Rock Oyster Music Festival in late July
- The Lost Gardens of Heligan, gorgeous all year with a special Night Garden event through winter, where it’s lit up beautifully for drama after dark
- Newquay Zoo is always fun as well as educational, a fab day out for the little ones and grown-ups alike with plenty of special events to enjoy
- Fall in love with amazing art at Penlee house, Penzance
- Hit the Turner Gallery in St Ives for a cultural treat like no other with spectacular sea views, and visit Barbara Hepworth’s studio in town while you’re there
- St Austell Arts Centre is amazing, offering a choice of events through the year
- Head for Truro to experience the Royal Cornwall Museum, which hosts year-round events
- Paradise Park, St Ives, is a delightful place with exotic birds you can feed by hand
- Foodies flock to Fowey Hall Hotel
- Visit any of numerous antique shops in Cornwall to find souvenirs with a difference in a world where we’re all keen to re-use, re-purpose, and re-cycle!
Two magnificent Cornwall hiking trails to wander
The South West Coast Path is an epic adventure running along Devon’s coast, around the Cornish coast and onwards to the east, a total of 630 miles of drama and thrills. You can pick it up at every coastal town and village as it winds its way above the craggy cliffs, through vast dunes, along the rim of brackish farmland and the fringes of huge sandy beaches.
Check before you walk – some of it is easy enough, a nice stroll along the water’s edge, but at other times it’s steep, craggy, and extremely hard work. Whatever the weather you’ll need the right shoes. Flipflops won’t cut it!
The Camel Trail takes you 18 miles around the lovely Cornish countryside. Because it’s mostly flat it makes for easy walking, also great for cycling, horse riders, and wheelchair users. Created on a disused railway line through Wenfordbridge, Bodmin, Wadebridge and Padstow, you can stop off at any of the towns for a drink and a snack. Hardy folk walk the whole path in a day, gentler souls enjoy a shorter, more leisurely walk.
Cornwall UK day tours to remember
If you have a few days going spare and want to immerse yourself in the best Cornwall offers, book yourselves a Best of Cornwall five day tour taking in the coast, the towns, and the gorgeous countryside inland. St Michael’s Mount is quite something to see, like a fairytale palace on its own island. Historic houses and lush gardens, the Eden Project, Boscastle, Marazion, Tintagel, Truro, Pendennis castle, it’s all on the menu.
A dedicated Poldark tour whisks you into the TV world with visits to the series’ most recognisable and important film locations. The tour of some of Cornwall’s old mines adds flavour to the romance. Alternatively book a Port Isaac tour focusing on North Cornwall and the TV show locations for the TV series Doc Martin.
If remote moorland dings your bell there are day tours of beautiful, wild Bodmin Moor via the lovely Fowery river, taking you to windy, empty places where the rocky bones of the land poke through the grasses and mosses. Or do Falmouth and The Lizard on a day, taking in both the pretty town and one of the coast’s favourite landmarks for a flavour of Cornwall at its best.
The Roseland Peninsula itself, sleepy and welcoming, is home to the Lost Gardens of Heligan, literally unforgettable in their peace and mellow beauty. Or you can make your way on a guided tour from Penzance and St Michael’s Mount, along the coast to Land’s End, then onwards to quaint St Ives, where there are enough art galleries and cool shops to keep you fascinated for hours.
Where will your first UK day tours Cornwall experience take you?
Whether you’re into nature or fab food, live music or surfing, hiking or leisurely walks to astonishing places, we have a day tour for you.
Comment (0)