I know this blog is extremely late considering I went away in August, but life has been so busy lately. I hope you all enjoy reading about my adventures in Cornwall, we really crammed in as much as possible. This blog will hopefully help you see just how much Cornwall has to offer!
The last time I had been in Cornwall was about 8 years ago on a family camping holiday. Those holidays were full of beach days, body boarding and mini adventures around Western Cornwall. So, here I am writing about my latest adventures revisiting Cornwall with my boyfriend.
We were in Cornwall for a week at the end of August and had a big list of places we wanted to visit. Starting from homeland (Surrey/South London), we journeyed down to Salisbury where we camped for a night at Bake Farm to break up the journey. This campsite was very basic; a field with a toilet and shower as its only facilities. Basic as it was, it accommodated our late arrival and did the job for a night sleep…I’d say good, but who really has a good night sleep in a sleeping bag on a roll mat?
Breaking up our journey enabled us to make more of a day out on our drive all the way down to Penzance, where we would be staying for the week. We stopped at Tintagel and St Nectans Glen on route, as they were two places on our list a little too far North/East of Cornwall to travel to during the week of our stay.
Our accommodation was a newly renovated apartment/ annex that we found on booking.com and was a really good central location for many of the areas we wanted to visit. The property was called 'The Annex' in Madron, Penzance and I highly recommend it; the owners are very welcoming and happy to help give recommendations and local tips.
Our adventures are all around Southern/Western Cornwall and consist of a lot of coastal walks, beaches and the standard tourist attractions of Cornwall. I am writing this as my own overview and as a guide for you guys, should you want to follow any of my plans in the future. The places listed below are in the order we visited them in and I will include information regarding parking and tickets where necessary. Please be sure to check online for up-to-date ticket prices etc.
WESTERN CORNWALL IN A WEEK?! Here's what we did:
St Nectans Glen, Trethevy:
Our first pit stop en route to Penzance was St Nectans Glen, home to a waterfall that drops through the rocks. Parking is located approx a 15 minute walk away from the bottom of the stream that travels from the waterfall and is £3 for all day. You follow up the stream until you reach the gated entrance and cafe at the top; it's here you can pay to go in and see the waterfall up close and tread through the waters and stepping stones.
*Heads up: be prepared to either take your shoes off or get your feet wet as you have to walk through the water.*
St Nectans Glen is claimed to be a spiritual and sacred place. People hang string on trees around the waterfall as they believe it to have healing powers and you’ll notice that there are coins pressed into the bark on the tree trunks. If you do go, take and look and see what the oldest coin you can find is!
Tintagel:
Tintagel is 5 minutes down the road from St Nectans Glen and is a small village that leads downhill to its own beach and Tintagel Castle. Tintagel and Tintagel Castle are associated with legends surrounding King Arthur. Parking here is £3 all day in most of the car parks; you will probably need all day (3+ hours) if you’re planning to visit the castle and the beach.
Tintagel beach has many coves and caves that can be reached and walked through when the tide is out. The beach also features a waterfall over the cliff drop to the beach and great views of the newly built footbridge which is part of Tintagel Castle. There is a fee to cross the bridge and enter the castle ruins, info can be found here >>> Tintagel Castle
St Michaels Mount
This was our first stop on day two, with tickets booked for 10:30am. St Michaels Mount is a tidal Island, home to a castle and gardens owned by The National Trust and the St Aubyn family. The Mount is accessible from Marazion Bay by boat or on foot via a man made causeway when the tide is out. There is no access onto the Island without a ticket for either the Castle or the Gardens, however you can still walk along the causeway when it is open/ accessible with the tide timings. We had to get a boat to the Mount and back as the tide was still in. Boat tickets can be booked with your tickets online.
For more information visit - St Michaels Mount
Penzance
Penzance was our central location. It’s a lovely town with a beach that overlooks St Michaels Mount, a harbour (boat trips run from here), high street shops, supermarkets and pubs/restaurants. Ferries and helicopters to the Isle’s of Scilly run from Penzance daily too. In peak season times there is a small fee for parking in the harbour, however parking is then free after 4pm. We parked at the harbour one evening and sat with fish and chips on a camp chair, whilst watching the boats sail in and out.
Mousehole
Mousehole is a short drive West along the coast from Penzance, even walkable if you fancied a long walk. We drove here after we finished at St Michaels Mount and parked in one of the bays on the side of the road, just before you reach Mousehole. In Mousehole you will find a picturesque harbour, gift shops, ice cream shops and many rock pools to adventure when the tide is out.
Minack Theatre
The Minack Theatre is a manmade outdoor theatre built into the cliff edge at Porthcurno. It was built by one woman with an ambition to offer a stage for entertainment. The Minack Theatre is a must see, for its uniqueness, views and history. Tickets for the Minack are approx £7.50 for a standard entry to walk around the theatre. The Theatre still hosts shows and plays regularly, tickets can be booked online for these too.
There is parking at The Minack Theatre, however be aware that if you are planning to do sightseeing in the surrounding areas you will be asked to remove your car from their car park. There are alterantive car parks shortly before and after The Minack Theatre for approx £3 all day.
We parked in an alternative car park as we arrived early for our 10am booking slot and the car park hadn't been opened. The benefit of the early booking and being early did mean that we were one of the first few through the entrance to the theatre; making a great opportunity for photos of the theatre without anyone in the shot!
Porthcurno Beach + Pedn Vounder
Porthcurno beach is a sandy beach with blue waters and worth noting; it has lifeguards. Access to the beach is from the car park (before the Minack Theatre) or from a cliff side step climb down from The Minack Theatre entrance. We went down the cliff side steps after finishing in The Minack Theatre and headed to the coastal path that runs round the back of Porthcurno beach, leading towards Pedn Vounder beach. Pedn Vounder offers incredible views of blue seas, the Minack Theatre at a distance and golden sandy beaches down from the cliff line. The walk down to Pedn Vounder beach from the coastal path is rather rocky and steep. The final decline is a rock climb down the cliff edge onto the beach. I was a chicken and opted against climbing down the last bit, however it was nice enough to sit and look at the views (and watch on as others attempted the climb!)
Lands End
Lands End is pretty much what it says on the tin, ‘ Lands End’. It marks the furthest Westernly point of the UK Mainland and has the famous landmark sign giving miles to New York and John O’Groats (the most Northernly point of the UK Mainland). Lands End is free to enter however to park on site is £7 per vehicle (no matter what time you arrive). I recommend parking in bays a little further away from the attraction if possible to save money. At Lands End you will see views of the light house, amusements such as 4D rides and cinemas and a variety of foods and drinks, including the first and last refreshment house in England; my fave out of it all- fresh doughnuts!!
In the Summer months Lands End hosts a weekly firework display, which on a Summers evening after sunset makes the perfect end to a day. For information on what’s on at Lands End check their website and social media pages closer to your visit.
Sennen cove & Coastal Path
If you’re a lover of white sand and bright blue seas (more noticible on a clear sunny day), then this is a beach you must visit. There is a coastal path that runs to/from the Lands End attraction to Sennen Cove that takes approx 20 minutes. Along the coastal path between the two points you will see the shipwreck remains of RMS Mulheim on the shore below the cliffs. If your quite the explorer you can make the trek down the streamline between the cliffs to the ship wreck. It is advised against going onto the actual shipwreck and surrounding shoreline due to metals and unstable surfaces. We stopped at the bottom of the stream and that was realistically as far as you would need/want to go.
If you get good weather then Sennen Cove is a beach to sit on, catch a tan and take a swim. When we did the walk from Lands End to Sennen Cove the weather was very cloudy and overcast so we opted to head back the way we came.
As you can tell, day three was a busy one with lots of walking!!!
Poldhu Beach & Mullion Cove
Poldhu is a National Trust beach and runs along the coastline South, towards Kynance Cove and Lizard Point. This beach is a good location to learn how to surf and has rock pools and a mini cove to explore.
Mullion Cove is a fishing harbour not far from Kynance Cove. It has some great rock formations and caves amongst turquoise seas. We did these two locations as pit stops en route to Kynance Cove on day four.
Kynance cove
Kyanance Cove is one of Cornwalls most popular beaches and if you’ve seen pictures then you will see why. It has white sands, contrasting cliff edges and turquoise seas. There are two paths that lead down to the beach from the car park (Free parking for National Trust Members- fee for all day parking), one path is for high tide and one that can be walked at low tide…if you take this path too early be prepared to get your feet wet. At low tide you can explore all the caves that Kynance Cove has to offer, just don’t get stuck if the tide starts to come back in. This is one beach that I highly recommend you take a visit too.
We arrived at Kynance Cove mid morning and the weather was slightly overcast, so we decided to take a coastal walk to Lizard Point. By the time we returned to Kynance Cove the sun had re-appeared and the tide was far enough out for us to explore more of the beach and its walk through caves.
Lizard Point
Lizard Point is the most Southernly point of the UK Mainland. There is a coastal path from Kynance Cove that leads into Lizard Point, this takes approx 1 hour. Along the coastal path you will see breathtaking views of cliff edge rock pools below, hidden beach bays (no access) and the potential sightings of seals on the approach to Lizard Point. In the town there are gift shops and cafes, making it a good place to stop for lunch or a quick refreshment if you’re taking the coastal path back.
St Ives
St Ives is a harbour town and is known for its art galleries, including Tate St Ives. The town and high streets are on a hill, inclining the further away from the harbour you get. Along the streets you’ll find bakers, fudge makers and surf/clothing shops. There's one fudge shop that my family go to traditionally every time we visit Cornwall… we never go to Cornwall and not come back with fudge!
The harbour side has an old lifeboat station, many restaurants and is a great place to find booking stands for boat trips out exploring the coast of Cornwall and to Seal Island. St Ives can get very busy during the day in the Summer months, so just be aware of this.
St Ives was our first stop on day five of our adventures, car parks were almost at a 'one in one out' point a the time we were leaving. Arrive early to avoid disappointment in car parks!
Hayle
Hayle is slightly East to St Ives and has a great sandy beach located on each side of the estuary, where the River Hayle meets the sea. Apart from the beach there is very little to see and do in Hayle. We stopped for a wonder through town and down to the beach on the way to Godrevy from St Ives; apart from an Asda supermarket and a few antiques shops, there was very little around.
Godrevy
This was a great place for Seal spotting. We visited here on the same day as St Ives and Hayle. Having purchased some binoculars in the lifeboat station in St Ives, I was ready for Seal watching.
Godrevy is a National Trust site with a beach and viewpoints of Godrevy lighthouse. If you take a walk along the beach and onto the rocks you can find great spots to sit and watch the sea and look out for Seals. FYI- we saw 3 seals that day!
Falmouth
Falmouth is home to another estuary and its many harbour docks. The main town boasts shops, cafes, restaurants and the sale of boat tickets up the estuary. At the furthest point towards the coast edge of Falmouth is Pendennis Castle. Pendennis Castle is and English Heritage site, but it does have accessible foot paths around various points so you can see the odd bit or two of the castle.
We took a scenic (longer) route back to Penzance from Falmouth, via Durgan and Bosveal. These are two National Trust sites with different beaches and viewpoints, a lot smaller and quieter than the usual hot spots.
Cape Cornwall
We spent our last day adventuring round the old tin and copper mining area in which spreads from Cape Cornwall in St Just to Bottallack and Pendeen. The coastal walk, if done in its entirety, is a good few miles of walking. We chose to break up the walks by returning to the car and driving further along to the next National Trust car park, a perk of being a member and not having to pay for parking!
If you’re interested in viewing old remains, entering an old mine tunnel (it’s DARK) and learning about some of the history of what went on in Cornwall then this is a great place. We chose to visit here as on a walking tour list we had seen and was close enough to Penzance, meaning we would be late back to the apartment. A chilled night before the journey home was very much needed after the week of adventures.
Newquay
Just when you thought I’d finished… we stopped off in Newquay on our route home. Newquay has a great beach and weather permitting, it can be great for sunbathing and surfing. Aside from this, Newquay is just another major town within Cornwall, one I think you have to be able to say you’ve been to. When I used to go to Newquay as a child I’d always leave with a lifeguard hoodie. If you have ever been to cornwall, you’ll know exactly what I mean by a lifeguard hoodie, they are a true CLASSIC!
There you have it, my ultimate guide to exploring Cornwall in 7 days!
I hope you enjoyed reading and viewing some of my pictures; to see more and what other adventures I get up to make sure you're following me on Instagram- Zoe_barber.
Take care,
Zo
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