Cornish Travels

The coastline in Cornwall is stunning, and it really doesn't take much effort to find a small harbour or a piece of stunning cliff, the trouble is you never get bored of it and you never want to leave again.

Quick Tips:

If you like real ale, then St. Austell Breweries Tribute beer is fantastic. They do a range of beers but my money remains firmly on Tribute, despite not everywhere selling it.

Also you can't go wrong with ice-cream, Kelly's of Bodmin is the best but Roskelly's is almost as good, just mind the calories, with all the Cornish cream in it you'll need to ration yourselves.

Always donate something to the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute) and the Air Sea Rescue as with Cornwall's remote and ever changing weather and coast. It is impossible to say when you might really rely on these guys and they do an amazing and superb job regardless of the risk to themselves. Be sure not to do anything that risks needing them.

Best Way To Get Around:

A car is vital to get to those remote little sandy coves and some of the more out of the way places. Having said that there is a superb bus and train service for all the major towns, and it can be done by public transport if you are prepared to wait and walk a fair bit.

This cottage is in a remote setting but centrally located in Cornwall to allow easy access to all directions. The Eden project is an hour away, whilst Truro and Falmouth are half an hour away. Land's End can also be reached in about an hour.

The cottage is beautifully laid out with a huge corner sofa, TV, DVD, and fireplace in the living room. Stairs lead off up to a large double bed with the usual bedroom furniture. Downstairs there is an adequate shower room and a nice, very well fitted (and new), kitchen which has every gadget you could ever need. Beyond that is a nice dining room which also has a pull out bed should it be required. The owners also give you a key to your own shed where there are bikes and a BBQ. There is also your own area of garden complete with decking and grass should the weather be warm enough to enjoy a beer outside.

There are several local conveniences a mile or so away and plenty of local wildlife to watch.

Well worth a visit but be sure to book in advance as it is a popular place, we booked using Cornish Cottage Holidays.

This a is a stunning pub set on a corner on the main road from Redruth to Falmouth. It is set back from the road with a sizeable car park and is attractively decorated with hanging baskets and flowers. The interior is in keeping with the stylish outside and has a large fireplace. The bar is a small area with plenty of seating and a small restaurant area which should be booked, or arrive early as this is a popular venue. To the left of the bar is a room with a pool table (40p a game) and a dart board (ask behind the bar for the darts). They sell Tribute beer (in my mind the best Cornish beer there is) as well as local IPA and some of the more usual tap beers (eg Fosters). At the back there is a pleasant beer garden for those summer evenings.

The menu is pretty wide ranging and the food fantastic. We went twice and on both occasions could only manage a main course, no way we could have finished a starter or dessert as well! I recommend the steak and kidney pie which has large chunks of meat and comes with lovely chips as well as salad or vegetables (the salad has a nice dressing on it).

Well worth the drive even if that means you can only have a half pint of Tribute.

This a great pub for food. The owner simply pops down to the harbour and buys what fish comes in, so if fish is your thing then eat here. The specials board outside tells you what he has in, the lemon sole is fantastic and huge. Additionally, they do a great surf and turf and a good range of usual pub fare such as lasagna. The drinks aren't bad either although they don't sell my favourite Tribute, everything is reasonably priced.

If you are lucky, during your visit here, a tourist might drive into the front of the pub so they can add to their broken glass collection!

Godrevy is one of those places I am reluctant to share with the world, it is a splendid area and owned by the National Trust. As a result there is a charge for car-parking unless you are a member of the National Trust. (£2.50 a day, and £3.50 in July and August).

You drive a single track road to the end where there is a carpark, get there early to park on the front row facing the sea. A set of steep steps descends to the beach area. To the left there is a sandy area, although you need to walk a few hundred yards past the rocks in order to swim or paddle safely. To the right though is the most fantastic set of rocks which at low tide produce a huge amount of rock pools, bring your fishing nets and buckets and follow the tide out. You won't regret it, even grown adults can lose a few hours trying to catch the little blighters as they swim back and forth tormenting you with your net. At low tide it is possible to get out and further around to the right to several caves.

At high tide it is fun to watch the waves crashing into the cave from above and watch out for seals, they love it here.

Back at the carpark if you follow the path from the back of the carpark up to the cliff edge be careful not to fall over! Here in this cove lives a family of seals, you can walk the coastal path for 6 miles to Portreath from here, passing the infamous Hell's Mouth (serious care is required on the coastal path as many accidents occur each year) and with some of the most stunning views of Cornwall.

From the carpark there is also a good view of the unmanned lighthouse which sits astride a large rocky outcrop just offshore and a good view across the bay to St Ives. You can walk along the beach all the way to the 3 miles of sand at Gwithian (see separate entry).

Sunset here can be beautiful but beware the carpark is locked at night—check on entry what time it closes (in the summer it is usually around 10pm).

Gwithian is 3 miles of beautiful golden sands, stretching from Godrevy (see separate entry) around St. Ives bay almost as far as St Ives itself. The beach is popular with surfers, as the waves can be pretty big even in the summer months...this makes for great wave jumping games!

There are several areas marked with red and yellow flags to show the safe swimming areas and there are a couple of lifeguard huts on the clifftops, as well as a guard who travels the beach on either a quad bike or a pickup truck. Follow their advice, the sea might look stunning but there are some pretty impressive currents. Try wave jumping and then look to see how far away from your clothes the sea has taken you without you even noticing!

This is the Atlantic, and so it is fairly cold all year round but in the summer months this is a refreshing cold rather than a I think I'm going to die cold.

Bring everything you need down to the beach with you as it's a reasonably long walk back to the carpark depending on where you set yourself up, there are 3 miles of beach and no reason for everyone to settle on top of one another near the entrance to the carpark steps!

Enjoy one of Cornwall's finest beaches at any time of the year, it's wonderful.

Goonhilly is the world's largest earth station and has around 60 satellite dishes here, starting with the original one Arthur who stands by the entrance to some very small ones. Arthur might be big but boy can he move, he can spin and dip his dish in an amazingly short period of time. In fact the facts about this place are amazing. On the bus tour you get to stand in the old control tower and learn what each dish does, they are all actively communicating with the entire world all day, every day.

As well as the science aspects, the area is a haven for wildlife and adders are commonly found here so be careful in long grass. There are also rabbits, vast numbers of birds, and a large pond which technically is supposed to be used to put out any fires on site but in fact contains too many species of bird and pond life to be used anymore. It doesn't take long to visit though there is a nice reasonably priced cafe and free Internet access as well as free telephone calls around the world. Collect a token from reception and you get £5 of calls to anywhere in the world—excellent if you are a backpacker. It is more a bizarre place to visit and something that will get your mind working.

Park in the carpark in the town, it operates on an honesty box system and walk the National Trust trail to the point, it is well signposted. The route splits at one point to either reaching it via steps or via a path. The steps are not that steep, and in fact seem quicker.

It is possible to park in the National Trust carpark nearer the point, but this costs more and is often full. There are toilets at this car park, and the youth hostel is just here by the lighthouse and old communications station. The point itself is the most southerly point of Cornwall, and it offers stunning views of the coast. There is a small beach (read very small) down the concrete path, past the old lifeboat station. It is not a good place to swim, and there are no life guards.

A beautiful spot to take a short walk to enjoy, eat ice cream, and sit looking out to sea.

Land's End is somewhere you have to approach on foot...it seems wrong to arrive anyother way. The carpark at Land's End costs a fortune as it funds the Land's End Attractions Park, which is tacky beyond believe and spoils this historic place. However, if you park at Sennen Cove, preferably in the harbour carpark at the very bottom of the hill (just before you and your car end up in the water), it is £1 for 4 hours--which is ample time to climb the cliff and walk the beautiful 1-mile, cliff-top coastal path to Land's End.

The cliffs here are no joke as with much of Cornwall, we arrived to find an air-sea rescue taking place for a young man who had fallen and broken his back, so we're quick to move on. The walk to the point is very up and down, but after the initial steep climb out of the carpark is OK. We took photos and looked for basking sharks, but could see none--though apparently they are often seen here. We did however spot the Isles of Scily on the horizon, 28 miles away. We also stopped for a cold drink at the First & Last House building, which is on a point away from the main attractions area.

It is somewhere you have to visit to say you have been, so I've ticked it off the list now. If you avoid the attractions, it's actually a very beautiful place with some lovely views. Be sure to see the smashed-up ship on the base of the cliff shortly after leaving Sennen Cove.

The road seems to go on forever with no sign of the Eden project, and then suddenly you find yourself in the carpark. Each carpark has the name of a fruit so it is easy to remember where you left the car. You can either walk down the hill to the main entrance or take the complimentary air-conditioned bus instead. We had to queue for quite a while but the queue did move quickly and there were stewards on hand to assist if needed. Once inside the crowds disappear and you find yourself looking down upon the famous domes.

We visited the 'hot one' first. You follow a path that steadily climbs up the dome through various plant displays laid out in countries along with native style huts and waterfalls. It is hot and humid in here but the views from the top are worth it. Some of the plants and flowers are beautiful and there are interesting displays on palms, bananas, and coca.

In the 'cooler' dome, it is more a Mediterranean-style complete with courtyard style gardens, lemon trees, peach trees, and also a lovely display of South African plants. The core is a new building that is an educational building with some interesting displays for children in particular and was opened officially by the Queen 2 days after we were there.

There is also an extensive shop selling all kinds of plants, flowers, books, foods, and local produce as well as several cafes around the site.

If you are feeling brave you can take the zip wire across the site but it's just as fun to watch the brave souls!

Well worth the money to visit and if you are a UK tax payer you can opt to sign up to gift aid which also entitles you to upgrade your ticket to a free annual pass which is great if you are local, or planning to return to this area within in the next 12 months.

A short drive from Goonhilly Earth Station and on the same road is the small village of Coverack, which sits on a steep hill. There are two carparks as you enter the village both on the right-hand side. One is by donation only and is therefore usually full and one is much larger and run by the local council, the charges aren't vast though. A short walk downhill from the carpark brings you to row of little seaside shops selling the bare essentials, and on the left-hand side are steps down to the beach. There is not much in the way of beach, and there are a few rock pools at low tide. Further around the cove are some benches overlooking the sea, an ideal place to sit and eat a packed lunch.

Next to this are area is a Roskelly's ice-cream shop which also does some rather impressive toasted sandwiches for a very reasonable price.

The little harbour also has a carpark, again usually full and a dead-end road, so it's best not to try getting down here when it is busy as the main street is single track. The harbour also runs windsurfing lessons and you can often see them out in the bay.

Coverack is the end of the road but a lovely stopping-off point, and there are some lovely cottages to look at as well as a youth hostel. The hotel does superb cream teas in the summer months, and it's nice to sit on the sloping lawns eating under a big umbrella.

Mevagissey is a fairly large (at least by Cornish standards) harbour town about 5 miles outside of St. Austell. There is a large and cheap carpark on the edge of the town which is probably the best place to abandon your vehicle as the narrow streets of the town are really not designed for cars and are simply asking for you to hit something. One of the local pubs, proudly displays the glass from cars that have managed to hit the front of the building.

The town has a spectacular harbour area, and is best viewed from the road that climbs up away from the town.

In town there are plenty of shops, bars and restaurants to keep everyone happy, including a Kelly's Ice Cream Shop on the front, which has a wide range of flavours available. There are also several places to stay in town and many holiday cottages in the local area. A couple of miles up the road is a large caravan park, with camping facilities and a private beach.