Get your bearings
Cornwall is England’s south-western tip, where the UK dips her toe into the Atlantic ocean.
Land’s End’s stacks and arches and the
Lizard Point’s rocky outcrops mark the country’s most extreme points. It’s a county of two coastlines where rugged headlands alternate with surfing beaches and sleepy bays. The pastel cottages of
Padstow,
Newquay’s tiny international airport and the seaside art of
St Ives mark the northern shore. In the south, ales are brewed at
St Austell and cathedral spires pinpoint
Truro.
Bodmin is Cornwall’s inland heart where the moor is dotted with granite tors.
Abundant beaches
Cornwall’s pale, silky sands and deep bays can compete with any Caribbean paradise. Children paddle in shallow streams left by the tide on the tiny dog-free bay of
Porthcurno, south of Penzance, where the rocky steps clamber to the rock-carved
Minack Theatre. Horse riders take seaside gallops when the tide drops back on the north coast’s
Perranporth beach, which stretches for two miles. Surfers head for tides at the unspoilt beaches and bays below the grey slate cottages of
St Merryn. In
Looe, Hannafore Beach rock pools spill with wildlife in low tide, while the grassy dunes behind
Praa Sands draw seabirds and butterflies on the south coast.
Cornwall outdoors
Follow the woodland trail around the 13th- century estate at
Trevarno Gardens near Penzance where peacocks strut across the lawns. Wander the wilds of
Bodmin Moor and stop for Cornish ale at
Jamaica Inn or trek the South West Coast Path from
Zennor to
St Ives over stiles and past clifftop farms. Cornwall’s surf scene draws pros and amateurs to boogie board in the Atlantic breakers between the headlands at north coast
St Agnes and
Newquay.
Family fun
Wobbly bridges and punch bags break toddler tumbles at
Crazy Camel Indoor Playground in Wadebridge. Little pirates love boat safaris that launch from
Padstow and
St Ives to spot porpoises diving and seals basking. Clamber with the kids through the bomb-proof Second World War tunnels at
Porthcurno Telegraph Museum near Land’s End.
A taste of Cornwall
Work up an appetite with a rainforest expedition around a biome greenhouse before beer and curry at the
Eden Project ecological park. Taste antipasti cooked with Cornish produce at
Fifteen restaurant set in a renovated wooden beach hut on
Watergate Bay. For seafood straight off the trawlers, head to
Padstow to pick from four Rick Stein restaurants.
