Cornwall

A wealth of culture, heritage and entertainment...

Explore Cornwall’s heritage from tin mines to picturesque fishing villages and ancientstone monuments. Wayside crosses and holy wells are reminders that the Cornish are true Celts. Discover tales of piracy and smuggling and explore Cornwall’s past in lonely engine houses, great manor houses and castles.

Cornwall is also famous for its artistic and cultural heritage – poets and writers in earlier times such as Dickens, Tennyson and Hardy made the pilgrimage and later Daphne du Maurier, Sir John Betjeman, Winston Graham and Rosamunde Pilcher. Artists such as Barbara Hepworth and Bernard Leach found inspiration here too. A wealth of music and dance can be found at events and festivals throughout the year as well as in pubs and parks, on quaysides and cliff tops. Visit the Tate Gallery at St. Ives and the famous open air Minack Theatre at Porthcurno.

Cornwall’s climate makes it the home of fabulous sub-tropical gardens and a visit to one of them is a must: Trebah, Glendurgan or Tresco Abbey on the Isles of Scilly. The famous Lost Gardens at Heligan and the now internationally renowned Eden project. Enjoy a break in the Spring to see Cornish gardens at their very best as well as enjoying the mild weather that brings out the fabulous daffodils in nearly every roadside verge and hedge.

Cornwall also boasts a wealth of National Trust and English Heritage properties to discover and explore as well as almost every type of visitor attraction you can think of from working farms, steam railways, fun parks to animal sanctuaries. Water sports lovers will revel in the choice of activities that can be found: surfing, body boarding, kite surfing, coasteering, canoeing, and water-skiing, or simply messing about in boats. Day trips to the Isles of Scilly or just a coastal excursion to see the seals and dolphins will delight the whole family.

No holiday would be complete without tucking into to some traditional Cornish fare; the seas around Cornwall are amongst the cleanest in Europe and fish served up in the evening may well have been caught that same morning, so whether you’re enjoying a gourmet meal in a top restaurant or tucking into fish and chips, you’ll be sure the seafood will be unbeatable. Cornish pasties from little village bakeries and mounds of golden clotted cream on a scone will test your willpower. Local breweries will also tempt you with Cornish ales and cider, and don’t forget to try traditional saffron cake and clotted cream fudge.