Towns and Places of interest

Newquay is the surfing capital of Great Britain. Its golden beaches and more importantly its plentiful supply of quality waves draw surfers here each year.  The town offers party-goers a fine selection of pubs and clubs. There’s plenty for the family too, with lots of exciting activities from adventure parks, to aquariums and zoos to fun in the sea or plain old sandcastle making on the beach.

Truro is home to Cornwall’s only Cathedral. The fine Victorian Cathedral with its tall spire stands out amidst the smaller surrounding buildings, and while the city is a busy commercial and administrative centre for the county, it still pervades a small-town atmosphere. Lemon Street is one of the most complete Georgian streets you’ll see in Britain.

St Ives is famed for its world class beaches, but there’s more to the town than just this. Narrow alleyways and cobbled lanes, amidst the tightly packed granite cottages and houses eventually bring you out into a harbour which was once one a major fishing centre in medieval times while the locally mined tin was also exported from here. The construction of the railways towards the end of the 19th century bought tourists to the region and also included a number of artists who wanted to paint the beautiful scenes they saw, so art has shaped much of the culture in St. Ives, which has a number of galleries, as well as craft shops. In nearby Penzance, there are a number of interesting buildings such as the exotic Egyptian House formed from two 1830’s cottages on Chapel Street.

Truro is home to Cornwall’s only Cathedral. The fine Victorian Cathedral with its tall spire stands out amidst the smaller surrounding buildings, and while the city is a busy commercial and administrative centre for the county, it still pervades a small-town atmosphere. Lemon Street is one of the most complete Georgian streets you’ll see in Britain.

Padstow’s colourful working harbour is surrounded by pastel-washed medieval houses. You can stop off at one of the high quality restaurants or enjoy mooching through the quality boutiques in the town. 

Mousehole is a typical Cornish village, once famed for its pilchard fishing. Cottages are clustered together above the high-walled harbour.

Polperro lies at the end of a steep narrow valley. Tiny houses and enchanting narrow lanes cling to the steep hillsides surrounding the picture perfect harbour.

St Michael’s Mount is an iconic island which rises gracefully to the church and castle at its summit. The island is accessed on foot at low tide across a causeway or at other times it is reached by a short boat trip. The oldest surviving buildings date from the 12th century, when a Benedictine priory was founded here.

Tintagel Castle was the birthplace of King Arthur, so legend has it. Today, the remains of Tintagel castle stand on rugged cliffs and is an awe-inspiring place.

Towns and Places of interest

Cornwall’s stunning coastline with golden beaches hidden coves and peaceful creeks provides walkers with some great cliff top coastal paths where you can find a plethora of bird life and can often spot dolphins passing, and with an inland network of more than 2,400 miles of footpaths, it’s easy for walkers to find nature here.

Cornwall also offers cyclists a great variety from quiet country lanes which meander through picturesque villages and ancient harbours, to more challenging off-road routes which explore the depths of the Cornish countryside.  

Surfing can be done at a number of Newquay beaches and there are plenty of companies running numerous courses for all ages and standards. North coast of Cornwall is the best place for surfing!

The Eden Project is a spectacular global garden made up of a series of gigantic domes called ‘biomes’ in which the environments of the world’s major climate zones are re-created, with exotic plants and trees.

The Lappa Valley Steam Railway near Newquay is actually three separate miniature railways running through a wonderful oasis of conservation, where wildlife thrives in a protected environment. 

Hidden Valley Discovery Park is a picturesque country park with miniature model railway, beautiful gardens, scenic walks, fishing lakes and the "Crystal Challenge" game

Healey’s Cornish Cider Farm south of Newquay produces over 40 varieties of delicious fruit products, including ciders, wines and jams. You can take a guided tour of the farm and visit the museum all for free. 

The Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro has some fine and decorative art collections by Cornish artists, designers and makers but also contain significant works by nationally and internationally important artists from other parts of the world.