BEST BEACHES
Marazion Beach in Mounts Bay - accessible for prams and wheelchairs, shallow bathing, close to many food outlets, toilets etc, plenty of water sports Porthcurno - stunning sandy beach, could be tropical! Sennen - great for surfing, bathing and family fun Portherris near Morvah - a hidden gem mainly used by locals, steep path down and up but worth the effort for the fit Cape Cornwall - no sand but great for rockpooling Porthgwarra - another hidden gem, small but stunning beach with excellent little cafe and toilets The Bluff, Hayle - excellent family friendly sandy beach, surf board hire, easy parking and accessible for prams and wheelchairs, with adjacent pub serving food Perranuthnoe Beach, Perranuthnoe – Great family sandy beach with cafes and toilets Gwithian Beach, Hayle – Miles of sandy beach, great for families and surfing
FOR CHILDREN
Marazion, Penzance Prom, St Just and Hayle all have excellent parks for days where the beach just won’t cut it. Look up outdoor adventures at St Michael's Mount, they have some great organised days for children in the school holidays. For really wet weather days, Paradise Park at Hayle is an avian zoo with an excellent jungle barn (indoor play) Gwel-an-Mor has an excellent Base Camp (indoor play) area open to non-residents Swimming in the sea in the rain - kids love this! This has to be followed by a supreme hot chocolate at Sennen Beach Cafe.
EATING
Our favourite cafes are:
Trewidden Tearoom, in your garden!
Duke Street Café, Newlyn
Trengwainton Tearoom, Trengwainton Garden, Madron
Tremenheere Kitchen, Tremenheere Garden, Gulval
Birdies Bistro, Lelant
Agapanthus, Gulval
Porthgwarra Café
Apple Tree Café and Bakery, Sennen
Restaurants (lunch and dinner)
Godolphin Arms, Marazion,
The Old Coastguard, Mousehole
The Gurnards Head, Gurnards Head, Zennor
The Seafood Café, St Ives
Porthminster Café, St Ives
Porthgwidden Beach Café, St Ives
The Bakehouse, Penzance
2 Fore Street, Mousehole
The Beach, St Ives
Best Pubs
The Tinners Arms, Zennor
The Gurnards Head, Zennor
The Sloop Inn, St Ives
The Victoria Inn, Perranuthnoe
The Tolcarne Inn, Newlyn
The Swordfish, Newlyn
THE ARTS
Minack Theatre – internationally acclaimed open air theatre, an absolute must if you can get tickets. We recommend buying frozen pasties (try the Cornish Oven opposite Tesco’s petrol station), baking them before you go, get there early to get the best seats and eating them warm with prosecco or cider before the performance starts!
Newlyn School of Art – closely linked to the artists who have studios in Trewidden Stable Yard. Book a painting course run by nationally acclaimed artists such as Mark Spray during your stay
The Tate, St Ives – recently fully refurbished this is an iconic gallery overlooking the Atlantic with constantly changing exhibitions and many talks.
GARDENS
Tremenheere Sculpture Garden – unique in Cornwall, this sculpture garden has some truly astounding works of art that you literally can immerse yourself in
Trengwainton Garden (National Trust) – a beautifully maintained traditional Cornish Spring Garden
St Michaels Mount Garden (National Trust) – a fascinating garden that gives a masterclass on how to grow a garden on the side of a large rock in the sea.
Caerhays Castle – with close links with Trewidden, open mid February to mid June. Spectacular magnolias, camellias and rhododendrons.
WALKING
Walking
Favourite coastal walks
St Ives to Gurnards Head (Tinners pub and the Gunards Head on the way)
Raginnis Hill in Newlyn to Lamorna (or on to Porthgwarra) and back – cafes in Lamorna Cove and at Porthgwarra)
Marazion to Perranuthnoe/Praa Sand/Porthleven – lots of places to eat at these places
Sennen to Porthgwarra – cafes at both ends of the walk
Inland moorland walk – Men-an-Tol to Rosemergy to Treen (stop at the Gunards Head pub) and back via Greenburrow mine
Walk up Zennor Hill for some staggeringly beautiful views, recover in the Tinners
WATERSPORTS
Surfing at Sennen – lessons and equipment available to hire from Sennen Surfing Centre
Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP) at Mounts Bay. Paddle your way around the Mount or have a play in the harbour. This is superb fun. We recommend Ocean High.
Kitesurfing at Mounts Bay – if the conditions are right this is one of the best beaches to kitesurf at. We recommend using Ocean High
Horseriding in the sea – book a swimming ride with Cornwall Swimming Horses in Mounts Bay, nothing can describe that magical feeling of swimming on a horse!
Sea kayaking – hire a kayak from Ocean High or go on a sea kayak expedition with Paddlecrest coaching. It’s the best way to see the Cornish coastline!
LOCAL SECRETS
The Atlantic Coaster – catch this open top bus at Penzance bus station and tour West Cornwall around the coastline. It’s worth getting an early bus to stop off in some of the towns and villages. We like to get off at Lands End, walk to Sennen and pick up the next bus, stop at St Just for lunch, Zennor for a stroll on the cliffs and St Ives for afternoon tea! Finish back at Penzance train station.
The Jubilee Pool – located on Penzance prom, this Art Deco lido has recently been extensively re-furbished and is soon to offer an all year round heated pool with thanks to geothermal technology.
Catch the train from Penzance to St Ives – starting in Mounts Bay this means of travel is already scenic but once you pass St Erth the views from Lelant to St Ives are out of this world. Not for nothing has this train journey been voted one of the top ten in the UK.
Geevor Mine – Experience the working life of a Cornish miner by walking through the actual underground tunnels at Geevor. They often have interesting activities in the school holidays, and the restaurant has the most stunning sea view.
Porthleven is a small coastal village that is well worth a visit. Beautiful in it’s own right it punches above its weight when it comes to delicious places to eat.
Fresh fish and crab from Newlyn. For the ultimate crab sandwich, mix two parts white meat to one part brown meat, mayonnaise, lemon and black pepper. Absolute heaven!
If you walk from Sennen to Porthgwarra, en-route you will pass the NCI watch house. Knock on the door and the volunteers will be glad to show you their monitors and explain which ships are currently passing Lands End.