Cornwall in May

[ynwa2009]

What about a drive to Lands End? We also love Perranporth, lovely beach and a great cafe for breakfast called Pickwicks

Also Healys cider farm

[animal 1970]

crabbing at looe one of the best days out for almost no cost,perranporth beach is always a winner

[princess allie]

Tintagel is a good day out and there is a lovely pasty shop in the village.

[cornishfrogboy]

All of the below are easily researched and you will thus get a better idea...

There is a very good Aircraft Museum at Newquay Airport, it is ‘hands on’ in approach and you can get in to many of the aircraft.

Newquay Zoo is surprisingly big and well presented.

Eden project is good, and the food provided in the restaurant, excellent.

Tintagel Castle is very beautiful, atmospheric and has a new access suspension bridge.

Both Wheal Geevor and Levant are mining heritage museums where they tell the story extremely well (Levant had a very famous disaster). Levant is also very close to the Botallack engine houses (look them up and you will recognise them).
Lands end is a shameless tourist trap that with research, you can see without paying. (Footpaths).


Porthcurnow beach (telegraph museum and Minack theatre) is very beautiful and sometimes you will see Basking Sharks from the theatre. If an event is on there, you are probably too late to get tickets as it will have sold out by now. There is however, daytime admission to the theatre for the awesome views.

Bodmin has a good Steam Railway, the light Infantry museum and also an absolutely awesome former Prison. The Prison is undergoing a very large renovation and I am not sure if currently open.

Rick Steins doesn’t have to be in Steinville (Padstow). He has shops in Porthleven (pretty Harbour) and Falmouth (greatest town in the World). In Falmouth, the Harbour Lights (next to the aforementioned Trago Mills ) is a third cheaper and regularly is in the UKs top ten fish and chippies (Mr Stein didn’t invent dipping Cod in batter any more than Jamie Oliver invented Italian cuisine).

Eating Pasties. I have eaten from pretty much every pasty shop in Cornwall. IMHO (and that of many who live here as opposed to visit here), the best are..
Etheringtons farm shop, close to the A30 at Scorrier
Pips Pasties in Penryn
Philps , but only in Helston or Porthleven (recently taken over, but still same staff).
Hampsons in Hayle or Copperhouse.

The worst..
WC Rowe (who used to be good before they expanded to international status). Ginsters do not count as a Pasty and are in any case, inedible .

Moving on...
St Michaels Mount is very good.

Porthleven is pretty (where the sea breaks over the church in pictures of storms), plus has the above Fish n chips plus Pasties.

The Lizard is absolutely beautiful, real proper unspoiled Cornwall and Kynance Cove one of the most beautiful places in the World. Worth a drive on its own. In doing, you can take in Goonhilly.

Helston (Floral dance) is pretty and with an excellent local museum, surprisingly large and rustic.

Falmouth is a former port and has the magnificent Pendennis Castle on the headland with its awesome views.

Falmouth has a Ferry to St Mawes and one to Truro. Both are very good with commentary.

Truro has a small Cathedral and some shops.

Charlestown has a stunning 19th century harbour with several tall ships. It is well worth a look if in the area (not far from Eden).

That gives you enough to work on. There is of course, plenty more. Like many places, the dream and the reality are somewhat different, with plenty of squalor and social deprivation, particularly if more than 4 miles from the sea. Wages are often seasonal and in any case, low. I am qualified to say that as a retired Police Officer who, due to my role, covered pretty much all of Cornwall in bad times as well as good.

Places that will disappoint.
Bude.
Newquay town centre (think Magaluf after an explosion). Beaches and Harbour are lovely.
Penzance. End of the railway line.. and the line.
Flambards. Run down dump, only visited by tourists. If you have been to any other National or International theme park, then you will be desperately disappointed.

Places to downright avoid, that you have heard of...
Redruth
Camborne
St Awful
St Blazey.

There, some positive and some negative from a very local, rather than an occasional visitor. When the weather is good, there is no better place to visit. When the weather is bad, it can be very drab indeed, I could have listed many more, beautiful small villages and harbours such as Portloe, St Mawes, Mousehole etc etc, but you have more than enough to go on.

Top tip.. drive West from Newquay in a great big ring, all the way round the end then back up to Charlestown before cutting North to Newquay. In that journey, you can cherry pick from many of the above.

[thebig40]

So helpful, thank you!

I’m compiling a list of places to go and things to eat

[vanlou]

Originally Posted by deeley

Football golf at St Austell is great

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I live literally 2 minutes away from this and still not done it. Maybe this summer

To be honest anywhere on the coast is worth a visit.

[Eeyorefanuk]

Originally Posted by animal 1970

crabbing at looe one of the best days out for almost no cost,perranporth beach is always a winner

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I like looe. Nice to have a little nose around. Sit on beach or benches over looking beach