Recommend me Cornwall tour visits
Discussion
Don't let that put you off. I've spent many summers, winters, springs and autumns down there and the weather doesn't matter. I would agree with the Camel Trail, also. Excellent and you don't need to worry about parking in Padstein. Also, you can get the train into St. Ives from Carbis Bay. Much better than having to drive around there which is one of the only things that puts me in a genuinely bad mood. And Finally. Porthgwarra. Amazing place, and close to Porthcurno and the Minnack. Not to mention its quiet. It's a well kept secret. Here's a pic of the walk to the small beach there.
So, in conclusion, thanks for all the amazing suggestions in this thread. I used it along with Google, my own past personal experiences, and friend's recommendations. Here is our holiday itinerary as it panned out:
We started by renting the Old Saw Mills in Golant which is just up the river from Fowey. We had a really fantastic time with nearly the whole family in attendance. I would recommend it but be aware that when they say only accessible by boat or walk, they really mean it. This has the advantage that there is nobody around you so you can make as much noise as you like. It is suitable for up to 21 people if you rent both the lodge and the old mill, it is great, high quality accommodation and a stunning setting. http://theoldsawmills.co.uk/
We arrived on Friday so had a good time catching up during that evening. After breakfast on Saturday morning, we ventured into Fowey which, if you haven't been there, is a beautiful coastal town.
We took our daughter to the aquarium which is quite league of gentlemen, but also very interesting as the fish and shellfish come from lobster fisherman's pots, so there is an eclectic mix of some quite odd looking fish, crabs, lobsters etc. They also have a bunch of hermit crabs you can mess about with so that was fun and Mila had a great time with that. We did a bit of shopping, and bought a pasty from the Cornish Pasty shop and then went and had a few pints of Doombar in the pub.
Saturday evening, we ate at the Fisherman's Arms in Golant. Not a destination pub but a beautiful setting and really decent traditional pub food, with again, local beers.
Sunday, we left the house around 12pm and then headed to Polkerris which is just down the road from Fowey. A fabulous beach with some good walks. It was freezing but sunny, blowing an offshore force 6. Perfect sailing weather. There is a sailing centre there who will rent you some fairly decent looking boats.
We played on the beach for a bit and had a booking at Sam's on the beach http://samscornwall.co.uk/on-the-beach/on-the-beac... which was stunning food, served in the old lifeboat house. We had tonnes of beautiful fresh fish and seafood. I would highly recommend the seafood platter for 2, and the scallops with black pudding.
We said our goodbyes, and headed off to St Ives (not originally in my list but was persuaded). We had looked up some campsites and lucked out to find Trevalgan Holiday Park. http://www.trevalgan.co.uk/ This is by far the best campsite I have ever stayed at. It wasn't cheap (£33 or so per night) but the pitches were generous, with power, sea view, and fantastic shower block etc. I would highly recommend it as a place to stay. The owners have really invested.
On Monday, we popped into St Ives in the morning. I should have listened to this thread about the parking there. f
king nightmare and seemingly you need to walk around with hundreds of £££ in change if you are in Cornwall to pay for parking if you have a foreign phone because the pay by card option is by phone and doesn't accept foreign cards or numbers. The campsite we stayed at has a bus but because the weather was horrendous and we just missed the bus, we took the van. Anyway, we made some sandwiches in the van and waited for the weather to perk up before we walked down the hill to the town. St Ives is relatively nice but too touristy for me. We did some crabbing which Mila really enjoyed (she's 3.5 so just starting to have a modicum of patience) and we caught a tonne of them so it was great fun for her. We walked down the quay and had a drink in a rather rank burger bar. The pubs in the town aren't much better.
After our beer we decided we had seen enough so looked at the outlines of the coast and googled to find a nice beach near our dinner location of Zennor. I stumbled across the small village of Morvah which looked like there was a cove. Sure enough, a quick google showed that there was indeed a cove, and it was called Portheras Cove. We drove past the lighthouse and down the hill to a rather empty car park (it was bloody freezing) and stuck on Mila's wetsuit. I even bothered to put my swimming shorts on (crazy idea but I had hope). We walked down to the beach and had fun avoiding the incoming waves. I noticed some great rock pools on the way down, so I ventured off to find some. They were beautifully sheltered and the water was warm, with lots of fish, shrimps, anemones, so I went to get Mila and we had a great time in the warm water looking at the wildlife. It's a stunning beach and would be great in warm weather. http://www.cornwall-beaches.co.uk/west-cornwall/po...
That evening we made an early reservation for dinner at the Gurnard's Head in Zennor. Unbelievably good food. Well worth a visit. Seasonal, locally sourced food, fresh fish, amazing beers. Lovely. http://www.gurnardshead.co.uk/ We paid £70 or so for 2.5 people with drinks and 2 courses each. The children's menu there is really inventive too, not just the normal chicken nuggets crap.
On Tuesday the weather was horrific so woke up and waited for that to pass. We decided we fancied going to Padstow, so packed up and headed along the coast, stopping on the way at Old Macdonald's Farm so Mila could have a play http://www.oldmacdonalds.co.uk/. It was actually really good, I think that it could get busy during the holidays, but we fed the lambs and calves a bottle, went for a short pony ride (which she loved), bounced on the trampolines and stroked the rabbits and guinea pigs. We ate lunch in the van in the car park because the café looked quite lame (chicken nuggets), and headed off to Padstow.
Our campsite in Padstow was "ok". There weren't any pitches available with an electric hook up but our van had enough power left for the fridge so it was all good. The campsite views were great though, and it was on the Camel Trail (which we renamed the Camel Toe, LOL) and 5-10 mins walk to Padstow. It's called Dennis Farm http://dennisfarm.wix.com/campsite and cost £26.50 per night.
We set ourselves up (takes 5 mins with that amazing roof on the California), left the van and walked into Padstow in search of bikes to rent. We found some bikes at the main car park, from Padstow cycle hire http://www.padstowcyclehire.com/. It was £42 including helmets, a lock, and a trailer for the 3 year old. The bikes have clearly been round the block but whatever. We had planned to go into town but decided that because the weather was nice we would go for a bit of a cycle ride to Wadebridge up and down the Camel Toe. Lovely views and a great cycle path, takes about 40mins or so each way. Wadebridge is a weird place but we got some stuff from Lidl and went back to the campsite to drop it off.
That evening, the weather was lovely and we headed into Padstow with crabbing stuff. I got hold of an absolutely next level small batch beer from the pub on the corner of the harbour, and took it down to the slipway where we did a bit of crabbing and drank our drinks in the sun.
Peckish from our ride, we went to Rick Stein's Fish and Chips. We took a table as it was easier, and essentially ordered what felt like the entire menu. I love that place, some people think it's not worth the hype but I think the food is great. £65 lighter (yes, we did pay £65 for fish and chips), we headed back to the campsite. https://www.rickstein.com/eat-with-us/steins-fish-....
On Wednesday, the weather was absolutely horrific so we took it easy, dropped the bikes back off and did some shopping in town.
We then drove across and down to Torquay to visit our friends who run "Harbour Kitchen". This place deserves a special mention because the food they serve there is just unbelievable. Really fresh and fantastic flavours, right on the harbour. Tom, the owner and chef, has a real eye for presentation and flavours, and it is very impressive. Their cocktails are also completely flawless, with fantastic attention to detail. I don't just say this because they're my friends either. They also benefit from Tom's dad being a fish dealer, so their knowledge of and access to good fish is unrivaled. http://www.harbourkitchen.co.uk/
With an absolutely steaming hangover, we drove to Paignton Zoo on Thursday. Good points: The playground is excellent. The lavatories are clean (which makes a change in the U.K.). The animals are in large enclosures and the displays are inventive. The zoo keepers are very knowledgeable about their animals, friendly and chatty.
Bad points: We paid £41.25 plus £5 "donation" (what's the entry fee for?) so total was £46.25. Expensive. You have to then pay extra for the train ride (£2.40 for three tickets and not worth it apart from to satisfy the locomotive interest of a three year old) which I would have thought would be free, having already spent the best part of £50 for three; two adults and a child to go in. Not many of the animals were on display due to them giving birth or work being done in their enclosures. Some of the animals are too far away to get a good look at them as there is a moat around them. Still, Mila enjoyed it but I think there are better uses of £50.
We ate in the van, and headed to Dartmouth. One of my favourite places of all time, it's in my top 10 places in the world that I have been to and definitely my favourite place in the UK. We deliberately took the Ferry from Kingswear across the Dart estuary for the experience. £4.50 and a fun way to arrive, saving the long drive up the river to Totnes. http://www.southhams.gov.uk/DartmouthLowerFerry
We checked in to Dartmouth Camping and Caravanning Club Site which was clean and nice, and they accepted non members. Usefully located about 2 miles outside Dartmouth itself, up the hill. http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsit...
We headed into Dartmouth and had a look round the shops, and the war memorial which has a beautiful rose garden, and walked along the quay to look at the boats and take some photos, and then went to RockFish for Fish and Chips.
It was nice enough, but I would say the better option is the restaurant just off the old small harbour in the centre of town called The Wheelhouse. http://www.wheelhousedartmouth.co.uk/ Stuffed, we headed back to the campsite and went to sleep in some of the worst weather we had experienced, a gale and driving rain.
On Friday morning, we prepped the van to give it back to the hire centre, and on the way down the hill decided that we couldn't miss the opportunity to visit the Dartmouth Castle.
Awesome, awesome place, and we had a lovely cream tea in the cafe there which is fantastic. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/da....
We left that lovely place and drove up to Exeter where we joined the M5 to drop the van off in Kenn near Bristol at the Bristol Camper Company http://www.thebristolcampercompany.co.uk/. The van was flawless all week, and I would recommend renting one before you buy one so you can get an idea of what you might want in your own one. I will be buying a van at some point as we thought it was great.
All in all a fantastic week with lovely experiences. We did whatever we wanted, and ate whatever we liked, where we liked. You could easily spend months touring just that part of the UK. It's fantastic. Thanks for all your help.
We started by renting the Old Saw Mills in Golant which is just up the river from Fowey. We had a really fantastic time with nearly the whole family in attendance. I would recommend it but be aware that when they say only accessible by boat or walk, they really mean it. This has the advantage that there is nobody around you so you can make as much noise as you like. It is suitable for up to 21 people if you rent both the lodge and the old mill, it is great, high quality accommodation and a stunning setting. http://theoldsawmills.co.uk/
We arrived on Friday so had a good time catching up during that evening. After breakfast on Saturday morning, we ventured into Fowey which, if you haven't been there, is a beautiful coastal town.
We took our daughter to the aquarium which is quite league of gentlemen, but also very interesting as the fish and shellfish come from lobster fisherman's pots, so there is an eclectic mix of some quite odd looking fish, crabs, lobsters etc. They also have a bunch of hermit crabs you can mess about with so that was fun and Mila had a great time with that. We did a bit of shopping, and bought a pasty from the Cornish Pasty shop and then went and had a few pints of Doombar in the pub.
Saturday evening, we ate at the Fisherman's Arms in Golant. Not a destination pub but a beautiful setting and really decent traditional pub food, with again, local beers.
Sunday, we left the house around 12pm and then headed to Polkerris which is just down the road from Fowey. A fabulous beach with some good walks. It was freezing but sunny, blowing an offshore force 6. Perfect sailing weather. There is a sailing centre there who will rent you some fairly decent looking boats.
We played on the beach for a bit and had a booking at Sam's on the beach http://samscornwall.co.uk/on-the-beach/on-the-beac... which was stunning food, served in the old lifeboat house. We had tonnes of beautiful fresh fish and seafood. I would highly recommend the seafood platter for 2, and the scallops with black pudding.
We said our goodbyes, and headed off to St Ives (not originally in my list but was persuaded). We had looked up some campsites and lucked out to find Trevalgan Holiday Park. http://www.trevalgan.co.uk/ This is by far the best campsite I have ever stayed at. It wasn't cheap (£33 or so per night) but the pitches were generous, with power, sea view, and fantastic shower block etc. I would highly recommend it as a place to stay. The owners have really invested.
On Monday, we popped into St Ives in the morning. I should have listened to this thread about the parking there. f
king nightmare and seemingly you need to walk around with hundreds of £££ in change if you are in Cornwall to pay for parking if you have a foreign phone because the pay by card option is by phone and doesn't accept foreign cards or numbers. The campsite we stayed at has a bus but because the weather was horrendous and we just missed the bus, we took the van. Anyway, we made some sandwiches in the van and waited for the weather to perk up before we walked down the hill to the town. St Ives is relatively nice but too touristy for me. We did some crabbing which Mila really enjoyed (she's 3.5 so just starting to have a modicum of patience) and we caught a tonne of them so it was great fun for her. We walked down the quay and had a drink in a rather rank burger bar. The pubs in the town aren't much better.After our beer we decided we had seen enough so looked at the outlines of the coast and googled to find a nice beach near our dinner location of Zennor. I stumbled across the small village of Morvah which looked like there was a cove. Sure enough, a quick google showed that there was indeed a cove, and it was called Portheras Cove. We drove past the lighthouse and down the hill to a rather empty car park (it was bloody freezing) and stuck on Mila's wetsuit. I even bothered to put my swimming shorts on (crazy idea but I had hope). We walked down to the beach and had fun avoiding the incoming waves. I noticed some great rock pools on the way down, so I ventured off to find some. They were beautifully sheltered and the water was warm, with lots of fish, shrimps, anemones, so I went to get Mila and we had a great time in the warm water looking at the wildlife. It's a stunning beach and would be great in warm weather. http://www.cornwall-beaches.co.uk/west-cornwall/po...
That evening we made an early reservation for dinner at the Gurnard's Head in Zennor. Unbelievably good food. Well worth a visit. Seasonal, locally sourced food, fresh fish, amazing beers. Lovely. http://www.gurnardshead.co.uk/ We paid £70 or so for 2.5 people with drinks and 2 courses each. The children's menu there is really inventive too, not just the normal chicken nuggets crap.
On Tuesday the weather was horrific so woke up and waited for that to pass. We decided we fancied going to Padstow, so packed up and headed along the coast, stopping on the way at Old Macdonald's Farm so Mila could have a play http://www.oldmacdonalds.co.uk/. It was actually really good, I think that it could get busy during the holidays, but we fed the lambs and calves a bottle, went for a short pony ride (which she loved), bounced on the trampolines and stroked the rabbits and guinea pigs. We ate lunch in the van in the car park because the café looked quite lame (chicken nuggets), and headed off to Padstow.
Our campsite in Padstow was "ok". There weren't any pitches available with an electric hook up but our van had enough power left for the fridge so it was all good. The campsite views were great though, and it was on the Camel Trail (which we renamed the Camel Toe, LOL) and 5-10 mins walk to Padstow. It's called Dennis Farm http://dennisfarm.wix.com/campsite and cost £26.50 per night.
We set ourselves up (takes 5 mins with that amazing roof on the California), left the van and walked into Padstow in search of bikes to rent. We found some bikes at the main car park, from Padstow cycle hire http://www.padstowcyclehire.com/. It was £42 including helmets, a lock, and a trailer for the 3 year old. The bikes have clearly been round the block but whatever. We had planned to go into town but decided that because the weather was nice we would go for a bit of a cycle ride to Wadebridge up and down the Camel Toe. Lovely views and a great cycle path, takes about 40mins or so each way. Wadebridge is a weird place but we got some stuff from Lidl and went back to the campsite to drop it off.
That evening, the weather was lovely and we headed into Padstow with crabbing stuff. I got hold of an absolutely next level small batch beer from the pub on the corner of the harbour, and took it down to the slipway where we did a bit of crabbing and drank our drinks in the sun.
Peckish from our ride, we went to Rick Stein's Fish and Chips. We took a table as it was easier, and essentially ordered what felt like the entire menu. I love that place, some people think it's not worth the hype but I think the food is great. £65 lighter (yes, we did pay £65 for fish and chips), we headed back to the campsite. https://www.rickstein.com/eat-with-us/steins-fish-....
On Wednesday, the weather was absolutely horrific so we took it easy, dropped the bikes back off and did some shopping in town.
We then drove across and down to Torquay to visit our friends who run "Harbour Kitchen". This place deserves a special mention because the food they serve there is just unbelievable. Really fresh and fantastic flavours, right on the harbour. Tom, the owner and chef, has a real eye for presentation and flavours, and it is very impressive. Their cocktails are also completely flawless, with fantastic attention to detail. I don't just say this because they're my friends either. They also benefit from Tom's dad being a fish dealer, so their knowledge of and access to good fish is unrivaled. http://www.harbourkitchen.co.uk/
With an absolutely steaming hangover, we drove to Paignton Zoo on Thursday. Good points: The playground is excellent. The lavatories are clean (which makes a change in the U.K.). The animals are in large enclosures and the displays are inventive. The zoo keepers are very knowledgeable about their animals, friendly and chatty.
Bad points: We paid £41.25 plus £5 "donation" (what's the entry fee for?) so total was £46.25. Expensive. You have to then pay extra for the train ride (£2.40 for three tickets and not worth it apart from to satisfy the locomotive interest of a three year old) which I would have thought would be free, having already spent the best part of £50 for three; two adults and a child to go in. Not many of the animals were on display due to them giving birth or work being done in their enclosures. Some of the animals are too far away to get a good look at them as there is a moat around them. Still, Mila enjoyed it but I think there are better uses of £50.
We ate in the van, and headed to Dartmouth. One of my favourite places of all time, it's in my top 10 places in the world that I have been to and definitely my favourite place in the UK. We deliberately took the Ferry from Kingswear across the Dart estuary for the experience. £4.50 and a fun way to arrive, saving the long drive up the river to Totnes. http://www.southhams.gov.uk/DartmouthLowerFerry
We checked in to Dartmouth Camping and Caravanning Club Site which was clean and nice, and they accepted non members. Usefully located about 2 miles outside Dartmouth itself, up the hill. http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsit...
We headed into Dartmouth and had a look round the shops, and the war memorial which has a beautiful rose garden, and walked along the quay to look at the boats and take some photos, and then went to RockFish for Fish and Chips.
It was nice enough, but I would say the better option is the restaurant just off the old small harbour in the centre of town called The Wheelhouse. http://www.wheelhousedartmouth.co.uk/ Stuffed, we headed back to the campsite and went to sleep in some of the worst weather we had experienced, a gale and driving rain.
On Friday morning, we prepped the van to give it back to the hire centre, and on the way down the hill decided that we couldn't miss the opportunity to visit the Dartmouth Castle.
Awesome, awesome place, and we had a lovely cream tea in the cafe there which is fantastic. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/da....
We left that lovely place and drove up to Exeter where we joined the M5 to drop the van off in Kenn near Bristol at the Bristol Camper Company http://www.thebristolcampercompany.co.uk/. The van was flawless all week, and I would recommend renting one before you buy one so you can get an idea of what you might want in your own one. I will be buying a van at some point as we thought it was great.
All in all a fantastic week with lovely experiences. We did whatever we wanted, and ate whatever we liked, where we liked. You could easily spend months touring just that part of the UK. It's fantastic. Thanks for all your help.
bulldong said:
Awesome, awesome place, and we had a lovely cream tea in the cafe there which is fantastic. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/da....
Shame those simpletons in Devon still haven't worked out that the cream goes on top!
Glad you had a great trip
sidicks said:
bulldong said:
Awesome, awesome place, and we had a lovely cream tea in the cafe there which is fantastic. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/da....
condor said:
Glad you had a great time Bulldong 
Thanks for your report 
Do you have a rough estimate as to how much the car parks cost you?
The car parks are £6 per day normally but £4 or something for 2-4 hours. It soon adds up. It's mainly the inconvenience of having to always have coins on you. Thanks for your report Do you have a rough estimate as to how much the car parks cost you?
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