Quiet none tourist places in Cornwall in august..any ideas

[Puglicks]

Booked a holiday,but the kids don't cope with busy places
Can anyone recommend more quiet places ,away from tourist areas
Penzance and around there ,maybe little villages or quiet towns
I know it's asking a lot during the summer holidays
But school terms mean its this or no holiday

???

Ohhhh..not much difference to me, at 58.

I hope you have a lovely holiday and the weather stays good. Its been glorious but each time I see rain I worry that our summer is over.

If time and budget allow have you considered getting the ferry to St Mary’s on Scilly?

No ..nice idea

Did you move away at any point ,or have you always lived there

Many have recommended St Just - if you visit make sure you go to the Kurt Jackson Foundation art gallery - his paintings are stunning and there an exhibition there until 9th august. https://www.jacksonfoundationgallery.com/seaflower/
as others have also said, ancient cornwall is deserted! Plan a walk to a quoit, stone circle or similar, or walk the coast path. None of these will be busy! I hope you have a lovely holiday.

I live here and it’s all crazy busy in August but a general rule of thumb is the further from the beaches you go the quieter.

I think it’s Tremenheere It’s a lovely gardens with sculptures and I’ve never seen it crowded. If you go it’s definitely worth booking a table as the food is really good.

If you like walking or ancient history there are loads of places to go - the moor above Penzance is great - things like Quoits, the men-an-tol, chysauster.

highly recommend the chippy at heamoor too.

my mum used to drag us round various gardens/national trust properties- like trengwainton, Glendurgan, heligan.

the helford river is beautiful. There’s loads of places :-)

we used to always go to the beach at Porth Eras, it was nearly a mile from the car park and no facilities, but always quiet :-)

I was born and dragged up on the North Devon coast. Moved due to work when I was in my early 20s to the Cornwall coast. So always lived in very similar places.

Our kids have moved up north for careers but I never have.

https://www.sandy-acres.co.uk/car-park/ small car park but very quiet beach
https://www.wendronpancakebarn.co.uk
https://countryskittles.com
https://www.trevaskisfarm.co.uk
https://www.roskillys.co.uk

Do the opposite of what everyone else will be doing, if it’s wet go to the beach, if it’s sunny stay away from the beach.

I haven’t read all the comments but I find ChatGPT brilliant for suggestions.

I have a couple of neurodiverse kids and we also don’t get on with busy. I usually put my place and ask for quiet and away from the crowds suggestions. You still need to be selective with what you take from it but it’s a good starting point.

As an example (with a disclaimer that I know nothing about the area)

🌿
Nature & Outdoor Adventures

1. Penberth Cove
2. A hidden, working fishing cove east of Porthcurno — much quieter than nearby beaches. Great for rock pooling and picnics, and a beautiful spot to sketch or paddle.
3. Treen Cliff & Logan Rock Walk
4. Park at Treen and take the coastal path to Logan Rock. Stunning views and a gentle enough walk for kids (with care around the cliffs). You may even spot seals.
5. Tanglewood Wild Garden (near Sancreed)
6. A magical, untamed garden with ponds, woodland, wildflowers, and quirky sculptures. Ideal for a slow, sensory stroll and some nature spotting.
7. Cwm Ivy or Sancreed Beacon
8. Sancreed Beacon is an often-overlooked Bronze Age site with panoramic views and lots of space to run around. Perfect for a quiet picnic and a bit of historical imagination.

🐚
Beaches Away from the Crowds

1. Perranuthnoe Beach
2. Less crowded than the big-name beaches and has rock pools at low tide. A good family café nearby too.
3. Prussia Cove
4. A beautiful, tucked-away beach with a bit of a smugglers’ cove feel. A little bit of a walk from the parking spot keeps crowds away.

🏰
Hidden History & Quiet Exploration

1. Chysauster Ancient Village (English Heritage)
2. Less visited than many Cornwall landmarks. It’s a fascinating, open-air ancient settlement with wide grassy areas — ideal for kids to roam and imagine life 2000 years ago.
3. Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens (Near Gulval)
4. Peaceful, artistic, and nature-filled with interesting installations, and a good mix of shade and open space. They sometimes have family-friendly trails or activities.
5. Geevor Tin Mine (try early or late in the day)
6. If your kids are interested in tunnels and adventure, this is perfect. It’s less polished and more hands-on than many museums.

🎨
Creative & Calm

1. Art Box at Newlyn Art Gallery (family sessions)
2. They often run calm, creative drop-in activities for children. The gallery is quiet and very child-friendly.
3. The Exchange Gallery in Penzance
4. A peaceful place for a short visit and often interactive exhibitions. Pair with an ice cream and a walk around Morrab Gardens.

🧺
Simple Joys

1. Boat trip to St. Michael’s Mount (early or late in the day)
2. Go when it’s quietest (early morning or end of the day) and bring a picnic. Walking the causeway is also magical when the tide is low.
3. Penzance to Marazion Cycle/Walk Trail
4. This level trail along the seafront is great for cycling or scooting and has views of the Mount the whole way.
5. Pack a nature scavenger hunt
6. Many of the quieter beaches and moorland walks are perfect for this. Lamorna Valley and Carn Euny are both good spots for it.

+1 for St Michael's Mount early or late in the day to miss the crowds. Best part (or maybe it's just my kids!) - sitting in the NT cafe watching visitors setting off across the causeway when the tide is coming in and placing bets on who will make it and who will turn back and take the boat instead...😈😂

If you like gardens there are some lovely National Trust around -Trengwainton is near Penzance and it’s lovely to go to on a very hot day. Glendurgan gardens are beautiful and you can find quiet places there.
Second the suggestions to go to Botallack and Cape Cornwall. The walk along the coast path near Nanjizel is lovely and peaceful. And agree that Lands End is a total dump - don’t waste good money going there, park nearby and walk the coast path.

We find getting up and out early.. arriving 9am or definitely before 10am somewhere means it's generally lovely and quiet - even St Ives. Portleven is ace for food. Book restaurants before you set off. Have a great time.

We're going to the Lizard peninsula next month for the third year running and have generally found it quieter than other parts of Cornwall. Maybe you could plan a trip there.

The two beaches suggested there - Perranunthnoe and Prussia Cove - were the ones I was trying to remember the names of, because they’re quieter than others. So well done ChatGPT!

If you continue east from Prussia Cove over the rocks at low tide, you’ll be rewarded with Kenneggy Cove which is large and usually empty. Beautiful.

As someone from Cornwall I would say that there are lovely quiet places as mentioned above, but getting there will be the problem..
So I would suggest starting the journey early..
Most holiday makers potter around having lazy mornings (because they are on holiday) and start the journey around mid morning.
If we locals (people I know) want a day out we'll set off about 8.30am..
This way we've avoided the workers commute and hopefully get parking where we are heading...
Cornwall is absolutely beautiful but unlike up country we don't have as many roads and a lot of them are single track.
Congestion is a part of summer here.
Good luck..