Cornwall

[Luggagerackistopheavy]

If you had a week (approx) in Cornwall where would you go? Summer holidays sadly. Starting point will be either Bath or South Wales.
Just adults and never been to Cornwall.

We've been to St Agnes for our last two visits, its lovely & has some great cafes & pubs.
Before that, we stayed in Tintagel, & as a child my family stayed in Polzeath every year. I love the north coast - rugged cliff walks, great surf, beautiful beaches.
Is there anywhere you plan to visit in particular i.e. the Eden project, Lost Gardensof Heligan, Seal Sanctuary, Witchcraft museum, St Nectans Glen? Worth staying near at least some of your planned excursions to minimise driving times.

Penzance if you want to stay in a town. The Lizard Peninsula if not.

Thank you. I should say we'll have dogs with us if that makes a difference. Don't mind driving so will maybe stay in 2-3 places over the course of the week unless people think one based would be better?

We had an absolutely fabulous stay in Porthleven a couple of years ago, just before our first DC was born. It’s a beautiful little town that punches well above its weight for nice foodie spots. We were there in May rather than August but it was buzzy without being heaving (St Ives was barely tolerable even in May) and dogs were allowed on the beach there - although worth checking about seasonal restrictions.

It was close enough for day trips to most things too. It definitely felt a bit more grown up, rather than family friendly, so one for those not needing to keep kids entertained I think.

I like St Ives as a base.

Thank you. I've just googled photos and St Ives and Porthleven look lovely.

Does anyone know of any beaches that are definitely dog friendly in the summer hols?

We went to st ives last year for a summer break, was lovely! And if you get a chance, visit st Michael’s mount!!

Most National Trust beaches....Crantock, Holywell etc. There is a dog-friendly beach at St Ives.

Thanks all.

Camborne is lovely for a day out.

😂😂😂

You couldn’t pay me to stay in St Ives in the summer holidays. It’s a lovely town but as a PP said, it’s busy even out of the holidays, and July/August are unbearable.

What do you like doing on holiday?

I love Porthleven, but being local to it and seeing it in the winter with the houses all dark and every second one having a holiday cottage rental plaque on ....I just couldn't in all conscience recommend it 😪.

Lots of local landowners rent out shepherd's huts on their land that would not otherwise be used as a home for a local family- maybe try one of them? There's even a helicopter that you can stay in in Lizard Village!

I’m pretty sure the beach at Rock is dog friendly and you can get the ferry to Padstow - I love getting the ferry. It makes me so happy. I’ve always seen lots of people with dogs around there. Polzeath is a bit further up the coast and is lovely too - you can try a bit of surfing there. Trebarwith strand is a tiny place but has gorgeous dramatic waves crashing on the rocks but the beach (and great rock pools) are only at lower tide and you have to walk down rocks to get there so not suitable for the less mobile. I love it though. Not much there other than a cafe and a beach shop. Beautiful place.

All the beaches in Newquay AFAIK including Fistral. And Watergate Bay, too.

Yes that’s fair, we did stay in a holiday cottage on the harbour front, and I don’t like to think of locals being priced out. Although I imagine an entirely local population couldn’t sustain the number of pretty high end restaurants and art galleries in the town without tourists, without which it would be a very different town. Although I guess that’s a different problem if the businesses aren’t catering to a sustainable all year round clientele.

It’s hard to know what to do for the best as a tourist. But your suggestion of staying in non-houses is cool.

Bude. Several lovely beaches in the area, the main beach is lovely and sandy, other local beaches have fantastic rock pools, great surfing if you're interested, there is a sea pool which has just been renovated - it's just lovely!

What do you enjoy doing? I’m local and I’d probably go around the Lizard Peninsula as a base and travel to other places. North Cornwall is great if you are into surfing/watersports, but not with a dog in the summer.

You can google for the beaches that allow dogs. They will be VERY busy in summer. If you truly want some quiet off lead time, go very early morning or evening. I personally don’t go to the beach at all or anywhere near it in the summer holidays, but otherwise go year round. But if you go near the Lizard, look for river walks. Much nicer for everyone. You will need to pick a base for a week as it will be very hard to find anything but a weekly rental, unless you’re camping.

Honestly, if you’re starting from South Wales, I’d go to Snowdonia and Anglesey. I think the coast there is on par with parts of Cornwall, but not the 7th level of hell that Cornwall is in the summer.

I like lots of bits and prefer the south coast. I'm stay in or near Falmouth. I love walks around the Lizard.

You beat me to it with the laughing emoji! Redruth is lovely also and St Austell!
Lol I jest.
In all seriousness Go to the Lizard peninsula, Mullion, Cadgwith, Kynance, Gunwalloe all lovely beaches there.

Cornwall council list the dog friendly beaches with any date restrictions on their website

Our favourite places

• Lost Gardens of Heligan
• The Hidden Hut in Porthcurnick for food on the beach
• Park in wadebridge and bike ride to Padatow. Padstow isn’t my favourite as it can be busy but that bike rides lovely and the beaches just past there are nice. You can hire dog trailers too
• St Michael’s Mount

I’d definitely recommend staying in one place and travelling from there. We did it the other way around a few years ago and honestly it felt like we were constantly packing and unpacking and we ended up driving around most days anyway. We stayed in Newquay, St Ives, Padstow and Port Isaac. My favourite of those was St Ives but is not at all car friendly. I’d stay in Padstow next time.

We go to St Ives @SparklyGreenTiger but we park the car and basically stay put as there's enough going on and driving around Cornwall in peak time can be dreadful.

Also, don't book anywhere in St Ives without parking included.

I do hope you’re joking!!!!

st Ives is lovely but very busy especially in school holidays