Help me make my DH birthday trip to Cornwall a good one.

[Whatjusthappenedthere]

Shamelessly posting for traffic.

I lived in Cornwall for 15 years but that was 17 years ago. Pubs and restaurants change.

We are taking a camper van down there for 10 days to celebrate his 50th ( the Van was an early gift last year and we have hardly used it ).

I remember my favourite places but I want to avoid a trip down memory lane for me and make new memories with DH. Obviously we will end up at the big beauty spots so if anyone knows a good pub / cafe / activity nearby that would be great.

Can any one recommend the not so well know things to do and see?

Would be interested if anyone knows good places to park a camper with a good sea view while we have a coffee.

We are basically hugging the coast from the lizard in an anti clock wise direction to Tintagel.

Thanks.

Just thought of another one. If you are going to Penzance get on one of the Marine Discovery Penzance boat trips (they are on Facebook). They have been posting lots this week about seeing minke whales and dolphins in Mounts Bay x

You might also be able to go out from Penzance on the Happy Return lugged which is old and gorgeous and run by volunteers.

Scilly is gorgeous but you won’t be able to take the van.

I recommend parking at St Erth or Leland and getting the train if you must go in to st Ives. It’s practically impassable for cars in the summer let alone vans 😭

YANBU

Keen an eye on the English Heritage website to check the opening date for the new bridge at Tintagel.

I love Porthleven; several great restaurants there if you want to treat yourself. Or for a cheaper meal, you can't beat eating fish and chips sat on the harbour wall on a sunny evening!

Also, completely agree with the comments about how busy St Ives is. Definitely park and ride rather than take the van there, but maybe skip it altogether. The crowds plus the feral seagulls that snatch picnic food out of your hands makes it all a bit stressful for me!

Mawgan Porth is pretty and not too horrifically busy - nice pub and a shop that does take away food/pizza etc

I live in Cornwall- moved here 2 years ago. I'm SO LUCKY!

We go into St Ives each year when we visit (bloody tourists grr grr ) but park at Carbis Bay and walk in, which is beautiful. Watching the panicked expression on people's faces as their sat nav directs them onto the front/into the crowds is worth it IMO, so yes agree with PP not to drive in. There's a fab ice cream place on the front where you can shelter away from the seagulls

Definitely recommend the Meadery at Newlyn for dinner - their crispy chicken is awesome! Just waiting for my peach melba to arrive 😇

The Tolcarne in Newlyn - an amazing but not stuck up fish restaurant halfway walk between Penzance and mousehole. Sad news about the Coast Guard!! Food also good in the Turks Head in Penzance, which I believe is the oldest pub in either Cornwall or the Uk or something? A really good, proper pub either way. OH! And ice cream from Jelberts in Penzance - The best in the world in my opinion! Plain vanilla with a good dollop of clotted cream on top. Have fun!

Oh and walk over the causeway to St Michaels amount!! Sorry I’ll stop now!

Porthleven is wonderful! Lots of great places to eat.

Also recommend the Greenhouse in St Keverne, had one of the best meals of my life there!

Was coming on to say Mawgan Porth too! Beautiful, big sweeping beach. There is also a surf school there and they were very good (about 3 years ago). There’s a few nice but not expensive pubs on the front and Roo’s shop is lovely for a bit of shopping for you!

@LazyLemur

Who said:

St Michaels Mount - the house on the top is lovely but walk around the gardens at the bottom. Looking at the house at the top through the gardens and trees it looks just like a fairytale castle. Romance! Climb down to Porthcurno beach. Actually Porthcurno in the early hours of the morning when no-one else is around is like a secluded tropical paradise. More romance grin. Walk through the ancient woodlands to Madron Well and ancient chapel? So still and quiet and timeless and magical. Sennen is one of my favourite beaches. Massive and beautiful and fun to walk up the dunes at the back. Also can get a nice pasty at the little shop at the end. But then those are my favourite things. It depends what he enjoys.

Lemur, you get it. Porthcurno at 5am is breathless. St Michael's Mount gardens and the panorama are magical. The family who live there are among life's givers.

Walk up to the end of Sennen Beach, among the mist and spray and walk among the smooth pastel rocks there. Tarry a while. It is truly Heaven on Earth. As the waves wash in among those light ochre rocks, watch them break and wash down the hot sand with their crystal-like tops. You will pick up whelk shells the size of avocados and mussel shells the of similar size with warm colours of purples, lavender and orange, tipped with vibrant, succulent sea weed roots.

Or you could go round to Cape Cornwall. That's the peninsular with the tower and the white house you see from Sennen Cove. Park at Priest's Cove (the National Trust car park) and walk up the Cot Valley. It is tiny and beautiful with its own unique environment. The flowers, birds and insect are abundant. It will take about an hour and you emerge at the little beach on the north side. You can marvel at the little pools, gouged out by individual stones like a pestle and mortar. In some you will see microscopic weed, only 2-3 inches high that look like miniature rain forests.

There is also Gwithian. The pools are deep and the rock stacks are tall and grey, steeped with thousands of beautiful mussels. If you walk up the beach, the stacks become more intense and so larger that mini plains form above them. You can bathe in some of the pools there.

Take memories only. Leave only footprints.

Life’s givers are they?

I’ll await the OP’s hollow laugh at that when she finds it costs £4 to park in their car park for even 15 minutes! Sorry they might be very nice but they’re massive landlords and givers is not the first word I’d think of. But I’d like to know more.

I live in Cornwall, and the best places are st ives, Falmouth, the lizard , Perranporth. Try some of the little villages too as most of them have a quiet pub you can relax in.
The list is endless, love Cornwall.