Why is everyone obsessed with Cornwall?

[thefoggiest]

Disclaimer: I've never actually been!

But why traditionally cornwall and not say the isle of wight, or sussex, or east Anglia?

I guess I can understand flocking to the southernmost tip back in the 60s when there would be washout summers but (thanks global warming!) isn't it time to branch out a bit now?

DH is Cornish and raves about it, we’ve been multiple times (in fact we’ve just gotten back from there!) and it’s is very lovely but I wouldn’t say it’s amazing. They love to stick the word Cornish in front of things and charges twice as much which always makes me giggle.
There is a lot of things for families there which is good, however all of the seaside/harbour towns are much the same (Mevagissey, Fowey, St. Ives, Perranporth etc etc) and their seagulls are huge and mean.
I also hate their pasties, DH doesn’t understand how as they’re ‘amazing’ 😂

Pembrokeshire is every bit as stunning, more so IMO.

For me snowdonia is far more beautiful than Cornwall. Anglesea looks just like Cornwall though and the beaches and places are lovely!

I know I have discounted CW because I have (awful) family there, but still. It’s alright. I’d suggest that my family who moved there aren’t very uk travelled so they think CW is the bees knees.

I do have to say that all the faux fawning over it by the braying classes does make me want to run a million miles from it in high season.

There are far more Beautiful and accessible places in the uk but each to their own, and at least if the entire population of Richmond is braying down there, there not anywhere near where I am and that is gold.

YANBU. My mother is Cornish and her family has been there since the dawn of time, but I’ve never really seen the appeal. Probably didn’t help that I first visited as an adult. It feels small and crowded.

I prefer Scotland. Don’t tell my mum.

It's nice but not THAT nice. And lets face it, you have to drive through Devon to get there, so why bother going any further?

Exactly this.

Plus the random hostility towards tourists/non-Cornish English people in general. Life is too short to travel for hours and hours to get somewhere where everyone hates you. I have a very long list of places I like better - loads of Dorset/Hampshire, the Highlands, the Gower, Pembrokeshire, Peak District, bits of Norfolk and Suffolk...

Don't ask me. I'm in the process of leaving.

It requires a certain amount of effort to get to.

at least if the entire population of Richmond is braying down there, there not anywhere near where I am and that is gold

Amen to that!

I am going to go next year because it's a bit sad that I've never been! Will go in the spring though

Cornwall is nothing like E Anglia for example. I’ve been to both and love both but you don’t get the clifftop walks and little coves and caves in Norfolk. They’re just very different and I don’t think they’re substitutes.

I do think Cornwall is a victim of its own success and we tend to go elsewhere now.

@DrGlenda
"I also hate their pasties"

You mean CORNISH pasties :D

So where do they go on their summer holidays then?

It's nice, very nice, but I think there are lots places in UK, just as nice if not nicer, and certainly less busy and cheaper to stay there for a few days. A few suggestions above from other posters, some of which I'm not familiar with.

I'd add to that list Down and Antrim coastlines in Northern Ireland. Lovely places, lots of nice towns/villages, great beaches, not as busy, etc. Also, I think the weather is better than much of Scotland (on north east coast of Ireland, not as far north).

Cornwall is beautiful although I have grown up in the non-tourist area. I have to admire anyone who would drive as far as they do to get there.

It’s lovely, and it has a different enough vibe that it feels like a proper holiday, rather than just a visit to another part of the country you already live in. As far as possible at least.

Unlike some of the other places that are beautiful in the UK, it has relatively good weather.

Apart from that, I have no idea. It’s overcrowded when there’s likely to be good weather and the locals take pride in how much they dislike the tourists.

No we're really not

Absolutely love Cornwall, we lived there for a good few years and I still miss that lovely laid back vibe. I'm delighted to be going down for a visit next month. I made some lovely friends whilst living there (all locals) and have kept in touch with a few, can't wait to catch up in person with them. Yeah it gets too busy at times but we could always find somewhere quieter to go.

It seems strange though that smaller islands didnt take off the way Cornwall did as a summer destination though: the channel islands, isle of wight, isle of man, etc.

I love Cornwall, we visit several times a year and hope to move there in the future. The beaches are gorgeous, everything is no more than half an hour drive once you’re there, and we have always found the locals very friendly and welcoming. I’m always surprised when people describe the Cornish as hostile.
Also upthread when someone mentioned owning a second home there, you are driving the locals out with the house prices. Second homes are a real problem in Cornwall and there’s been a crazy property boom down there since Covid.

And yes it's mainly very very windy!

I live in Cornwall. It’s beautiful. The beaches are stunning. School holidays are so busy though (I avoid going out much then!). And it’s so expensive to stay here now unless camping. I LOVE living here.
I really wouldn’t choose it over an abroad holiday though with almost guaranteed good weather and probably a hell of a lot cheaper.

Love Cornwall and its 'feeling' I can't really describe why I just have a pull towards it. We are planning to relocate in a couple of years hopefully. House are actually cheaper there compared to where we are. Beaches are beautiful no where near as good as the Norfolk coast personally but I guess it depends on what you like to do, we like to body board/paddle board. I love the remoteness of it. I've never found it overcrowded but we don't tend to go into the towns just beaches or little local corner shops.

When I think of those wide-open beaches in Norfolk, I think of couples walking gloomily along them in the winter. A snatched weekend together in the 1940s. She’s at Bletchley, he’s in the RAF. He’s soon to die…

I can only assume I read a book where something like this featured.

I’m sure there are lots of jolly times to be had on the beaches of Norfolk.

Don't know, we had to go down there recently to sort out DF's stuff after he died, he lived there, it was very busy, we usually only go out of season, it wasn't that nice in July but then a lot of places aren't as they get very packed

I've been to Cornwall once and thought it was okay but not better than Devon or IoW. Having said that, I live in Dorset 20 mins away from Bournemouth Pier so maybe it's more attractive if you live in inner city London.

It is beautiful but there are other places just as beautiful in the UK and less busy. We live East Midlands and we can be in the Gower or Anglesey or Northumberland in half the time it can take to get there. They are just as stunning and less busy.