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?

One time we went a while back as a family it poured down the whole week and ds2 came down with food poisoning from a place in Newquay.
Dh hated the roads ( we didn't have a big car )
and the only time the sun shone was on the way back home
The scenery is lovely, but I've no desire to go back really.

It's very pleasant, but I think there are plenty of other equally nice places in the UK.

I love it, beautiful place. Many happy holidays there, most recently earlier in the summer. Had lovely weather and you can't beat it for stunning beaches. Locals were all friendly too.

Went to South Devon earlier this month too and loved it equally. Could happily live in either place. I'm from the westcountry anyway so doesn't feel too bad to get to.

I'm sorry but East Anglia just doesn't compare, especially the beaches. I used to live in Suffolk and the beaches there and in Norfolk aren't as special.

It's got a remarkable variety of landscape in quite a small space: moorland (Bodmin), pretty wooded countryside with gentle hills (Roseland), flattish heathland (Lizard), craggy cliffs, vast sandy beaches (I believe nowhere is more than about 20 miles from the sea), and some lovely villages and small towns, each with its own distinct character.

I love crossing the Tamar from Plymouth and seeing all the houses in Saltash, all higgledy-piggledy up the hillside, and it looks so distinctive that it almost feels like arriving in a different country.

There are better beaches on the east coast, for sure, nicer historic towns and cities, more stunning countryside etc in other parts of the UK, but nowhere quite has that feeling of being somewhere very different from anywhere else that Cornwall gives me.

Definitely to be avoided in school holidays though.

This.

We went up there for our son's graduation ceremony in Durham, and stayed for a week to explore. I was utterly blown away by how lovely it all is, you can see for miles and the beaches are just breathtaking.

I will hopefully go again but it's a very long way from where I live - in Cornwall!

I do love Cornwall, and have lived here for over 25 years, but it was much nicer when I came on holiday here as a child in the 60s and 70s. The roads cannot really cope with the crowds we get down here now, and the whole second home issue, and lack of good employment opportunities for our young people, is causing real hardship for many.

We go every year and love it. I just feel so relaxed there and love the scenery. I avoid the little towns because they do get busy but the beaches are just lovely. Every year on the way down I wonder why we are doing the long journey down there but once I’m there I absolutely love it. A few people have mentioned the locals being unfriendly but I have never found this.

We’ve just come back from North Wales where our family have a static caravan and it is absolutely stunning but just doesn’t have the same feel. It just seems hard work- a lot of pubs and restaurants were closed or stopped serving food really early and dogs aren’t allowed on lots of the beaches and parks etc. It just feels a little unwelcoming for tourists.

Ceredigion in west Wales is brilliant. Beautiful beaches and very friendly atmosphere.

And Northumberland is really beautiful, but the sea is much colder!

amp.theguardian.com/world/2009/apr/25/ottawa-northumberland-advert

total tangent, but definite proof of Northumberland’s beauty…

Yep, those ones. 😂
They go on holiday anywhere away from the Emmetts (tourists) the ILs are loaded so go here there and everywhere though, so maybe my views are skewed somewhat.

@Kitfish
"I've never understood why people based in the SE don't go to Northern France (Pas de Calais) instead - thinking Le Touquet or Berck-Plage."

I spent many a summer working in the S of France border with Spain and felt the same about all the French holidaymakers. They would drive hundreds and hundreds of km down through their country but rather than push on into Spain they would stop an hour short and holiday in France still, on the border.

LOL, I'm Welsh and that's so true about (most of) the pubs!

@ElspethTascioni thats quite funny! Love Northumberland. Don’t care that the sea is colder. We were swimming in the sea in October last year there 😂

What makes you think that "everyone" is "obsessed"? Do you mean that quite a lot of people like to have the occasional holiday there? Not quite the same thing, is it?

Brilliant story, right?! @Booklover3 🤣

I’ve no idea. There’s some nice beaches and coves, but Devon, Wales, Yorkshire, North Norfolk and Northumberland all have beaches to rival them… and without the overcrowding and moody locals!

We live in Devon, and even I think Cornwall's a bit far away- we've never bothered 🤣🤣

I just don't "get it". If you want busy little villages and beaches, then just stop on the south coast of Devon. If you want quieter, more remote, rugged beaches, then that's North Devon 😉

Far far fewer French people have passports than Brits.

Isle of Wight is OK but, because it's tiny, it's pretty limited. In Sussex the beaches tend to be quite crap compared with Cornwall.

Try going (ideally out of season) to somewhere like St Ives where the light and the scenery is absolutely beautiful, there are five excellent beaches within walking distance, and plenty of other stuff within reach to vary the holiday.

Shush.

I like it uncrowded here.

There's nowhere like Cornwall

Most importantly because of how warm it is and how quick the weather moves if it showers

It's bloody freezing in Northumberland and Wales

Even when I lived in Scotland I trekked all the way to Cornwall for holidays and didn't stop in the cold and rainy places

Meh not worth going I wouldnt bother- stay away and let me enjoy it

We love Cornwall and go a lot. Most tourists go to the main areas so it is really easy to find secluded beaches and places to go. May involve a bit of walking but worth it for the peace. The sea is amazing and seals and dolphin spotting is fab. Fantastic sea so calmer on the south with lots of sailing and paddle boarding then go to the north for some surfing days.

Both countries are in Schengen, so they don't need passports @NancyJoan

I was told (by a Spanish hotelier) it was because the Spanish are not keen on the French, following the adventures of one Napoleon Bonaparte, and they are very fond of the British.

Some of Cornwall is really beautiful but there is a lot of deprivation and some areas have a real destitute feeling. We went in April of this year and enjoyed ourselves but it was v crowded even then. I remember going years ago and it was nowhere near as bad.

We went to Dorset a couple of months ago and agreed that some parts are as stunning as Cornwall but it didn’t have that impoverished vibe like Cornwall. All the areas we visited were salubrious. It was also super friendly, more so than Cornwall. Some pubs in Cornwall have that ‘local pub for local people’ thing going on. We live in the South East and decided Dorset is the place for us, Cornwall is just too bloody far away when we can find beautiful beaches and countryside way closer to home.

I've been several times. It's nice but not the only place possible to love.

Personally Prefer Dorset or south Devon and much closer - a lot of Cornwall away from the pretty fishing villages feels a bit depressing to me - I do love st ives but a fag to get to