Is Cornwall worth the expense?

[srasee]

We usually go for a week to Antigua in February and rent a flat or villa. This year we’re thinking of skipping that trip and having an extra one in the UK summer.

We were thinking of renting a house in somewhere like Flushing or Rock or Saint Ives

It is very expensive, but we prefer to stay in upmarket areas. Is Cornwall worth the expense?

No, it's massively overrated and over priced. The scenery by the coast in nice, that's it.
Wales is much friendlier, cheaper and less busy.
We took our children to Cornwall several times when they were young, but l have no desire to go back.

I grew up in St Ives and we go back most years for a week.

I think St Ives and West Cornwall is spectacularly beautiful in the right weather but there are a few variables to consider.

You are likely to get it at its absolute best if you can travel out of termtime and at short notice. When our kids were small we used to wait for the weather to come in June/early July and then make an offer on a vacant cottage.

Staying in St Ives itself is excellent for us with school age kids as we can pop on and off the beach to our hearts’ content, and there are lots of options for food. that said, the St Ives restaurant scene is not what it was pre covid and certainly not what it was 20 years ago. Nowadays it seems everywhere has pretty much the same menu, consisting of crab linguine and a few other dishes and it’s all rather boring. Which is a shame because it used to be superb.

some of my favourite holidays have been staying more rurally in places like Treen or Lelant which are excellent for walking and close to Porthcurno but do require a car.

so I’d say yes, if you can catch the weather (and ideally on a spring tide), it can be incredible.

Staying in St Ives itself is excellent for us with school age kids as we can pop on and off the beach to our hearts’ content, and there are lots of options for food. that said, the St Ives restaurant scene is not what it was pre covid and certainly not what it was 20 years ago. Nowadays it seems everywhere has pretty much the same menu, consisting of crab linguine and a few other dishes and it’s all rather boring. Which is a shame because it used to be superb.

@KernowMaiden Oh I disagree. I've been going for years and there are still some fabulous places to eat. I'm always spoilt for choice but I guess it depends what you like.

You might like the Isles of Scilly…

St Ives had some exceptional restaurants without a crab linguine to be seen 😂

@CornishGem1975 ahhh maybe I’m being too harsh. There are still some good options. But back in the day there was so much more variety and the food scene felt better than it currently is. St Ives used to be a little foodie hotspot (and my friends and I were little foodies) but I think now there is much better food across Cornwall and much of St Ives’s offering is just meh.

St Ives in tourist season. You shuffle along, funnelled into the tiny streets.
St Ives out of tourist season: rain.

These days I'm not a huge fan of Cornwall, though I loved it in childhood. Also, agree with a PP that St Mawes is lovely, especially if you can afford to stay in the hotel.

I don't think so. It would take me 8 hours to drive there from London. The roads are extremely overcrowded and so is Cornwall when you get there. And the weather can be atrocious. For rugged coast with sunshine, go to Portugal or Croatia, or even Normandy or Brittany for rugged coast and stunning views without guaranteed weather (but probably still going to be a lot nicer than Cornwall) and about one twentieth the number of cars on the road.

St Ives is glorious out of season, we went in March and loved it. It was busy but bearable. We also love Rock all year round, there are some lovely tucked away rentals and the beach/estuary is gorgeous. Padstow equally lovely out of season but not in high summer. It's too small for the volume of visitors.

Fowey has to be one of the most disappointing places I've ever been to. Didn't enjoy it at all, it's best seen in photos and from a boat on the estuary. Town was a bizarre few streets of over priced tourist tat and really cheap bakeries/chain stores and the public toilets were an abomination. The town council appears to hate tourists.

I love Cornwall but we haven’t been for nearly 20 years because it’s just too busy in school holidays!

It really is weather dependent and I would only go out of school holiday periods now.

I certainly wouldn’t trade a week abroad for Cornwall.

Northumberland and parts of Wales are quieter and have equally idyllic beaches and quaint towns.

Honestly no. Not in August.

Pembrokeshire is an alternative in August.

If you want upmarket St Ives isn't that. I thought it was quite underwhelming with hoards of people, tacky pubs, overpriced local tat and galleries. My favourite places to visit in Cornwall are Polperro, Marazion and Mousehole.

I far prefer Pembrokeshire. It feels quieter, less pretentious and equally as beautiful. St Davids area in particular is spectacular.

Not in august. Perhaps in June or September IF you’re ok with the weather, it’s such a lottery

northumberland and south west wales are nicer. But our holiday this summer to northumberland left a sour taste in my mouth because it cost a fortune and the weather was shit. It was amazing when we’ve been previously.

Crikey @LindorDoubleChoc which route do you take?
5 and a half hours from where we are in W Cornwall to Clapham on a good day. Seven at the very, very worst.
Once those damned A30 roadworks are done things will be better

the Journey there and back is hell.

NRTFT, but we went to Cornwall (near Newquay) in September a couple of years ago. Cornwall scenery was everything I had ever imagined, but I would never go there again, because of the traffic and crowds everywhere! Pembrokeshire has a similar coastline, but is not as crowded. Barmouth is stunning, and not as crowded. We have also been to Oban three times - beautiful scenery, much cheaper places to eat what we consider to be the best seafood in the UK, and nowhere near as crowded!

We also go to a Greek island in May or September most years (Covid apart), it too is beautiful, cheaper, great seafood and deserted in comparison to Cornwall.

From SE London it took us 6 hours to drive to Exeter this year in August.

It took us 7 hours to get to the South Hams the last time we went in May half term.

Allowing a half hour stop for lunch.

So 8 hours to get to Cornwall is being generous.

I've just never been able to get my head around the love for Cornwall as a holiday destination. I'm sure it's great if you live there (apart from in the tourist months, see countless "grockle" threads on MN and elsewhere) but it's just so far away and so crowded!

We were there too.
The English Rivera. Stunning.
However I would go to the Caribbean given the information OP has provided.

Nope. Very expensive (more expensive than Amalfi Coast), horrible filthy sea, horrible wet filthy beaches, boring food, nothing to do. Full of posh people in their posh summer homes. Countryside is great but its the same as the rest of the country, and I would say Derbyshire countryside is much better - and about 100 times cheaper to visit.

The sea at St Mawes is so clear. And there are sea horses that live among the sea grass in the harbour. It's lovely in spite of all the posh secind home owners
And the lobster rolls from the kiosk on the harbour - wow!

Another Cornish maid here..IF the weather is dry and warm and IF you can come in June, early July or September, there's no better place to be. I live on and prefer the south coast.

OP said they want to go in the summer.

OP said they want to go in the summer.

What are people's opinions on Newquay please? And also is there much in Durdle Dor?