Travel Diary Cornwall England

Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License St Ives Harbour at night

Cornwall is the county that covers the south-west corner of England. It narrows as it moves west finishing with Land's End at its tip. Cornwall borders Devon but otherwise just has a coastal border.

The coast of Cornwall has some beautiful beaches, spectacular cliffs and wonderful rugged scenery. Most of the areas and towns worth a visit, or an actual stay, are on the coast. Despite the often harsh winds Cornwall has one of the mildest climates in the UK and the plants and gardens are lush, plentiful and the grass very, very green.

I first visited Cornwall for a one week holiday with three school friends, all at the ripe old age of 16, way back in 1968. The holiday was our first without adult supervision and we stayed at a Bed and Breakfast where the owner was known to my family.

We stayed in Helston which was a relatively small village a short distance from the coast.

The nearest coastal village was called Porthleven and we visited Porthleven on more than one occasion. It had a small harbour and was unspoilt but I imagine it has changed these days. There was no transport link to Porthleven and we had to walk up and then down a hill in order to access. However it is a place that still holds fond memories.

Most of the places we visited back in the sixties will have changed considerably these days but when I visited in 2006 with my husband there were some constants.

We stayed near St Ives on the opposite coast of Cornwall at a place called Carbis Bay. This tiny pretty area has a golden sandy beach that resembles the type that you find abroad in countries such as Spain. St Ives was a short walk, train or bus journey away. I preferred the lovely walk through the countryside along the coast to St Ives.

St Ives is a bustling resort with many Art Galleries including a local Tate Gallery, quite a few beaches, shops, scenery and good local restaurants. We visited in late August and St Ives was busy no matter what day we visited from our base at Carbis Bay but it was still pleasant and not too overcrowded.

Carbis Bay would be a good place to base yourself if you want to tour around Cornwall.

Our visit was an organised five-day coach trip which included the hotel accommodation. However there are many camp sites and bed and breakfast establishments in Cornwall. Cornwall is not the cheapest place to visit though, especially St Ives.

St Ives also has plenty of surfing and water sport enthusiasts who holiday there regularly to enjoy water based activities.

We visited Land's End but for us it was nothing too special. Sure the scenery is rugged and the air fresh and bracing but it is very commercialised. Better to visit Lizard Point, which is the most southerly point of England, as the scenery is much better.

Marazion is also worth a visit if only to look across the water to St Michael's Mount. At low tide it is possible to walk across an old roman road to the mount but be careful as the tide soon changes. At 16-years-old we started to walk across only to find that the tide almost overtook us and we came out looking like damp squibs.

I was pleased to note in 2006 that Marazion and St Michael's Mount were much as I remembered them.

You can take a small boat trip across to the mount which is not too pricey a ride. Also the village here has some nice local shops and good views.

Nearby Penzance is more a coastal town where you can shop and visit the gardens as along its coast it is more a working town.

Overall what you will find with Cornwall is:-

• Warm and friendly Cornish folk.
• Plenty of history and historical sites to visit.
• Magical fantasy as you visit the home of King Arthur and the like.
• More gardens than you can imagine including the vast Eden Project.
• Great pubs and restaurants and many local folk musicians.
• Beaches and countryside.
• Culture and water sports and much more.

Make sure that you try a traditional Cornish pasty followed by a cream tea which includes a huge dollop of rich and thick Cornish Clotted Cream.

Cornwall is a great place to visit, it has so many attractions, things to do and great places to visit that having written about it, I cannot wait to visit again.

Resources
Visit Cornwall