I have always hated crowds. It’s one of the reasons why, years ago, I packed up my little flat in London and moved to the remote tip of Cornwall.
It’s about as far west as you can go without getting your feet wet. Life here is blissfully quiet, save for eight weeks each year when millions of people travel down for their summer holidays. Don’t get me wrong: it’s wonderful to see so many tourists coming to enjoy my home county. But when the streets of honeypot towns such as St Ives and Fowey become all but impassable, and popular beaches like Porthcurno disappear under a tide of humanity, it’s time for me to seek out the quieter corners where tourists seldom tread.
If you, too, want to escape the beaten track, then here are some of the best Cornish spots I’ve found over the years that stay quiet throughout the summer.
SO BUDE-IFUL
Bude’s top-rated attraction on Tripadvisor is a 70m plastic tunnel in a supermarket car park designed to protect you from the elements (yes, really). But the fun doesn’t stop there.
This underrated town in North Cornwall is the smaller (and calmer) answer to Newquay, with brilliant surfing beaches, sublime coastal walks and top places to eat and drink, not to mention the famous Bude Sea Pool – a large tidal pool that offers a safe place for families to splash about.
MY TIP: Most visitors will make a beeline for Summerleaze Beach, or go south to the broad expanse of Widemouth Bay. Fewer think of heading north to the string of remote smaller beaches that stretch towards the Devon border.
WHERE TO STAY: The Beach at Bude offers doubles from £150 B&B (thebeachatbude.co.uk).
There is a glorious beach near St Just at Sennen, pictured, and it’s ideal for exploring the Tin Coast
The historic seat of Cornwall’s medieval rulers, Lostwithiel’s past glories might have long since faded, but today it is a charming little town, its pretty high street lined with tea rooms, antique shops and cosy pubs
JUST INCREDIBLE
St Just is a far-flung mining town near Cornwall’s western tip, often overlooked in favour of its two larger neighbours, St Ives and Penzance. But those who venture here quickly fall in love with its rugged charm.
It’s also home to McFadden’s (mcfaddensbutchers.com), the 125-year-old butcher’s shop that many say serves the best pasty in the county (and, therefore, the best in the world). There are two glorious beaches nearby at Sennen and Gwynver, and it’s ideal for exploring the Tin Coast – a stretch of Atlantic seaboard dotted with cliff-top mines that fans of Poldark will recognise.
MY TIP: St Just is one of the places where you can catch the Land’s End Coaster (transportforcornwall.co.uk), an open-top bus that whips around the West Penwith peninsula, passing through some of Cornwall’s most dramatic landscapes during a three-hour ride.
WHERE TO STAY: The Commercial, a former coaching inn, with doubles from £125 B&B (commercial-hotel.co.uk).
PERFECT PENINSULA
Even with Plymouth visible across the mouth of the Tamar, the Rame Peninsula is perhaps the most underrated (and under visited) of Cornwall’s hidden corners. A role on the silver screen could be about to change that, with the stunning coastal path around Rame Head featured in last year’s hit movie The Salt Path.
For now, this section of the South West Coast Path remains wild and relatively unspoiled. Keep an eye out for Polhawn Fort, an abandoned stronghold dating from the Napoleonic Wars, and for the infamous Sharrow Grot smuggler’s lair.
MY TIP: At the peninsula’s southern tip, Rame Head is one of the best places for watching glorious sunsets.
WHERE TO STAY: Doubles at the Halfway House Inn from £99 B&B (halfwayinn kingsand.co.uk).
Surfers should stick to the central beaches – Gwithian and the Towans – where there are surf schools offering tuition and equipment hire
CASTLES AND TEA ROOMS
The historic seat of Cornwall’s medieval rulers, Lostwithiel’s past glories might have long since faded, but today it is a charming little town, its pretty high street lined with tea rooms, antique shops and cosy pubs.
For a glimpse into Cornwall’s medieval past, take a short walk from the town centre to the ruins of Restormel Castle (english-heritage.org.uk), the ancient seat of the Dukes of Cornwall.
From there, make your way to the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery (duchyofcornwallnursery.co.uk), where you can shop for plants and locally made homewares before grabbing a bite in the cafe.
MY TIP: The town is a short drive from Lerryn, a little village on the River Fowey where you’ll find Tivoli Park, an eerily abandoned pleasure garden now crumbling into ruin amid thick woodlands.
WHERE TO STAY: Stay overnight at the Royal Oak Inn from £80 B&B (royaloakcornwall.com).
CLASSY CAPITAL
Cornwall’s capital Truro may rank among Britain’s smallest cities, but it more than makes up for it in history and culture. Towering above winding cobbled streets are the triple spires of Truro Cathedral (trurocathedral.org.uk), free to enter and a frequent venue for art exhibitions and live performances.
Then there’s the collection of historical Cornish curios at the Royal Cornwall Museum (visittruro.org.uk), and top-quality theatre, comedy and music at the Hall for Cornwall (hallforcornwall.co.uk).
It’s got a vibrant shopping scene too, while the twice-weekly farmers’ market on Lemon Quay is a must. Head to Sabzi (sabzideli.co.uk) or Bread & Butter (breadandbuttertruro.com) for a bite and stop by the award-winning Rising Sun for a pint (therisingsuntruro.co.uk).
For a glimpse into Cornwall’s medieval past, take a short walk from the town centre to the ruins of Restormel Castle, the ancient seat of the Dukes of Cornwall
Make your way to the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery, where you can shop for plants and locally made homewares before grabbing a bite in the cafe
MY TIP: Take a short walk along the Truro River and you’ll come to the little village of Malpas. Here you’ll find one of Cornwall’s most scenic pubs, The Heron Inn – a beautiful riverside spot for drinks and a spot of lunch.
WHERE TO STAY: Doubles at The Alverton Hotel from £115 B&B (thealverton.co.uk).
SHORE THING IN HAYLE
Just down the coast from St Ives but a world away from the tourist throng, Hayle is the ultimate Cornish destination for a laid-back beach getaway.
The town sits at the end of a three-mile stretch of sandy beaches. Swimmers should head to nearby Hayle Beach or to the far end of the bay at Godrevy for calmer conditions. Surfers, meanwhile, should stick to the central beaches – Gwithian and the Towans – where there are surf schools offering tuition and equipment hire.
MY TIP: While generally safe, this stretch of coast can be prone to dangerous currents and rip tides, so it’s advisable to stick to lifeguarded areas. Families with smaller children should head for Sheep Dip, a large sea pool near Gwithian Towans car park.
WHERE TO STAY: Kip by the coast at one of the two-bedroom beach shacks (sleeping four) at Three Mile Beach, from £706 per night, with a minimum three-night booking (threemilebeach.co.uk).
SECRET SCILLY ISLE
Most visitors to the Isles of Scilly stick to the two largest islands, St Mary’s and Tresco. This leaves little St Agnes a relatively untouched haven of peace during the busy summer season; its powdery white-sand beaches are among the best in the archipelago. Don’t miss Bar Beach, a narrow link between St Agnes and its neighbouring island, Gugh. There’s safe swimming to either side of the sand bar, although it’s entirely submerged at high tide, so get your timings right.
MY TIP: Be sure to grab an ice cream at Troytown Farm (troytown.co.uk). The shop there sells more than 30 flavours, made with milk from their dairy herd.
WHERE TO STAY: St Agnes Self Catering offers holiday lets sleeping between two and six, from £850 per week (stagnesselfcatering.com).
CREATIVE IN PENRYN
One of Cornwall’s oldest market towns, Penryn is experiencing something of a renaissance, driven by young creatives priced out of nearby Falmouth. Recent years have seen its quaint high street welcome a range of new independent cafes, art galleries and quirky boutiques, which now sit comfortably alongside centuries-old pubs, bakeries and fishmongers.
MY TIP: In the middle of an industrial estate on Penryn’s outskirts you’ll find Verdant Brewing Co (verdantbrewing.co). This craft brewery and taproom serves some truly excellent craft beers, as well as a menu of delicious wood-fired pizzas.
WHERE TO STAY: Doubles at The Seven Stars from £100 B&B (sevenstarspenryn.co.uk).
TAKE A STROLL IN BODMIN
From its windswept uplands to its wooded foothills, Bodmin Moor offers some truly beautiful walking routes to tempt you away from the busy South West Coast Path.
The two obvious destinations for hikers are the twin granite peaks of Brown Willy and Rough Tor – the first and second highest points in the county respectively.
The landscape is also dotted with ancient sites with connections to Cornish mythology, including King Arthur’s Hall (the eerie remnants of a Neolithic settlement) and Dozmary Pool, where the Lady of the Lake is said to have dwelled.
MY TIP: The iWalk Cornwall app (iwalkcornwall.co.uk) provides a compendium of over 300 walking routes around Cornwall. Each walk you download costs £3.39, but this gets you a GPS-aided map to keep you on track, and offers interesting insights on landmarks and landscapes.
WHERE TO STAY: Bodmin Jail Hotel doubles from £170 B&B (bodminjailhotel.com).
DETOUR DELIGHTS
The old smugglers’ haunt of Polperro is a popular destination for tourists, but the coast on either side, stretching to the Fowey River in the west and Looe in the east, is less well-trodden.
The coast path here takes in some of the most truly spectacular views to be had in the south-west, with rolling hills to one side and glittering sea to the other. There are plenty of hidden coves along the way, and it’s well worth packing a swimming costume if you’re walking on a summer’s day.
But there are also several larger beaches you can drive to, including Lantic Bay, Lansallos and Talland Bay.
MY TIP: Wildlife watchers should book a trip to the Looe Island Nature Reserve (cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk), where you can spot oystercatchers, shags and cormorants, as well as grey seals and dolphins if you’re lucky. Booking is essential.
WHERE TO STAY: Talland Bay Hotel doubles from £140 B&B (tallandbayhotel.co.uk).
AND WHERE TO AVOID…
Cornwall’s most famous destinations are the most overcrowded. Towns like St Ives, Fowey and Padstow are hard to enjoy during peak season, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a parking space or a free table in a restaurant. And unless you’re a real early bird, don’t bother with Porthcurno or Kynance Cove – you’ll spend half the day sitting in traffic.
If you’re able to visit in the shoulder season, do so. September and early October are generally still warm, but the tourist hotspots are far less busy.
