No visit to the UK is complete without a trip to the beautiful county of Cornwall with its idyllic countryside, scenery, coastline and beaches. It is already a very popular destination for Brits to take a holiday, however it is also an appealing location for international visitors.

Cornwall known as Kernow to the locals is right at the tip of the southwest peninsula of Britain and is rich in history and heritage; its earliest inhabitants can be dated back to the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods. Later on during the Middle Ages it played an important role in the tin mining industry.

Due to its location and many of the towns and villages on the coastline being warmed by the Gulf Stream, Cornwall enjoys probably the sunniest and mildest climate of anywhere in the UK. It is normal to see sub-tropical vegetation growing abundantly such as palm trees, grape vines and fruit trees that you would not normally expect to thrive in the UK climate.


The administrative centre and the only city due to its magnificent cathedral is Truro. There are some fine examples of Georgian architecture in the city as well as a good range of shops, cafes and restaurants – many of them to be found on some of the pretty cobbled streets. There are usually a couple of markets open 6 days a week, including the Lemon Street Market and the Pannier Market where you can find a wide range of handicrafts and local food and produce.




Not far from Truro is the town of St. Austell, probably best known for two of its attractions, the Lost Gardens of Heligan and the Eden Project. The Heligan gardens are particular stunning during the spring and summer, with the beautiful flowers and shrubs in full bloom. It would be a crime to miss the glorious and vibrant display of rhododendrons blooming during this time. There is also a very fine farm shop on-site, called Lobbs Farm Shop which has a wonderful range of local produce, some of it coming directly from the gardens of Heligan.

The Eden Project boasts the world's largest greenhouse and you can see plants there that have been collected from all over the globe.  It opened in 2001 and attracts thousands of visitors every year. It also plays host to musical performances and some famous names who have played there include Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse, Snow Patrol and Pulp.


Newquay is probably one of the best known destinations in Cornwall and is famous for its surf. During the summer it is bustling with holidaymakers (or ‘emmets’ as the locals call them) all keen to enjoy the attractive beaches, coastline and surf. There is an excellent array of hotels, bars, cafes and restaurants in Newquay as well as a good selection of shops. As dusk falls the town livens up even more as there is a huge nightlife scene which is popular especially with stag and hen parties. One of the regular annual events that is held in the town is the Run to the Sun festival, which is one of the largest VW and custom built car festivals in Europe.  If you’re a petrol head this an event not to miss as you will see all sorts of modified cars and part of the fun is the cars parading through streets all day long, stereos blaring and horns honking. A lot of fun! This event attracts people from all over as well as international visitors. Newquay has its own airport so if you are flying in for the event you can pick up your Newquay car hire at the airport and soon be on your way.



If you go a little further south down through Cornwall you will reach the splendid Roseland peninsula.  This really is the Cornish Riviera and is one of the most beautiful, unspoilt and picturesque parts of the British Isles. Here are some suggestions of where to visit and things to do in the area:

King Harry Ferry
The King Harry Ferry service was started in 1888 and makes the connection between Truro, Feock and Falmouth with St. Mawes and the Roseland peninsula.  By taking the ferry you can cut out a large stretch of the journey if you had to drive round instead. It operates 7 days a week and departs every 20 minutes; it takes about 10 minutes to cross over. As you go over take in the breath-taking beauty of the River Fal that it crosses, one of the deepest rivers in Cornwall.
 
St. Mawes
The fishing village of St. Mawes is about a 20 minute drive once you get off the King Harry Ferry and lies on the east bank of the Carrick Roads. These Roads are a large waterway which was created naturally after the Ice Age and resulted in an enormous natural harbour at the nearby Falmouth – often purported to be the third largest natural harbour in the world.


St. Mawes is a very pretty and picturesque village with its own harbour that has regular boat trips and also ferry trips over to the neighbouring Falmouth.  Quiet during the off peak season, during the summer it can get very busy indeed with tourists. There are 2 or 3 beaches which can get quite busy during the summer but there is usually plenty of room for everybody.

Sailing is very popular in St. Mawes and it has its own Sailing Club. You can find boats to hire around the harbour area as well as kayaks if you feel brave!

There is a reasonable selection of shops as well some as hotels, pubs and restaurants. Obviously being a fishing village, there is an excellent range of fresh fish and seafood on offer in the eateries – you can’t ask for fish to be much fresher than it having been landed that morning and you tucking into it a few hours later!

The Rising Sun pub does particularly excellent fish and chips on its menu, the locally caught fish battered in the chef’s own recipe and the chips are fried in beef dripping. The portion is enormous – you have been warned! Also there is a fine selection of pasties, pies, bread and cakes to be found in the St. Mawes bakery.

A sight not to miss when in the village is the St. Mawes Castle. It sits at the water’s edge and looks over the sea to its larger sister castle, Pendennis. Both castles were built by Henry VIII, the one in St. Mawes between 1539 and 1545 and were part of a defensive chain of fortresses designed to protect the south coast.

Many years ago you used to be able to wander around it freely but now it is part of the English Heritage and you will need to pay a small fee to go inside – however it is worth the money as it is an amazing building to look around.


Falmouth
Just across the water from St. Mawes is the town of Falmouth situated around its busy port. Due to the extremely deep waters in the natural harbour it is not unusual to see massive ships and oil tankers docked there and also submarines have been spotted in the area! Falmouth itself is rather like a larger version of St. Mawes and also has a good range of shops and eateries.

Pay a visit to the famous Fat Willy’s Surfshack and browse the rails for a funky T shirt! Also be sure to indulge yourself with a delicious locally made pasty which is known as an oggy by the locals.

A popular place for both visitors and locals to enjoy is the Swanpool Nature Reserve which is one of the most important brackish lagoons in Britain. Brackish means a mixture of salt water and fresh water and those conditions means a huge variety of wildlife thrives there. If you take the ferry over from St. Mawes you may be lucky to spot a dolphin or a seal on the journey, as they are often seen when travelling on the ferry.

St. Anthony Lighthouse
This lighthouse guards the entrance to the Carrick Roads and warns passing ships of the infamous and deadly Manacles rocks. It was automated some time ago, however visitors can still have a look around in the peak season.  The steps up to the very top are at such a steep incline they are almost vertical – not so bad going up but a bit hairy coming down! The lighthouse was also the setting for the children’s television series ‘Fraggle Rock’.

St. Just Church
A few miles from St. Mawes is the parish of St. Just and here resides what must be one of the most beautiful and peaceful churchyards in the world. It was built in the 13th century, has a 6th century Celtic heritage and is set in one of the most tranquil and pretty locations you will ever see – next to the water and with lush sub-tropical gardens and vegetation.


Other popular towns and villages to visit in Cornwall include Fowey, Looe and Padstow.  Padstow perhaps made more famous by its best known resident, the chef Rick Stein – although the locals now refer to their town as ‘Padstein’ as he has taken over so many of the local shops and businesses!

Cornwall is most definitely worth a visit whether you’re a Brit or you’re coming from further afield as it is so rich in history and culture and also has so much to see and do.  The other big benefit is the climate is so much more pleasant than most other parts of Britain and the summers especially can be very warm and sunny. It has a very relaxed and laidback feeling to it, some people say this can be attributed to the salty sea air!

Public transport is not brilliant with a lot of the more interesting villages and areas not really being serviced by a bus and if they do there’s likely to only be a couple of services a day. Many visitors when going on holiday will book Cornwall car hire as it is the most convenient way to explore the nooks and crannies of the county and see the more remote and untamed areas, especially the beaches and coastlines.