CORNWALL

Four days in Cornwall.

The land of cliffs, castles and clotted cream.

“…and then I take the night train to Penzance” says a vintage poster we saw on a Great Western train.

For the gentleman in the ad, this was the solution to escape the stress of the week.

And that’s exactly what we did, heading west to the very end of England. A long weekend ahead and the daily routine behind us.

With cool beaches and stunning cliffs, nice countryside villages and surprising landmarks, Cornwall will stun you with its personality.

Compared to the rest of the UK, Cornwall has the sunniest climate of all regions and, by far, the best clotted cream you can find on the market.

It’s a land of myth and legends, where you can hear the tales about King’s Arthur, the mermaids and giants.

It’s a land of great food, for you can tickle your taste buds with the tastiest cream tea in the UK, fresh seafood and some amazing pasties (not “pastries”, you don’t want a Cornish punch on your nose).

But most of it all, Cornwall is a land of activities. There is so much choice you’ll never get bored - surfing, hiking, kayaking, sailing but also festivals, shows and exhibitions.

The one below is only one of the possible combinations for a long weekend in Cornwall.

OUR HIGHLIGHTS

CARNEWAS & BEDRUTHAN STEPS

No one knows how this 19th century legend originated.

What we know is that a giant called Bedruthan was looking for a shortcut across a bay to reach his cave and found huge sea stacks in the Atlantic. He decided to use them as his own stepping stones.

That’s why nowadays, between the city of Newquay and the village of Padstow, you can find a stretch of coastline named Carnewas and Bedruthan Steps. And it’s a jewel.

These hidden coves and steep cliffs smell like pirates, smugglers and shipwreck stories. They are a great spot to enjoy the sea air and coastal views.

This gorgeous bit of Cornwall is popular since Victorian times. It’s easily reachable from Newquay (20 minutes by car) and it’s part owned by the National Trust.

Let’s fix the logistic first: it’s free to enter and it features a big car park, a nice shop and a café. End of the logistic bit, now the fun part.

The best way to enjoy Carnewas and Bedruthan is to start walking from the souvenir shop and make your way to the sea following a short scenic path, until you reach a breath-taking photographic spot.

Windy, rough, spectacular.

From there, you can walk all the way north until your legs can make it, following one of the many trails the area can offer. The first village in the north is Porthcothan, a good 2-hour walk.

Not to be missed is the rocky staircase with steep steps at Bedruthan, allowing access to the sea level and to a series of rocky beaches at low tide. On the left of the stairs there’s a big, eerie grotto to explore.

Pay attention to the sign on top of the stairs advising visitors not to swim in those waters due to incredibly strong tides and submerged rocks. It’s a magnificent sea to watch but it inspires respect and fear, definitely not the desire to go for a swim.

We spent a couple of hours walking around and taking pictures and we can’t stop recommending it to all our friends visiting Cornwall.

MINACK THEATRE: A PLAY ON THE CLIFFS

Built on a rocky cliff over the Celtic Sea, the Minack Theatre is one of the most spectacular open-air theatres in the world.

With its steep terraces dramatically overlooking the sea, this beautiful granite landmark is located just 5 km from Land's End, near the village of Porthcurno.

It's only a 30-minute drive from Penzance and a 45-minute drive from St. Ives, there are no excuses to miss this.

The season runs each year from Easter to late September with plenty of shows rotating on stage, but if you're not up for a play, you can enjoy storytelling events in selected mornings. You can also visit the theatre when there are no shows planned (6€).

Even though the location is a bit remote, the Minack Theatre has everything to entertain you for a few hours: an exhibition on how the place was built and also a cafe, a nice gift shop and a sub-tropical garden - no jokes, that’s what Cornish weather can make happen.

As it’s an open-air venue, the Minack Theatre can be chilly during the evening shows, but the staff is kind enough to distribute blankets for the audience.

The rain doesn't stop their performances but you cannot bring in any umbrella, so dress accordingly - it's best to have a rain jacket with you. And the seats are quite hard, so we hired a cushion with supporting backrests from the theatre (£3 cash).

We were lucky enough to see a play based on "The Treasure Island" by R. L. Stevenson, with lots of buccaneers, gold hunters and one-legged seamen shouting around.

The frame for the show was just perfect, hard to replicate: the scent of the sea at sunset, the rumbling sound of the waves on the rocks below the stage.... this was a surprise for Caro, so I could literally hear the brownie-points counter going crazy in her head, ding ding ding!

We suggest checking their programme and booking the tickets for the Minack Theatre as early as possible.

CARN BREA: DINNER IN THE CASTLE

Dining at Carn Brea Castle is an experience not to miss.

Reach the top of the hill right before sunset and see the towers of the fort getting bigger and bigger as they emerge from the fog.

Park your car and, especially in autumn or winter, enjoy the eerie atmosphere around the dark, stony building.

In contrast with the outside, the atmosphere inside is warm and cosy, and a waitress will be waiting for you at the door to guide you to the table.

The castle was built as a hunting lodge in 1379 and during the years changed many shapes and functions. It has recently been converted into the Middle Eastern restaurant you can see today.

The castle is 4 km from Redruth - it’s a short but adventurous drive from the town. Once you reach the village of Crankie, you have to take Carn Lane, and then take a left at the fork.

It’s a dirt road of the worst type, very narrow and with pot holes the size of our living room but it’s quite fun to dribble them to reach the car park. Somehow, you have to earn the view and the dinner.

The interior of the castle is beautifully decorated, with small, dark rooms and awesome stoneworks. The tables are lit by candlelight and from some seats you have a gorgeous view of the valley.

You can access the rooftop through a narrow stair and enjoy a “last of the romantic” view of the countryside villages, dotted with warm yellow lights.

We brushed away the chilly air of the rooftop with a hearty homemade vegetable soup, hummus with pita and the Carn Brea Special, a nice rump steak with sautéed peppers and mushrooms.

The service was impeccable, the portions were the right size and the food was very good, following a menu with a nice middle-easterner touch.

We could see juicy portions of baba ganoush and stuffed vine leaves swirling around – they looked great and the other guests looked happy.

You can have a nice dinner with starter, main and dessert - with a glass of wine - for around 35-40€ pp.

You must call them and book a table in advance as the restaurant has only 24 seats and they go away fast. They accept only cash or cheque, so be sure to stop at an ATM machine before visiting; the closest cash machines are in Redruth or Pool, a 10-minute drive from the castle.

Fun fact: Harry Potter’s flying Ford Anglia, stolen from a production studio in Cornwall in 2005, reappeared a year later on the Carn Brea hill, right next to the castle.

NEWQUAY: SURF AT FISTRAL BEACH

Newquay is the surf capital of the UK.

With so many surf stores and surf schools gravitating around Fistral and Towan beaches, the main long sandy stretches of the city, you will definitely have an easy life finding a board, a teacher and some good waves.

We went for Escape Surf School (here), and they didn't let us down.

This is a great team of long-time surfers offering really fair prices for a beginner lesson (around 2 hours, 35€ pp) including the board and wetsuit hire. This was the first time ever on a board for Fab and it was a great one only because the sea was very calm that day, perfect for rookies like him. Ah, those glorious 30cm waves.

The city is quite nice, young and buzzing with activity in summer. There are lots of cool spots to visit, beach clubs for live music and food, and in early August the annual Boardmaster event takes place (at Fistral, there's a very good beach break). This is not only a pro-surfer event, there are also skateboarding displays, gigs, healthy food stalls, workshops of any type and much more.

For lunch, pay a visit to The Beached Lamb Cafe, between Fistral and Towan.

Quirky little place with a funky vibe, reggae music in the background and a diverse, intriguing menu, including many vegetarian dishes to make everyone happy.

The staff is very friendly, portions are colossal and the food quality is high, attracting both tourists and locals.

Their fresh juices and milkshakes are epic, especially the peanut butter/banana one. We both couldn’t resist and ordered a superb halloumi burger, filled with milky happiness.

The prices are reasonable, you can have a solid lunch for less than 15€ pp. They also have open mic nights on Fridays and live music… this could be the place that best represent Newquay’s chilled and cool spirit.

If instead you are looking for pastries that make your taste buds smile… there’s a bakery that does the trick.

Stop at the Pavilion Bakery on Fore Street.

Two things stole the show on the counter: the cinnamon bun and its little brother, the cardamom bun. A spiced Nordic delicacy, with a soft dough and an intense, almost floral smell.

And last but not least, a must-see for the evening is the Lewinnick Lodge (here). A pub, a boutique hotel, a restaurant and much more.

From its windows and terrace you can enjoy stunning views over the Atlantic, the vibrant surf life of Fistral beach and dramatic sunsets.

After being a smuggler’s den, the Lodge became a 4-star boutique hotel (with 17 rooms, starting from around 200€ per night for a double room).

If you are spending a night in Newquay, you should really slot in some time to spend at this joint, as it’s just a 10-minute drive from the city centre. Just make sure to book in advance to eat at the restaurant!

We went there attracted by the coastal views and the great food of the restaurant. However, as we did not book and the restaurant was full, we sat in the pub area and had some nibbles and dessert: worth mentioning the fragrant artisan focaccia and the amazing sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream.

The interior of the Lodge is lively and spacious but the best bits are the beer garden and terrace outside, where you can lose yourself in the magnificent, panoramic view of the ocean.

ROUGH TOR: HIKING THE RUINS

The iconic rugged profile of Rough Tor rises up 400 metres above the sea level, dominating the Bodmin Moor with its finely balanced rocking stones.

Scattered around the slopes of the hill there are many remnants of ancient Neolithic civilisation: cairns, stone hut circles and tor enclosures.

We learned on the go that a “tor” is a free-standing rock outcrop created by the erosion of the rocks, rising abruptly from the ground and creating rounded hill summits.

The walk uphill to reach the summit of Rough Tor is not too hard, but it takes some effort especially towards the end to find the right stones to step on. It takes around 30 minutes to finish climbing and, once you're on top, the hilly panorama of the moor is just spectacular.

If you're in for an experience, try to reach the summit at sunset time for some unforgettable pictures and an eerie atmosphere (picture below).

The car park is just a 10-minute drive from Camelford, the nearest town.

We recommend good walking boots as the terrain tends to be marshy even during summer months. Also, bring water and something to snack as there's basically no shops around the hill.

TRAVEL TIPS

We took a train from London Paddington to Truro. It takes around 4 hours and the cost is around 100€ pp for a return ticket booked a month in advance. If you haven’t pre-booked a seat, go early to the train station to beat the crowd and find yourself a comfortable spot.

We rented a car with Europcar in south Truro, but there are plenty of other choices near the train station for all types of budget.

Driving in Cornwall is quite easy, but a small car is recommended due to the size of the roads. In summer, the traffic can be intense around the main cities, but it’s still manageable.

The only difficulty is to make your car fit into the very narrow countryside roads. These roads are built for being two-way, despite being barely one car wide.

If you come across another lonely driver in one of these narrow lanes, you might have to drive backwards for fairly long distances to find a spot where both cars can fit, so being comfortable driving backwards is a plus.

Sleeping in Cornwall doesn’t come cheap and it’s preferable to book in advance, especially during summer months. There’s a vast choice of accommodations, from boutique hotel to campsites but we preferred to go cheap and sleep in a mix of self-catering cottages (from Airbnb) and small hotels.