St Nectan’s Glen is home to Saint Nectan’s Kieve, a 60-foot waterfall, which cascades through a naturally carved hole in the rocks, creating a plunge pool below. The water flows from the Trevillet River. through a lush, wooded valley filled with moss-covered rocks, ancient trees, and native plants, providing a calming backdrop to explore.
Legend has it that St Nectan, a 6th-century monk, lived here and blessed ships sailing past the Cornish coast. While the historical details are sparse, his story has given the glen a reputation as a spiritual place. Above the kieve stands a Hermitage, built on the site of Saint Nectan’s original hermit cell and chapel. Around 1,500 years ago, it is believed that Saint Nectan used this small chamber, carved into the rock, as a place for prayer.
While entrance to the glen is free, there is an entrance fee for visiting the waterfall, which helps support the site’s upkeep. If you’re looking for a souvenir, there’s a gift shop offering a range of spiritual and nature-inspired items, such as birthstone fairies, handcrafted jewellery, incense and burners, greeting cards, crystals, and precious stones.
Tregothnan is a country estate that has been home to the Boscawen family since 1334. Perched on a hill overlooking an inlet of the River Truro, it benefits from a unique microclimate that has allowed the successful cultivation of Camellia sinensis, the evergreen shrub used to produce tea, for more than 20 years.
After producing the first crop of genuine English tea, the estate now has over 26 miles of tea bushes. A deep sea creek brings regular fog that bathes the gardens in mist while helping to keep them relatively warm through the winter. Manuka bushes have also thrived at Tregothnan since the 1880s, when they were first grown outside New Zealand, producing exceptionally flavourful honey.
Although the estate is not open to the public, several pre-booked experiences are available, including the River Garden Tea Tour. During this guided two-mile walk through the plantation, your host will share the rich heritage of the estate and its connection to the river. Along the way, you’ll also explore the historic Kea plum orchards and the hidden Jungle Gardens, filled with botanical and subtropical wonders. The tour concludes with the opportunity to pick your own tea to process at home, followed by a tasting of some of the teas produced on the estate.
Managed by the RSPB, the Hayle Estuary is one of the few natural harbours on Cornwall’s north coast and an important site for thousands of seabirds, waterfowl, and waders. The estuary is divided into five main areas each with their own distinctive habitats and birdlife. At Leilant Sands, look out for vast flocks of gulls, while at Carnsew Pool, a tidal lagoon, all six species of British diver can be seen and in winter, American vagrants frequently appear.
At hightide, Copperhouse Creek is an excellent area for ducks and waders such as shelducks, curlews, ruffs, and little stints. Ryan’s Field is a wet meadow with a pond where you might spot kingfishers diving for fish, and in the surrounding grassland look out for Cetti’s warblers. The vast sandy beach at the mouth of the River Hayle, Porthkidney Sands is often deserted and from here you can watch gannets offshore. Although there are no facilities on the reserve itself, Hayle town centre, with its shops, cafés, restaurants, and public toilets, is close by.
Trebah Garden is a 26-acre sub-tropical valley garden, threaded with four miles of footpaths that lead down to its own private beach. In spring, the landscape bursts into life with century-old rhododendrons, magnolias, and camellias, while in summer, a highlight not to be missed is the Gunnera Passage, a walkway that takes visitors through a tunnel of this South American native with its enormous leaves held aloft on thick prickly stems.
The Water Garden, fed by a natural spring, tumbles downhill in a series of pools and cascades, framed by swathes of arum lilies, skunk cabbages, and the intoxicating fragrance of exotic ginger lilies. Trebah is also home to a collection of 50 species of bamboo, some soaring up to 10 metres in a single season. Elsewhere, a shady dell brims with ferns and ancient tree stumps, while Alice’s Seat, a charming, thatched summerhouse, offers a peaceful spot to pause and breathe in the heady perfume of carefully planted, fragrant blooms.
At the foot of the garden lies Polgwidden Cove, a secluded beach where visitors can enjoy a local ice cream, explore the rockpools, and take in the views across the Helford coastline.
St Mawes is a picturesque fishing village tucked away at the tip of the Roseland Peninsula. Popular with boating and yachting enthusiasts, it’s the perfect place to while away an afternoon at one of the waterside cafés or pubs, watching the comings and goings in the harbour.
A stroll around the headland brings you to St Mawes Castle, an artillery fort built by Henry VIII between 1540 and 1542. Now managed by English Heritage, the castle is well worth exploring. Climb the gun tower for sweeping views, spot the intricate stone carvings of the Tudor royal arms, and step inside the mess room, kitchen and storerooms for a taste of daily life in the 16th century.
From the harbour, a small passenger ferry crosses to Place, home to the beautiful St Anthony-in-Roseland Church. From here, a scenic coastal walk leads through woodland and fields, and past a lighthouse and remnants of WWII fortifications. Along the way, you’ll discover several secluded beaches at the bottom of the cliffs. Stop for a refreshing dip before returning to St Mawes to round off the day with a classic crab sandwich.
Dating from the late Neolithic to early Bronze Age, the Merry Maidens of Boleigh is a stone circle made up of 19 stones. Set in a gently sloping field between Lamorna and St Buryan, it is notable for the remarkable regularity of its spacing and its perfectly circular form, a rarity in Cornwall.
The stones stand up to 1.4 metres high, gradually diminishing in size from southwest to northeast, which is believed to reflect the waxing and waning of the moon. Local folklore adds another layer of intrigue. In Victorian times, it was said that the stones were once village girls, turned to stone as punishment for dancing on the Sabbath. Their musicians fared no better, petrified as two tall pillars, known as The Pipers, which rise 4.1 and 4.6 metres high in fields just across the road. Although there is no public access to The Pipers, visitors may seek permission from the nearby farm.
From the Merry Maidens, look towards the hedgerow which reveals a solitary standing stone, the Gun Rith Stone. It is thought this may once have formed part of a ceremonial alignment with the circle itself.
Situated on the Lanhydrock Estate, the Grade II listed Respryn Bridge is one of the finest surviving examples of a medieval Cornish bridge. The present structure dates from the 15th century and replaced an earlier crossing over the River Fowey built in around 1300. Constructed from granite and stone, the bridge has five arches, although only the central arch is original to the bridge. During the English Civil War, it served as a strategic crossing between Lanhydrock and Boconnoc, which stood on opposing sides of the conflict.
Today, Respryn Bridge is a popular spot for wild swimming, although care should be taken after periods of rainfall when the river can become fast flowing. The area is also well loved by walkers, with a beautiful circular trail winding through ancient oak woodland. Along the way, keep an eye out for dippers, wagtails, and kingfishers, and at dusk you may see Daubenton’s bats skimming the water hawking for insects.
Emerging from the woodland, a path leads to the late Victorian Lanhydrock House, where visitors can wander through the grounds and admire the herbaceous borders, an impressive formal parterre, and vibrant upper gardens filled with camellias, magnolias, and rhododendrons.
Situated on the banks of the Helford River, the Cornish Seal Sanctuary is a registered charity that cares for around 70 rescued seal pups at any one time. The animals arrive for a variety of reasons, from malnourishment to separation from their mothers. The sanctuary’s aim is to rehabilitate every pup and return it to the wild, and it has an impressive success rate. A small number, however, are unable to survive independently and remain at the sanctuary as permanent residents.
The sanctuary has three underwater viewing areas where visitors can watch the seals up close and learn about their individual rescue stories. A range of special experiences is also available, including a VIP Cream Tea Tour, which offers a behind-the-scenes visit to the seal hospital, a private guided tour with a member of the team, and a traditional Cornish cream tea with scones, jam, and rich clotted cream. Alternatively, visitors can try the Keeper for a Day experience, learning what it is like to work at the sanctuary by helping to clean enclosures, prepare fish, assist with feeding, and care for the animals.
Managed by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Baker’s Pit is a beautiful nature reserve made up of heathland, small areas of pasture, and open water formed by the flooding of a former clay pit.
In addition to supporting a rich variety of wildlife, the site also has some fascinating archaeological remains, including the foundations of 18 Bronze Age roundhouses, which would once have been homes for farming communities who lived and worked here 4,000 years ago.
Summer is perhaps the best time to visit, when the heath comes alive with colour as wildflowers and gorse burst into bloom. The reserve provides an important habitat for birds that nest close to the ground or within dense vegetation, including whitethroats, stonechats, and linnets. Keep an eye out as well for lizards and adders basking in the sunshine, along with heathland butterflies such as the grayling, small copper, and small heath. Visitors in winter will be rewarded with sightings of merlins, hen harriers, and peregrine falcons hunting over the landscape.
St Petroc’s Church, dating back to 1470, was originally built as a Roman Catholic church before becoming Anglican after the English Reformation. Earlier churches stood on the same site as far back as 540 AD. Today, it is one of the largest and oldest parish churches in Cornwall, and unusually, its building records survive almost in their entirety.
St Petroc was probably born in South Wales around 468. He studied in Ireland, made a pilgrimage to Rome, and later ministered to the Britons of Devon and Cornwall. He is also closely linked with the monastery at Padstow, which takes its name from him (Pedroc-stowe, meaning “Petroc’s Place”).
The church houses many remarkable treasures, including several beautiful stained glass windows, an intricately carved rood screen, an impressive Norman font, and a Sicilian ivory casket once used to hold the relics of St Petroc. Other highlights include a 300-year-old hand-embroidered cloak, repurposed from a bedspread or curtain, and the Bodmin Gospels, dating from the late 9th century.
Step outside to discover St Guron’s Well, marking the site of the first Christian cell here around 500 AD, and the 14th-century St Thomas Becket charity chapel, the oldest surviving building in Bodmin.
Once a busy port built to export copper and china clay, the charming village of Charlestown has been beautifully preserved, with pastel-coloured fishermen’s cottages scattered around its Grade I listed Georgian harbour.
In recent years, Charlestown has attracted the attention of film and television producers, who have used the historic village as a backdrop for a wide range of dramas. Fans of Poldark will certainly recognise it. As well as doubling for Truro, Charlestown also appeared as Falmouth, the home port of Captain Andrew Blamey, with his supposed Falmouth residence overlooking the inner harbour, from where Verity Poldark elopes with him despite her family’s disapproval. Charlestown’s beach and slipway also stood in for St Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly. The harbour has featured in several other productions too, including Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, the 1993 adaptation of The Three Musketeers starring Kiefer Sutherland and Charlie Sheen, and episodes of Doctor Who and Beyond Paradise.
A visit to the Shipwreck Treasure Museum is highly recommended while you are there. The museum offers a fascinating insight into Charlestown’s maritime history, including access to underground tunnels once used to load goods onto ships moored in the harbour. Visitors can also explore the largest private collection of shipwreck artefacts in Europe, with nearly 8,000 objects recovered from more than 150 shipwrecks.
Geevor Tin Mine is the last surviving example of a complete 20th-century Cornish tin mine. After closing as a working mine in 1990, it was transformed into a visitor attraction and is now a popular destination for families and anyone interested in Cornwall’s mining heritage.
Visitors can explore the many historic buildings and discover how they were used when Geevor was in operation. In the Mill, you can learn how rock was crushed, ground and processed to extract the valuable tin concentrate. The Hard Rock Museum offers interactive displays where you can try your hand at panning for “gold” and gemstones. For a real sense of what life was like for the miners, you can also venture underground into the mining tunnels of Wheal Mexico, where original machinery remains in place and the conditions of a typical shift below ground are vividly brought to life.
Dedicated to European folk magic, ceremonial magic, and Wicca, the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle is said to house the largest collection of related objects in the world. Although small, the museum feels like a true cabinet of curiosities, filled with fascinating artefacts to examine, though visitors should note that it focuses more on displays than immersive experiences.
Highlights include a reconstructed traditional cunning woman’s cottage, known as Joan the Wytte’s Cottage, featuring a mannequin of a 19th-century practitioner surrounded by herbs and divination tools. Other displays explore the persecution of suspected witches, with examples of historical restraints such as a scold’s bridle, wrist shackles, a waistband, and thumbscrews. The Richel Collection presents a large and intriguing array of ritual objects associated with sexual magic and symbolic creative energy. Visitors can also see a ritual chalice once owned by Thelemite magician Aleister Crowley, as well as swords and an altar slab belonging to the influential Wiccan Alex Sanders.
Outside, there is a wishing well that raises money for charity and a whimsical broomstick park for witches. Parents visiting with children should be aware that some exhibits contain material of an adult or sexual nature.
Perched high on a dramatic cliff, Tintagel Castle is a powerful island fortress with origins dating back to the 5th century, with its atmospheric ruins standing partly on the mainland and partly on the island itself. In medieval times the two halves were connected by a bridge, and today visitors can once again cross by footbridge, enjoying spectacular views of the rugged coastline.
Visitors can explore the castle ruins, including the remains of the Great Hall, as well as the wider island landscape. Scattered across the site are traces of an early medieval settlement, such as the deep defensive ditch that once protected the community near the castle entrance and the outlines of 7th-century houses. Don’t miss Gallos, the life-size bronze statue of an ancient king inspired by the legend of King Arthur, standing watch over the wild seas below.
The remains of the walled garden attract a variety of wildlife, including coastal birds, and seals can often be spotted bobbing in the waters beneath the cliffs. Below the castle lies a secluded sandy beach, one of Cornwall’s hidden gems, where a waterfall cascades down the rocks and Merlin’s Cave, a subterranean cavern. cuts through the headland from east to west. According to legend, it was within this mysterious cavern that King Arthur found refuge after being washed ashore, rescued by the wizard Merlin.
The Minack Theatre is a remarkable open-air theatre carved into the granite cliffs high above Porthcurno. It was the vision of Rowena Cade, who bought the headland in the 1920s and, with the help of her gardener, began building the theatre by hand. Construction took six months, and the first performance, Shakespeare’s The Tempest, was staged in the summer of 1932.
Over the following years, Rowena Cade and her gardener continued to expand and refine the theatre. Using sand from the beach below, she developed a technique that gave the structure the appearance of natural stone, even though much of it is made from concrete and cement. Before the concrete had fully set, she carefully decorated the seating with the names of plays and performers, along with Celtic-inspired designs.
Today, the theatre is open to visitors, who can explore its dramatic cliffside setting and wander through the adjacent subtropical garden, which is filled with exotic plants rarely seen growing outdoors in mainland Britain. The performance season runs from Easter to the end of October and includes a wide range of productions, from Shakespearean classics and contemporary drama to musicals, opera, and live music, all performed against the breathtaking backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean.
St Michael’s Mount is an iconic rocky tidal island crowned by a medieval church and castle, with the oldest buildings dating back to the 12th century. Home to the St Aubyn family since the mid-17th century, earlier history is less clearly documented, though historians believe the site may have been occupied by a monastery between the 8th and 11th centuries.
At low tide, visitors can reach the island by walking across the ancient cobbled causeway, while at other times, a short boat trip carries visitors to and from the shore. Inside the castle is an intriguing collection of historical artefacts, including a samurai suit of armour, a clock that displays both the time of day and the state of the tide, a fragment of Napoleon’s coat worn at the Battle of Waterloo, and a mummified cat from Egypt. The church contains an organ built in 1786, a beautiful 15th-century Cornish stone lantern cross, and a contemporary bronze sculpture of St Michael defeating the Devil while extending a hand of mercy.
Outside, the stunning terraced garden, designed in 1878, clings dramatically to the granite cliffs, with succulents and aloes growing among colourful plantings of salvias, tulbaghia, and pelargoniums, thriving despite the strong winds and salty Atlantic air.
Since planting their first trees in 1986, Healeys has grown into Cornwall’s largest independent cyder producer, and the county’s first distillery in 300 years. Today, alongside its award-winning cyders, Healeys also crafts brandy, whisky, gin, eau de vie, fruit wines, and apple juice.
Visitors are welcome to explore the farm free of charge, meet the resident animals including shire horses, chickens, pygmy goats, pigs, donkeys, and peacocks, wander through the orchards, and take a look at the impressive cyder tanks.
For a fuller experience, Cyder Passes are available to purchase, giving access to the tasting room, distillery, cellars, production halls, museum, and the Healey car showroom, a cherished collection of vintage Austin Healey cars, created by Donald Healey, a direct ancestor of the family. Vintage tractor rides add to the fun, while seasonal events such as Easter egg trails, pumpkin patches, and Christmas markets ensure there’s always something new to enjoy. And of course, no visit would be complete without a Cornish cream tea in the restaurant, or a stop at the farm shop to take home a treat or two.
In Truro, the family tends a vineyard of over 12,000 vines, producing Cornish sparkling white and rosé wines. At its heart stands Tregoninny Farmhouse, offering spacious self-catering accommodation, ideal for large families or groups of friends looking for a rural escape.
Housed on the first floor of a former 19th-century sardine factory in Looe, The Sardine Factory is a relaxed restaurant offering beautiful views across the harbour. The menu reflects the chef’s passion for local, seasonal produce, with a strong emphasis on sustainably sourced seafood. Classic favourites such as traditional fish and chips, smoky chowders, and creamy fish pies sit comfortably alongside more contemporary dishes, as well as simply prepared day-boat fish served with light, thoughtful garnishes. To finish, choose from classic British puddings including lemon posset, sticky toffee pudding, and an excellent selection of Cornish clotted cream ice creams.
On the ground floor, the Looe Harbour Commission operates the Looe Harbour Heritage Centre, where visitors can immerse themselves in the story of the harbour and discover the importance of sardines, once the backbone of the local community. Historical characters are brought to life through an extensive image archive and engaging hands-on exhibits.
For a great family day out, head to the Hidden Valley Puzzle Park, where a series of imaginative trails are hidden among woodland, ready to challenge and entertain visitors of all ages. Follow clues as you make your way through the Forbidden Mansion and into the magical world of Tremuddlewick, home to Cornish elves, fairies, pixies, and the mischievous muddlers, curious woodland creatures said to care for the plants and thrive on slugs and worms. Along the way, discover tiny elf houses with round doors and miniature gardens, pixie treehouses, fairy burrows, and the park’s famously quirky “talking toilet”.
The park also has a mile-long miniature railway, a hedge maze formed from more than 4,000 beech trees complete with a secret treehouse, and peaceful gardens filled with colour and fragrance, perfect if you fancy a quieter moment, where can also relax with a picnic or treat yourself to an ice cream before continuing your adventure.
Barbara Hepworth was one of the most important artists of the 20th century. Born in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, she won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art in London before travelling to Florence, where she learned the art of carving marble. At the outbreak of the Second World War, she moved with her family to St Ives, where she lived and worked until her death.
The Barbara Hepworth Museum, now owned by the Tate, houses the largest collection of her works in wood, stone, plaster, and bronze, which are permanently displayed at Trewyn Studio and in the secluded garden where she created many of her sculptures.
Visitors can also see Hepworth’s living room preserved much as she left it, while her workshop remains filled with the tools of her trade including chisels, saws and hammers, alongside materials and unfinished pieces that offer a fascinating glimpse into her creative process.
Managed by the National Trust, Cotehele is a beautiful granite Tudor mansion with medieval origins, set within a 1,300-acre country estate. Inside, the house is centred around an impressive great hall, complete with a timber-framed roof, heraldic window panels, and a heavy doorway flanked by a whale’s jawbone. Throughout the house, visitors will find an eclectic collection of tapestries, arms and armour, pewter, brassware, fine oak furniture, and a wealth of historic artefacts.
Outside, the gardens have formally planted terraces and colourful herbaceous borders, while spring brings a dazzling display of daffodils, including varieties that date back to the 17th century. The Valley Garden, with its medieval stewpond and dovecote, leads down towards the River Tamar, and beyond lie twelve acres of orchards planted with traditional local apple and cherry varieties.
Just a short walk from the main house stands Cotehele Mill, a Victorian watermill and workshops nestled in a wooded valley. Here, visitors can watch resident craftspeople at work and find a unique handmade piece to take home.
