Blog Archive

Image credit: Adam Gibbard, Visit Cornwall,

Autumn & Winter in Cornwall - A New Norm !

Wow, what a totally crazy year this has been .... We could all do with a little family togetherness time; with this in mind we have had fun looking at what our lovely county has to offer throughout the cooler months leading up to Christmas and the New Year breaks.

There are some fantastic offerings this year for everyone, from kids to oldies,
many of the usual suspects and some additional ones are pulling out all the stops to ensure no one is excluded from having a fun filled magical time here in Cornwall during their Autumn/Winter vacation.

Take a peek through a selection of our favourites listed below:

Wheal Martyn Clay Works

This is one for the entire family from tinies to grumpy gramps! Your four legged friend can join in the fun too as the site is very dog friendly.

There is so much to do here from visiting the indoor and outdoor museums, where you will step back in time and take a peek at the history of the Wheel Martyn clay works, stuffed to the gills with historic tools, machinery and tales of producing what was known as 'white Gold' from years gone by, checking out Cornwall's biggest working water wheel and wandering along the scenic woodland trails, indulging in just a few of the awesome activities available.

The onsite cafe is definitely not to be missed either .... Catering for all tastes with locally produced yummy cakes to full on meals, everyone will be sure to find something delicious to enjoy.

Plan your visit to Wheal Martyn Clayworks

Sterts Theatre and Arts Centre

A visit to the renowned locally based Sterts theatre in nearby Upton Cross is always a hit for the whole family. Productions planned for December include classic and chaotic fun in the guise of a Dick Whittington pantomime - one for all the family to enjoy, plus an all time favourite, The Sterts Singers Christmas Celebration, just the thing to get you into a festive holiday spirit!

A great chance to relax and enjoy professional performances in an open air amphitheatre with a canvas roof cover. The very best of both worlds as you can make the most of the warmer temperatures and dark sky landscape when our Cornish weather is benevolent, but if it's raining the cover is put up to protect you from the worst!

A fantastic chance to see polished and professional shows in stunning local surroundings - thoroughly recommended.

Plan your visit to Sterts Theatre

Image credit: Sterts Theatre

Autumnal Strolls Along our Fabulous Cornish Beaches

One of life's greatest pleasures (in our opinion) is to wrap up warm, grab the walking boots and head out for a romp across some of our stunning Cornish beaches. They will have the advantage of being more or less empty from September onwards when most of the crowds will have headed on back up the A30 or A38 to homesteadshire!

Some of our favourite bays are based around the North Coast such as Constantine, Harlyn, Mother Ivey's, Trevone and Boobys (always guaranteed to make our 7 year old grandson smirk)! All have acres of golden sand in which to comfortably social distance, a great chance to take in the wonderful whiff of seaweed and salty sea air, kick off the footwear and experience the texture of sand squigging in-between your toes!

The weather can be surprisingly warm in September, allowing families with pre-schoolers and couples to really make the most of the huge array of beaches without the noise of July and August.

Another great perk is you will be able to park your car in an actual designated space within a car park rather than on top of another vehicle!

Plan your visit to the beach

Image credit: Sean Hughes, Visit Cornwall

Get on Your Bikes & Follow The Camel Trail

Nothing is more fun on a brisk Autumnal day than moseying your way down to Bodmin, Weybridge or Padstow with the kids in tow, donning the cycle helmets as you go and joining the iconic Camel Trail. You can either bring your bikes with you (they can be safely stored at Badgers Sett Holiday Cottages) or they can be hired at pit stops in any of the above towns, the choice is yours!

The trail follows a disused part of Great Western railway track which runs through some gorgeous, scenic landscape. Start your ride at Padstow and you will meander past the Camel estuary onwards to the stunning wooded Camel Valley through to the pretty village of Blisland where the trail ends on edge of Bodmin Moor.

Take the opportunity to leave the car behind in one of the designated car parks and see a real mixture of typical Cornish inland villages, coastal hamlets, woodlands and ocean views as you cycle along this pretty and relaxing trail.

Friendly pubs and cafes abound in many of the villages you will pass through, so plenty of choice for refuelling along route - it's always a good idea to plan ahead and reserve a slot if you and your fellow cyclists want to be sure of bagging a table at a particular foodie outlet, or simply bring your own supplies and stop off somewhere stunning to chill out and watch the world go by for a while!

Plan your cycle ride along the Camel Trail

National Maritime Museum, Cornwall - Monsters of the Deep

Take a trip to Falmouth during your stay and visit the National Maritime Museum where you'll experience terrifying, ghastly goings on in the 'Monsters of the Deep' exhibition - go on give it a go - I dare you! Jump aboard the HMS Challenger and expand your knowledge of what goes on in the deepest, darkest depths of our oceans.

Become a scientist for a while when you get to handle sea faring objects both ancient and new aboard the fantastic floating laboratory, check out the microscopes and find out what it's like to be a scientist in today's modern world.

Tread carefully though as you will be sure to bump into the odd sea monster or two, be it a Kraken with tentacles that are at least two miles long, super huge sharks - some say as big as skyscrapers!, or Feegee a menacing mummified mermaid (arrrg .....)

If you make it back to the current day ... walk on by to see a replica of 'Boaty McBoatface' and get to examine some significant discoveries of our time. Take the opportunity to progress through hand-picked specimens and say hello to some real monsters of the deep!

The exhibition is amazing, so much to discover and explore, kids (little and large) will enjoy becoming explorers for a while, be entranced by the fables and discoveries, get a kick out of meeting real life sea monsters and relish finding out more about what goes on beneath those murky depths.

Plan your visit to Monsters of the Deep

Christmas Sparkles in Truro!

Christmas is a magical time to stay in Cornwall, there are so many festive and sparkly things to do, giving us the opportunity to relax & experience fun times with our family & friends.

A popular place to visit during this enchanting time of year is the lovely cathedral city of Truro, where there is always a huge variety of exciting events lined up to suit even the most discerning tastes!

One of our favourites is the impressive Christmas market taking place in Boscawen Street each Wednesday from November 27th through to Christmas (10:30 until 21:00), selling a huge variety of goodies from locally made Christmas puds to exquisite jewellery. Also open on Saturday 14th & Saturday 21st December (09:00 to 17:00), allowing plenty of time for shoppers to purchase that oh so essential Christmas gift!

To top it all you can shop till you drop to the sound of Christmas music being played in the background, from traditional carols to kettle drums and the occasional samba to get you in the mood for all things festive!

With no vehicles allowed through the street, free parking with park & ride options available and twinkly, sparkling Christmas lights illuminating this exquisite city, Christmas shopping will be an absolute pleasure for all but the most grumpy of 'bah humbugs'!

Image credit: Truro TIC

Please bear in mind though this year due to the current pandemic, events and dates may change and are subject to government guidelines.

Posted:7 September 2020