Blog Archive

Winter and Spring in Cornwall

With the festive season at Badgers now a very distant memory we are starting to enjoy longer daylight hours and beautiful Winter sunshine. Early flowering plants & bulbs are beginning to appear in our lovely Cornish hedgerows providing vibrant splashes of colour streaming through the local lanes.

Visitors to Cornwall at this time of year really benefit from the lack of crowds and can enjoy exploring our beautiful beaches, gardens and attractions without the busyness of High Summer!

We are certainly looking forward to making the most of what our lovely county has to offer during these early months. To find out more take a peek at some of our favourites listed below:

Enys Gardens in the Spring

Tranquil Enys Gardens lie in a valley between Penryn and Mylor. Nothing beats a wander through this peaceful haven which was left abandoned for sixty years, thought to be one of the oldest in existance within the county and is now slowly being restored. Seasonal flowers provide gorgeous pops of colour contrasting perfectly with surrounding ancient woodland.

Simply the best time to take a stroll through this woodland paradise is during the month of May, also known as 'Bluebell Time'. Carpets of these lovely flowers literally cover the ground in a haze of glorious blues. The light floral scent is sumptuous too - if it could be bottled it would be worth a fortune!

There is a cafe located near the entrance/exit of the gardens where you can replenish with a variety of delicious home-made cakes, cream teas and pastries to suit all tastes, the coffee and tea is excellent too - Go on treat yourselves ....

Plan your visit to Enys Gardens

Bluebell Carpet Time - Image Credit: Badgers Sett Holiday Cottages

PK Portcurno - Museum of Global Communications

Something for all the family here, with World War II tunnels located deep below the ocean surface, an exciting and secretive wartime communications hub originally built in 1929 to explore & impressive interactive exhibitions on display following the fascinating development of global communications throughout the 20th Century and beyond.

All ages will be intrigued and captivated during their time spent at PK Porthcurno whilst discovering how electricity was previously used for communications starting from that first international telegraph cable sent 150 years ago from India to Porthcurno, right through to the current day, now using fibre optic cables located deep underneath the ocean's surface throughout the world.

The museum enables visitors of all ages to explore some of the monumental history of worldwide telecommunications in an exciting & engaging environment during their time at Porthcurno. Cafe PK provides a welcome chance to indulge in delicious locally sourced pasties, cakes, exquisite ice creams and sandwiches to full on scrummy meals, vegan and gluten free diets are catered for here too - A foodie heaven !

Plan your visit to PK Portcurno

PK Porthcurno Frontage - Image Credit: PK Porthcurno

The Cornish Seal Sanctury

Located on the edge of the Helford river with breath taking views across local countryside within a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Cornish Seal Sanctuary is an inspiring place for families to visit at any time of the year when in Cornwall, where you can find out the importance of protecting and preserving our oceans and marine life.

Get up close and personal with the playful seals, penguins and sea lions by taking a wander through the three large underwater viewing areas where these inquisitive creatures will often swim over to say hi to you !

There are daily talks and feed times given on all things marine life related by the experts working within the Sanctuary which are both amusing and informative.

You will discover how some of the extraordinary rescue operations are undertaken and get to see how these animals are nursed back to health once transported to the specialist seal hospital within the sanctuary, the only one in existence within Cornwall.

The main aim is to return these creatures back to the ocean when fit and ready, however some seals and marine animals are not able to be put back into open waters & are given a forever home within the safety of the Sanctuary.

Plan your Visit to The Cornish Seal Sanctuary

The Cornish Seal Sanctuary - Image Credit: Badgers Sett

Caerhays Estate & Gardens

The Caerhays Estate and gardens is located between Truro & St Austell, overlooking the beautiful Porthluney Cove. Opening from early Spring through to Mid Summer they are renown for their stunning collection of Magnolias, Rhododendrons and Camellias.

There are roughly 140 acres of English Heritage Grade 11 listed woodland gardens all in all, with a variety of trails to meander through, some with fantastic coastal views and others taking in the spectacular estate and gardens.

Caerhays appeared in Rick Stein's series 2 on TV where the gardens originally constructed around the castle built by John Nash in 1808, were featured.

Walkers are spoilt for choice with a selection of idyllic coastal rambles from the estate, taking in the stupendous views over Caerhays and East and West Portholland beaches.

The Beach Cafe is open every day during the Summer Months and has stunning views over Caerhays Beach and beyond with internal seating in which to take shelter from that pesky Cornish mizzle should this be necessary ! A mouth watering variety of snacks, home made cakes with freshly brewed coffee and teas to choose from makes the Beach Cafe a 'must do' pit stop for families & their four legged friends !

The estate's Magnolia Tea Rooms & gift shop provide another welcome opportunity to relax for a while whilst indulging in a well deserved gooey treat before browsing the irresistible selection of Cornish made, locally sourced goods in which to treat yourself and perhaps friends too!

Plan your Visit to Caerhays Estate

Caerhays Castle & Splendid Magnolia - Image Credit: Caerhays Estate

Crantock Beach

Crantock beach is one of our favourites and well worth a visit during your stay at Badgers in any season! Located roughly 2 miles from Newquay this stunning beach is a vast expanse of soft golden sands flanked by glorious sand dunes.

Fun, sparkling sea and squidgy toes are the order of the day - what's not to like here ... and for cooler days ? piling on the layers, walking the dog along one of three main walks accessed from the beach, going for a kick about along the ocean edge whilst watching your four legged friend pouncing on those pesky waves constantly rolling towards them!

The National Trust own and take care of the beach and parking is a plenty during the Winter/early Springtime, its also free to Nat Trust members. The Summer Months need more planning though as this stunning beach is popular with the natives and visitors too it's a good idea to arrive early to secure that coveted parking place.

Public loos are located within the car park. There's also a choice of pop up cafes on the beach during the Summer months to satisfy those invitable hunger pangs!

Our grandsons favourite activity (in rare times when they are actually out of the water)! is to whizz down a sand dune on a body board (Note, care to be taken here) .. The screams of delight and then the climb back up to do it all over again is a constant source of entertainment, at least until the urge to immerse themselves back in the ocean again overcomes them!

Crantock provides a fun packed few hours for all ages encompassing the true essence of a day in the life of a Proper Cornish holiday !

Stunning Crantock Beach - Image Credit: Badgers Sett

Plan your Visit to Crantock Beach

Posted:2 February 2022