help with cornwall (southwest coast)
 

Hi, Im planning a 4-day trip to cornwall and am wondering if there are any recommended cities to stay in as a home base.

we are interested in lands end, possibly islands of scilly, any beautiful coastline/beaches. Basically we enjoy the wonderful outdoors!

Im not sure which part of the cornwall coast is the nicest to walk around, so I dont quite know where to stay.

Thanks

Ryan

Let's clear up some terminology first - the term "city" in the UK means something very specific, and the only one in Cornwall is Truro (which derives its city status mainly due to its ancient cathedral). I think what you are referring to is actually towns and villages.

My preferences for somewhere very atmospheric and interesting to stay on SW Cornish coast would be in Mousehole or the Lizard Peninsula (a little further to the East). Penzance, the largest town in the area is a bit run down and not particularly attractive for visitors.

Things to see and do that you mentioned, and some other suggestions:-

The Cornish Coastal path is well maintained and follows the whole coast, fantastic scenary throughout.

Lands End is a tacky, over-commericalised tourist rip-off.

St Ives (on the N coast) is a beautiful small town, that's attracted many artists over the years.

Minnack Theatre: outdoor theatre built into the cliff-side staging classical concerts, opera etc. Very atmospheric in the evening.

Beaches: Cornwall is famous for them (Sennen Cove is one of my favourites but there are many others).

Eden Project: large futuristic "biomes" housing plants and shrubs from tropical and semi-arid regios of the world. Has become one of Cornwall's major attractions in recent years.

hi, strikerpc,

I too would favour your staying in the PZ area, but suggest considering PZ itself. Having been there for work roughly twice a month for the last 10 yers, it's really come up in the world - there are plenty of nice hotels/ guest houses and great restaurants. plus it is very convenient for The heliport to the isles of scilly, the train, buses etc.

you don't say whether you would be driving - if so, staying elsewhere on the coast is more of a possibility.

let me know when you are coming and a few more details, and I'll try to give you a few more sugggestions.

regards, ann

Hi, thanks for the replies so far. Yes I mean more of towns than cities. We will be arriving on June 14th by train and we wont have a car.

Thanks for the suggestions on nice places to visit, any other beautiful spot ideas will be much appreciated! Thanks!

Ryan

Some of these suggestions are good, but I wouldn't overlook the coastline north of St Ives either: Port Isaac, Tintagel, for example.

Since you won't have a car - Penzance is probably your best choice. It is the best located for getting to other places by public transport.

Striker,

My parents and I did an 8-day driving tour on Cornwall this past October. During our trip we stayed in Polperro (2 nights), Falmouth (3 nights), and Portleaven (1 night). Since distances are small,and we did rent a car, we were able to see Looe, Padstowe, Newquay, St. Ives, Penzance, Mousehole, and Lands' End all as day trips.

On reflection, both my parents and I think Falmouth made a great base. Unlike the delightful Polperro, which is a small fishing village with wonderful hiking trails along the coast (it's also got its very own pirate cave that fills up with water during high tide), Faltmouth is a real town, with easy access to main highways, a train depot, many restaurants, a nice maritime museum, public library with internet access, laundry mats, etc. You can tour two Henry VIII-era castles that offer spectacular views and do hiking on the St. Mawes side of the river (a short boat ride away). I've since learned that there is a ferry boat that travels upriver from Falmouth to Truro, the main city that, unfortunately, we only saw from the highway. In Falmouth we stayed at a 5-star B&B called the Dolvean House, which we highly recommend (50-65 GBP in off season).

For us, Polperro had the atmosphere (stay at the 4-star B&B Cottage Restaurant & Inn), but if you want more to do, especially in the evenings, and easier access since you're without a car, I would recommend Falmouth.

hi, striker,

yep, roundtrip's suggestion is also a good one. Falmouth is a great place with lots to do, especailly with the boats. the coast is not as dramatic as that between Penzance and Land's End, and it's not so convenient if your heats are set on the Scillies, but it's still very attractive.

June is [or should be] a great time to be in Cornwall. From Falmouth you can get the boat up the river towards Truro and disembark at Trelissick - one of the lovliest gardens in Cornwall if not the whole country. there is also Smuggler's Cottage on the other bank of the river where part of the D day landing crafts were based.

round the corner on the Helford River there are two more beautiful gardens - Trebah and Glendurgan. boats will take you up the Helford [shades of Daphne du maurier] or over to St. Mawes as teh Op says.

to get to Falmouth on the train, you have to change at Truro; the train to PZ is straight through. there are lots of buses in both places, but if you wanted coach tours, then Falmouth, which is more "touristy" [by cornish standards, we're not talking torremolinos here] would be a better bet.

happy planning!

regards, ann

St Ives is a good alternative to Penzance. You can get there by a very scenic branch railway. Buses to Penzance run at least every half hour (www.firstgroup.com).
For Scilly, see
www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk.

I'd definitely go for St Ives over Penzance. Penzance is grim. The only good thing about it is that you get good views of Marazion/St Michaels Mount. St Ives is pretty, hilly, cobbled, and arty.

Best beaches - Sennen/Whitesand Bay, Porthcurno, Praa if you want to surf. Mousehole is more fishing harbour than beach, but very pretty and very typically Cornish. Look out for the famous cats!

If you do decide to go for a car the B-road from St Just to St Ives is a truly wonderful drive, past standing stones, abandoned tin mines and dramtic cliffs.

PS If you want to go to Scilly, there is a short helicopter ride from Penzance - apparently the sea crossing by boat is fairly rough all year round.

St Ives is a nicer place is to stay than Penzance, but for getting out and doing things, walking etc, Penzance has far better transport options - and it is not "grim"!

Visiting the Scilly Isles is easier from Penzance.

And you can take the bus to Mousehole (pretty fishing harbour), Porthcurno (amazingly beautiful beach, visit the Minack Theatre set into the cliffs - or even better see a play there, lovely coastal walks) and Sennen Cove (small coastal town and surfing beach, nice walk along rugged coastline to Lands End - yes Land's End is a tourist trap but the walks along the coast here are beautiful), amongst other places.

There are frequent buses as well as trains from St Ives to Penzance, buses every half hour from St Ives via Penzance to St Just, buses every hour from Penzance to Truro, and some buses from St Ives to Land's End. You can stay in St Ives and still get around west Cornwall.

True - I'm just making the point that it is easier and quicker from Penzance to visit many places in west Cornwall. I would stay in St Ives over Penzance - but only if I had a car.

totally agree w/ optimystic. W/ the limitation of no car - one has to make some compromises. Don't worry, Penzance is not grim and is an easier hub for touring around by public transport.

Now, if you were renting a car, several of us would probably make other recommendations -- but w/o a car, everything will be faster/easier from Penzance.

I'm baffled as to why anyone should think St Ives is difficult to reach without a car. I've been there several times by bus, train and even by boat.
With its narrow lanes, it's the last place you want to take a car. There are frequent buses from St Ives to Penzance and other places. The railway line to St Ives is listed in the Thomas Cook timetable as one of Britain's most scenic lines. There is nothing wrong with Penzance, but St Ives is much more attractive and has good public transport links.

well ,I'm surprised to hear PZ described as grim - i go there twice a month as I've already said and really like the lively atmosphere and restaurants, cafes, galleries, etc.

As for st. Ives, no locals would go anywhere near it in the summer due to the hoards of "emmets" [tourists to english speakers]. Between Easter and October it's impossible to get into or out of by car, and the whole place is packed. ther is a train service, but often it's reduced to 2 carriages which make it awful especially if it's warm.

by all means go, but just make it a day trip!

regards, ann

I'm sorry but I think it's really misleading to portray Penzance as an attractive place for tourists. It's a busy town and port, a lot of the buildings look very grey/peeling paint/run-down, and there are a load of tacky takeaways, dodgy taxi-ranks etc right on the seafront - it's just not a particularly appealing place for tourists to visit - especially in comparison with other towns in the same county. I've no doubt if you live there or visit regularly there are some good bars/galleries etc that can be sought out - but we are supposed to be giving advice to someone from out of the area who is asking where is a nice play to stay as a home base. I don't consider Penzance a good recommendation for that.

Yes, it's absolutely true that St Ives is packed with tourists and it's difficult to park, but it's popular for a reason - there a good beaches, good art galleries (including the Tate and Barbara Hepworth) and some decent eateries - plus it's just a whole lot more picturesque.

Also, I did advise the OP that Penzance could be used as a departure point for the Scillies - not really sure why later posters felt the need to repeat that verbatim as if no-one had thought of it or could think of anything positive to say about the town!

RM67

I really don't want to start an argument, but when were you last in PZ?

regards, ann

&quot;<i>not really sure why later posters felt the need to repeat that verbatim as if no-one had thought of it or could think of anything positive to say about the town!</i>&quot; My, my - cranky today aren't we??

The Penzance RM67 describes really doesn't bear much resemblance to the one I know. But I'd defer mostly to annhig since she lives in Cornwall.

St Ives is a lovely place - but it is REALLY crowded in summer (and it doesn't absorb the crowds all that well). If I was going in Nov - and had a car - I'd probably choose St Ives over Penzance. But in summer and car-less - it would have to be Penzance. Just so much easier to get to other places from there.

(Actually, if I had a car I wouldn't stay in St Ives either since there are a lot of other really lovely villages)