In the wild and rugged Atlantic coast of the north of Cornwall you’ll find a landscape carved and sculpted by the sea. Beside the sea is filled with sandy coves, caves to explore and beautiful sandy beaches. Meanwhile, on top of the cliffs, you can find stunning purple heather fields, dotted with old tin mines. Local tales of shipwrecks and pirates add to the excitement and intrigue of the coastline of North Cornwall, and you can (almost) always count the rolling surf, which attracts surfers from all over the world. Here is our guide to the best things to do on holiday in north Cornwall.
Where to stay
Trethias Farm Camping and Caravan Park, Padstow
Trethias is a quiet, family-run campsite on top of a cliff top. This means guests get stunning views across Treyarnon bay and beyond. The touring pitches are laid out around the edge of the field, leaving plenty of room for games. This site is dog friendly.
Perranporth Camping and Touring Park, Perranporth
Only a 5 minute walk to Perranporth beach, this site also has an outdoor swimming pool to enjoy. The campsite has both grass and hard standing pitches. This site is dog friendly.
Hendra Holiday Park, Newquay
A large family campsite, with everything you need right on site, including outdoor and indoor swimming pools (with flumes!). The site has children’s clubs, live entertainment, a bar, amusements and array of food outlets.
North Cornwall Days out
Best for waterfalls: St Nectan’s Glen
St Nectans Glen is a magical place, where fairies and mythical creatures gather. An Area of Outstanding Beauty in itself, featuring a true hidden gem. Within the woodland you can find St Nectan’s Kieve, a 60ft waterfall that plunges into a deep rock basin, then through a natural arch in the rocks. It is believed by many to be a sacred site, with healing powers. You’ll often see visitors hanging ribbons from the trees that surround the waterfall.
Best for myths and legends: Tintagel Castle
Linked to King Arthur and set high on the rugged cliffs, Tintagel Castle does not disappoint in myths and magic. To get to the castle, you must first walk across the sea (well, there’s a bridge for that part). Next, you must scale the castle steps up to the ruins that cling to the cliff. Afterwards, you can visit the sandy beach below and venture into Merlin’s cave. Be inspired, like many artists and writers before, and stand on the headland to admire the spectacular views. Or watch the sea, just as the life size Bronze statue of an ancient king does.
Best for a traditional fishing village: Port Isaac
Port Isaac has been a fishing village since the 14th Century and was made famous by the TV series Doc Martin and Fisherman’s Friends. This quaint village, with small winding streets, whitewashed cottages and traditional Harbour, is a delight to explore. Boat and fishing trips go from the harbour in high season. Port Isaac is renowned for having one of the narrowest thoroughfares in Britain, called “Squeezy Belly Alley”, so we would recommend using the car parks that have been provided on the way in. After admiring Port Isaac, walk around the coast line to Port Gaverne, an unspoiled cove with a Hotel and cafe, a great place to stop and enjoy the view.
North Cornwall Beaches
Best for families: Perranporth
At low tide, this beautiful sandy beach becomes a vast expanse of sand. That makes it perfect for beach games! With an on-beach bar, great surf, rock pools, caves and a small tidal pool, this beach is ideal for all the family. There is a large car park and the beach backs straight onto the village. Visit the sand blown high street to find plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants. The beach has life guards and is dog friendly all year round. Although, dogs must stay on leads July – August on the main beach.
Best for surfing and bodyboarding: Fistral Beach
One of the best surfing beaches in the world, all the UK surf competitions are held here. This lovely sandy beach is backed by sand dunes, with seafront facilities including restaurants, cafes, boutiques, showers, toilets, surf equipment hire and a surf school. The beach is life guarded and dogs are welcomed all year round.
Best for getting away from the crowds: Porth Joke
Porth joke or Polly Joke as it’s known by the locals, is a small sandy cove situated between the popular beaches of Holywell Bay and Crantock. It is a 15 minute walk from the nearest car park so the cove stays fairly quiet and untouched. Be aware, there are no facilities at this beach and no lifeguards. It’s perfect for getting away from the crowds and dogs are welcome all year round too. This beach is on our list of favourite beaches.
See this
Wheal Coates
Visit the real world of Poldark, the tin mining in Cornwall. Hardships and fortunes, human tragedies and pride, dangers and inventions. Above Chapel Porth Beach, on purple heather cliffs, you’ll see the engine house of Wheal Coates, a once working tin mine that opened in 1802 was worked until 1893.
Art Galleries
North Cornwall has been the inspiration for many artists with its rugged coastline, wild seas, beautiful coves and stunning sunsets. That also means it is filled with plenty of Art galleries to visit.
Do this
7 bays for 7 days
Around the Trevose headland lies seven beautiful sandy bays – Trevone Bay, Harlyn Bay, Mother Ives Bay, Booby’s Bay (be wary of how much the kids will laugh if you take them to this one), Constantine Bay, Treyarnon Bay and Porthcothan bay. All of these are family friendly and have plenty of surf in the year. Who could ask for more. The task is visiting one of these bays a day, for seven days. Find the natural sea pools that appear at low tide, go rock pooling, build sandcastles, enjoy an ice cream or just sit and watch the sunset over the sea.
Coasteering
Coasteering is everything you wanted to do as a kid at the seaside but you weren’t allowed. Yeah, that about sums it up. Swim, jump, scramble and climb your way along the cliffs, play in the waves and explore sea caves – all under the supervision of experts. There are plenty of companies in North Cornwall offering this experience and it’s a tonne of fun whatever your age.
Eat this
Fish and Chips
Fresh fish and chips are an absolute must in Cornwall. With so many restaurants, cafes and takeaways, it might be hard to choose the best, but we’re here to help. The most famous is Rick Stein in Padstow. Padstow is a lovely Cornish town with a harbour, it can get very busy in the summer months but is worth a visit. With winding streets full of boutiques, art galleries, cafes and restaurants and the most famous fish and chips.
Hedgehog Ice Creams
Head to the beautiful cove of Chapel Porth, a stunning sandy beach spotted with caves, owned by the National Trust with a small car park and a cafe. However, this is no ordinary cafe. This cafe is home to the most famous ice cream in Cornwall: the Hedgehog ice cream. Traditional Cornish vanilla ice cream in a cone, with a dollop of clotted cream on top and covered in Hazelnuts. Walk along this stunning beach or just sit and enjoy the view with one of these delicious ice creams in hand.
Drink this
Trevibban Vineyard and Orchards
Not far from Padstow in an amazing rural setting sits this award-winning working vineyard, known for it’s amazing wine and cider. The vineyard offer tours of the vineyard and wine tasting experiences.
Enjoy a drink at Lusty Glaze Newquay
Enjoy a drink watching the sun go down over this lovely sandy beach at Lusty Glaze Bar and Restaurant. A stone’s throw from Newquay town centre with an amazing atmosphere.
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