Lifestyle, food and drink, and our family life and travel adventures.
I love going on holiday whether that’s a beach holiday or a city break but I especially love a short break in the UK. It’s often so different to a holiday abroad, and the weather here can never be guaranteed, but with no flights to take, passports to deal with and sort out and just being able to get in your car and go (after a bit of packing and hard work, admittedly!) a UK staycation can be amazing. Plus we have so many beautiful and interesting places to visit here that make for a brilliant holiday. There are so many places I would love to visit in the UK and some I really want to go back to.
Cornwall is somewhere I have been to many times over my lifetime and I absolutely adore it. It is such a beautiful part of the country, with incredible beaches and amazing scenery, and we always seem to be really lucky with the weather when we go too. I haven’t been for years now, unfortunately (Ava was 18 months old when we last went!), but I have such brilliant memories of weeks on the south-west coast with my family as well as friends when I was a teenager. I would love to go again this year even with COVID-19 around still – I think it would make a great choice for a secluded and safe holiday with the family and the dog!
Cornwall is a county on England’s rugged southwestern tip. It forms a peninsula encompassing wild moorland and hundreds of sandy beaches, culminating at the promontory Land’s End. The south coast, dubbed the Cornish Riviera, is home to picturesque harbour villages such as Fowey and Falmouth. The north coast is lined with towering cliffs and seaside resorts like Newquay, known for surfing.
The good news is that even during the current pandemic you can still visit Cornwall and there is lots you can still do to have a brilliant time away whilst still following the government guidelines. Even if you are someone who usually only goes on holiday abroad, Cornwall has so much to offer and is so incredibly beautiful that you might even feel like you are actually abroad; I know I have whilst sat on the stunning beaches in the red hot sunshine. Plus by having a holiday in the UK you are avoiding the uncertainty of international travel that there is at the moment and you’ll still get to have a relaxing break.
So if you’re thinking of taking a staycation in the UK this year, here are some things you can still currently do in Cornwall that allow you to stay safe and socially distanced at the same time as enjoying your time away.
I have spent some absolutely wonderful days on the beaches in Cornwall. There is a vast array to choose from, whether you want a wide-open stretch to take a walk along, or sunbathe on, or rock pools for the kids to play in, Cornwall has them all. The great thing is that even in the height of summer some of the beaches don’t become at all crowded, so you can safely maintain your distance from others without spoiling your fun or not being able to relax.
When we were last in Cornwall we spent quite a bit of time on Porthcothan beach, which (after a bit of a trek walking down to the sea with all of your paraphernalia) is a beautiful wide expanse of sandy beach but with rocks and rock pools in some areas and blue-green sea.
We went in the middle of summer and we had a large area absolutely nowhere near anybody else. We were able to come and go to the sea as much we liked without crossing paths with anyone, and dogs are allowed too so they can join you for the day. The little rockpools were warmer than the sea itself, so they’re perfect for little ones to paddle in. Take a picnic, wetsuits if you have them and towels and you’ve got all you need for a fun and secluded day out.
Cornwall, and in particular Newquay are well-known for their surfing and if you want to take lessons there are still tons of surf schools that are currently open. Or you can choose to hire a board and wetsuit and attempt to ride the waves yourself!
Bodyboarding is also so much fun and a lot easier to get the hang of and you can buy a bodyboard pretty cheaply and get out in the waves on quieter beaches whatever the weather.
Cornwall has so much to offer when it comes to delicious and fresh food and there are so many amazing restaurants and eateries to choose from during a stay.
From huge, tasty Cornish pasties, to straight-from-the-harbour fish and chips or indulgent clotted cream and ice cream, a staycation in Cornwall means you will be spoilt for choice at every meal.
You can’t have a trip to Cornwall without trying one of their famous Cornish Pasties. A traditional pasty is pastry filled with diced potato, swede, onion, diced or minced beef and seasoning, and you can find shops selling them everywhere in Cornwall. Some are definitely better than others though, so it’s worth trying out different places (good excuse!) and then you can enjoy your pasty sat overlooking the stunning coastline or as you wander around exploring and enjoying the lovely atmosphere that Cornwall has.
Then there are cafés overlooking the sea, wonderful country pubs as well as the famous restaurants of Rick Stein, Nathan Outlaw or Paul Ainsworth. Whether you want informal and relaxed dining or something a bit snazzier, Cornwall has it all in abundance. Most places are open at the time of writing; lots with plenty of outdoor seating if that’s what you’d prefer, and others maintaining social distancing and staff wearing masks inside so that you can still enjoy your lunch or evening out.
Pendennis Castle is an English Heritage site in Falmouth. The mighty fortress was built by Henry VIII to defend the country against invasion. Set on a headland with views out to sea, the picturesque castle has defended Cornwall since Tudor times and played a vital role during the two World Wars.
Pendennis Castle is currently open to the public but you do need to book in advance even if you’re a member as obviously numbers of visitors are currently limited so as to maintain social distancing. Some parts remain closed but you can still have a safe day out and climb to the top of the keep to scan the horizon for enemies, as you’re transported back to wartime Cornwall. See below for where to spot seals in the area!
Ordinarily, you could spend a whole day at the world-famous Eden Project, however, it is not all currently open for safety reasons, but there is still plenty to see and do whilst remaining distanced from others. The Eden Project is a vast, global garden, home to a staggering collection of flora from all over the planet. Housed in giant, space-age domes called Biomes, the project is a great place to take children, especially for some education and inspiration around the environment.
The Eden Project has recently opened back up the biomes and the Core education centre and you need to pre-book your spot through the website (even if you’re a member or passholder). Visitor Numbers are being limited each day and entries are staggered to help maintain effective social distancing. If you work in the NHS or the care industry you and one guest can currently go free! But don’t forget to book still.
Cornwall is a brilliant place for doing some seal-spotting, with the rocky, remote caves and coves being home to many colonies of grey seals, which is one of the rarest species of seal in the world and which are only present in the North Atlantic. They can often be sound year-round on the shoreline but Autumn is the perfect time to see them as it is pupping season, so it’s the best time to see them together with their gorgeous new babies.
There are loads of great places to look for seals in Cornwall. Mutton Cove at Godrevy Point is a brilliant place at low-tide for spotting the resident colony, as is Falmouth on the south coast where you may see them lounging on the rocks near Pendennis Point.
If you do go to see some seals make sure that you always keep a safe distance from them – they are easily scared, particularly by dogs. They also have a similar audio range as humans so it’s important to only talk in whispers when you are nearby.
If you want guaranteed sightings of seals, then you should visit the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, which is currently open Friday to Sunday. The sanctuary rescues injured and abandoned seal pups from the area before releasing them back into the sea when they have recovered. You have to pre-book a time slot for your visit via their website, even if you have a pass.
St Michael’s Mount is a tidal island in Mount’s Bay. The former medieval monastery towers above the small town of Marazion to which it is linked by a man-made causeway of granite setts, passable between mid-tide and low water.
St Michael’s Mount is currently open to visitors but to help maintain social distancing you must get tickets in advance. National Trust members are free but also need to book a ticket. A ticket provides you with a specific timeslot for either entry to the castle or gardens as well as unlimited access to outdoor parts of the island and for the period that the causeway to the island is uncovered. You can walk to and from St Michael’s Mount on the causeway (there are no boats across at the moment) and while the duration that it is uncovered by the sea varies each day, the causeway is usually open for around four hours.
They have increased cleaning procedures and introduced one-way routes in both the castle and the garden terraces, and face coverings are mandatory in all of our indoor spaces: the castle, the shops, and the toilets. Dogs aren’t allowed on the island at the moment (except assistance dogs) so bear that in mind.
Bodmin Moor is one of Cornwall’s designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty; a remote, bleak heather covered upland granite moorland still grazed by moorland ponies and strewn with boulders.
The moor is dominated by granite tors; Brown Willy (no you grow up!), the highest point in Cornwall, and Rough Tor, a slightly lower peak. As well as the high granite tors, there are prehistoric hut circles and standing stones, as well as some more modern historical areas of mining and quarrying. Small farmsteads, many medieval in origin, support livestock grazing – helping to keep the moorland and heath free from scrub and bracken.
The moor is home to a plethora of plants and some rare and protected wildlife such as otters, Marsh Fritillary butterflies, bats and songbirds. It is also the only place in the world where a rare moss, the Cornish Path Moss, grows.
The Moor makes a great day out for walkers and hikers and you can easily maintain safe distances from other groups here. You’ll get to enjoy incredible views all around you and can enjoy a leisurely day out exploring the area – make sure you wrap up warm whatever time of year you go, though! There are plenty of free places that you can park around the moors.
Clearly, any holiday we go on is not going to be exactly the same as normal right now. It’s important that wherever you go you take care to respect other people and the area and approach everything with a lot of patience and care. If you head to an area that looks busy, try somewhere else.
A UK staycation right now requires plenty of planning ahead so that it runs as smoothly as possible. You need to decide the things you will ideally do each day ahead of time so that you can book tickets before you go, as well as reserving tables for lunches and dinners out. You will also need to make sure you book all of your accommodation ahead of time, even camping as most places aren’t accepting full capacity right now and you can’t just turn up and hope for the best in the current circumstances.
Use the hand sanitising stations that everywhere will have and keep washing your hands well whenever you can. And just be nice to others – this is still weird for us all and not everyone gets it perfectly right all the time.
A UK staycation in Cornwall might seem like a lot of work at the moment, but if you plan ahead, book the things you really want to do and see and enjoy lots of fresh air and the incredible scenery and beaches, then you’re still likely to have an amazing holiday in this beautiful area. Make sure you are aware of the current UK guidelines for travel in case things have changed and follow the local rules for any specific areas.
I adore Cornwall and I really wish we lived closer so we could visit more regularly. It’s a brilliant place to go as a family and I really hope we get to go again soon. Right now I could really do with spending time wandering along the beautiful beaches and the clifftops, getting loads of fresh air and eating fish and chips looking out at the ocean in the sunshine with my family. Sounds like heaven to me!
In collaboration with Hotels.com, but all views are my own.
Welcome to Birds and Lilies! I'm Lou: mother, blogger and freelance writer. This is my lifestyle blog, where I talk about motherhood, infertility and IVF, beauty, my love for food and wine, as well as my thoughts about stuff, and our real-life and travel adventures.
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