Cornwall is the extreme south western peninsula of England. It has the longest stretch of continuous coastline in Britain and is set to be a top destination this year so book your camp sites early to avoid disappointment.
Some of the places mentioned may require advance booking due to Covid so please check their web-site before you go.
Your journey from our depot in Leicestershire to Looe will take around 4/5 hours, however, depending on the time of day you travel it could take much longer with summer holiday traffic. You may want to plan an overnight stay on the way down, maybe to the Cotswolds, Bristol or Weston Super Mare.
The caravan club site at Bourton on the water or Cirencester Park would be a good place to stay to break up the journey.
Day 1
We suggest starting in Looe where there are some beautiful beaches to explore. We like Tolland Bay with it’s two small beaches, good for rock pools and swimming at high and low tide. Visit the Tolland Bay Café with its fully stocked shop with everything you need for a trip to the beach.
Seaton Beach is a large pebble beach, also ideal for swimming. There are kayaks or stand up paddle boards to hire, The River Seaton meanders across the beach, providing a fun and safe splash pool for children.
Hannafore Beach has a long promenade and accessible sea wall making the seafront at Hannafore a great place to spend a few hours. The beach itself is shingle with some sandy stretches at low tide. It’s also great for rock pooling with easy access to large shallow pools full of starfish, crabs and prawns.
While you are in Looe we recommend you try The Coddy Shack, this cool and quirky restaurant and takeaway is not to be missed, check them out on Face book.
Looe Caravan club site with its heated pool, tennis courts and crazy golf is a great place to keep the family happy.
Day 2
Head to St Austell, one of Cornwall’s biggest Towns for plenty of shops, a fantastic food scene with numerous fabulous restaurants and cafes located throughout the town.
See if you can find some Treasure at Charlestown shipwreck centre
The Lost Gardens of Heligan
Heligan is so much more than a restored garden, its own special atmosphere encourages contemplation and inspiration.
Give yourself three hours to explore and learn at the Eden Project, demonstrating the importance of plants to people, you will find lots of hints and tips from building an insect home to recycling.
Day 3 – Fowey / Mevagissey
Grab a swimming costume and head to Readymoney Cove. Just ten minutes from the centre of town, this nugget of sand is postcard perfect.
It’s a sheltered spot, making it’s crystal-clear waters perfect for swimming. Wade out to the pontoon and explore the little rock pools.
If you do head into Fowey which is pronounced as “Foy” it is best to park in the car park at the of top (PL23 1ET) then it’s a short but steep walk down to the Quay, which is where you will find lots of places to eat from little cafes, to Ruby’s Ice Cream Parlour and Cornish pasty shops of course.
There are some lovely local Pubs to eat in as well, including The Ship Inn. and The Galleon Inn
You can take a Ferry straight from the Quay at Fowey over to Mevagissey, an attractive harbourside village which was once the centre of Cornwall’s pilchard fishery and which still boasts a working harbour. The village centre consists of narrow streets with many places to eat and shop.
Campsites near Fowey / Mevagissey include https://www.foweycamping.com/
and https://www.trelispen.co.uk/
Day 4
Take a trip to Penzance and visit the open-air Theatre.
A short drive from Penzance and you can be in St Ives .
There are 4 main beaches within walking distance of St Ives town, each with a different character.
Porthmeor is perhaps the best known, facing into the Atlantic and backing on to the Tate Gallery.
Porthminster is the second biggest and is conveniently located next to the train and bus stations.
The Harbour beach is right in the centre of town and a great, safe family option.
Porthgwidden is tucked away around the corner from all the hustle and bustle with beach huts available.
St Ives is a very popular surfing destination.
In the summer beginners can take advantage of Porthmeor’s sheltered aspect to learn to surf.
There are plenty of places to hire the gear and lessons are available right on the beach.
If Surfing is not your thing you can take a boat trip to Seal Island. On arriving at seal island visitors can soak up the scenery and it’s not just seals, on the right day there is a whole host of other wildlife to be spotted on this sea safari.
A 15-minute drive from St Ives is Paradise park Jungle Barn.
Staying in Penzance, Sennen Cove is a very pretty location to park up.
Day 5 – Heading to Newquay.
On the seafront you will find Blue Reef Aquarium.
Featuring an underwater tunnel going through a coral-reef tank with pufferfish, sharks and rays.
Find Newquay’s secret world of play and trains, Lappa Valley transports families on an exciting nostalgic steam train ride into a secret world of traditional fun and family adventures. If you want to stay in Newquay but away from the crowds try Treloy Touring Park, a beautiful campsite, in the countryside but close to the busy town.
If you have some time free head over to Padstow and Rick steins fish and chip shop but get there early and be prepared to queue.
There is an amazing fish mongers next door (also Rick steins) – you could throw some fresh prawns or Lobster on the BBQ.
There is also a lovely deli and gift shop and it’s about a 5–10-minute walk into picturesque Padstow with its traditional shopping streets right on the harbour.
On the way to Padstow, you have Wadebridge. This would is a great place to stop with younger children and features The Camel Creek Adventure Park.
Staying near Padstow try St Agnes Beacon, situated at the foot of the Beacon, the peaceful St Agnes Beacon Club Site offers unforgettable panoramic views of the Cornish coastline. This gently sloping caravan park, arranged on several levels, is partly sheltered by gorse-topped banking.
See Campsites.co.uk or Caravan and motorhome club for more to stay places in Cornwall.
