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Cornwall – a Great British Budget Escape

By Rachel Birchley • 3 September 2012 • Cornwall, Travel, United Kingdom
Camping in Cornwall. Easycamp Boston 400 tent.

Cornwall is home to the classic British seaside holiday.  Some people have said that it’s cheaper to holiday abroad.  I don’t know where they’re buying their holidays but I’m sure that’s just not true.  There is also so much to explore here in the UK that it’s not necessary to jet off overseas for every holiday.  We are in the era of the staycation.

Cornwall is one of the mildest and sunniest regions of the UK, the weather is affected by the Gulf Stream.  This doesn’t mean it’s always warm and sunny though! This is Britain after all.

I spent a week with my fiance camping at Perran Sands, a Haven park near Perranporth.  The pitch cost less than £100 for 7 nights, great for those of us on a budget.  The park itself offered indoor and outdoor swimming pools, family activities such as mini-golf and evening entertainment.  We used the pools a few times but otherwise didn’t use the facilities that much.  We spent our days out and about exploring this region that neither of us had visited previously.  A tip for anyone visiting this park is to take alternative tent pegs, i.e. the plastic ones with spikes, rather than the simple metal ones that come with your tent.  Underneath the thin layer of grass is sand.  When it’s windy the wind lifts the tent and the tent pegs simply pull out of the ground.  We woke in the middle of the night to find the tent half collapsed on us one night!  Another day we’d been out all day and returned to find that the park ranger had hastily re-erected out tent as it had almost blown away!

Perranporth beach offers a huge expanse of soft sand but also this amazing rocky outcrops.  These create loads of opportunities for rock-pooling.  The beach was busy bearing in mind we weren’t travelling during the school holidays.  There’s a pub on the beach that has sand on the floor inside and tables out on the sand outside.  This gave it an awesome surfer feel.  Perfect for people like me who prefer to be barefoot.  There’s something about standing at the bar with no shoes on.

The bustling St Ives is a beautiful town with plenty to see and do.  We took a RIB ride out around the coast. I’ve done this before in Weymouth, but for my fiance it was his first time out on one of these high-speed inflatables.  I love being on the water and I can’t recommend this RIB rides enough.  We enjoyed fantastic weather so were able to make the most of the numerous ice cream vendors along the sea front too.

The winding back streets of St Ives are filled with little, tucked away B&Bs, pubs and art galleries.  We used the Park and Ride as we didn’t fancy trying to find somewhere to park in St Ives.  Although the Park and Ride is expensive I’m glad we chose this option as I think we would have struggled to find anywhere to park in the town and negotiating the narrow, busy roads wouldn’t have been fun.

Tate St Ives, is an off-shoot of the Tate Gallery in London.  The displays include British and international contemporary artwork.  Admission is £6.50 so we didn’t venture in but it would be a must for art lovers.  I enjoy galleries and museums but don’t like paying for them.  I have a habit of spending very little time in museums because I don’t really like reading the blurb next to the display!

The Eden Project is one of Cornwall’s most famous attractions in recent years.  It definitely worth the trip and suitable for the whole family.  The best thing is that there’s plenty to do inside if the weather is inclement.  I’ve written about our visit in a previous post.

Touristy Padstow was so busy.  Famous for Rick Stein’s seafood restaurant this fishing town is filled with restaurants and shops selling local produce.  This is where we bought all our presents to take home.  Amazing biscuits and clotted cream fudge.  I can assure you the fudge didn’t last very long!

The student town of Falmouth lies at the mouth of the Fal (hence the name!) and is home to University College Falmouth.  This gives an eclectic mix of local, student and visitor population and the town caters for all.  The setting is beautiful with both estuary and sea views depending on where you are in the town.

During our week’s holiday I think we spent less than £300 all told.  I would definitely go back to Cornwall, but probably next time we’ll stay in something solid!  My other half was less than impressed with the sleeping arrangements! I’m definitely more hardy than he is when it comes to camping.

For more information on Cornwall, visit the tourist board’s website.

By Rachel Birchley

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About the Author

Rachel Birchley

Professional marketer. I live in Folkestone with my hubby and our baby girl.

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4 Comments

  • Reply The Travel Hack 3 September 2012 at 9:00 pm

    I haven't been to Cornwall for years but it's such a gorgeous place that I definitely want to go back soon. If only we could guarantee the British weather and then it would be perfect!

    • Reply Rachel Lowe 4 September 2012 at 9:53 am

      Oh yes if we could guarantee the weather anywhere that would be perfect! That is the downside with holidays in the UK.

  • Reply Emerson kelly 6 September 2012 at 11:34 am

    These images are very attractive and forcing me to go to Cornwall……

    Thanks

    Camping Tourist

    • Reply Rachel Lowe 7 September 2012 at 7:35 pm

      You should! Cornwall is beautiful 🙂

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I'm a 30-something mother who works part-time in marketing for a local company. I live in Folkestone, Kent with my husband and daughter. When I get a rare moment to myself, I enjoy writing, baking and photography.

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