Things to do in Cornwall
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Sloop Inn
Old Speckled Hen, Doom Bar and Bass ales make this beam-ceilinged boozer a favourite with St Ives' old boys. Settle into a booth seat for the night, or bag a spot on one of the wharfside tables.
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Café Cinnamon Girl
Look no further for lunch than this cute little organic café, locally famous for its bumper-sized sandwiches, homemade soups and trademark roasted veg. The free wi-fi's a bonus.
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Guildhall
Hosts music and theatre, especially during the St Ives September Festival.
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Pendennis Castle
Perched on the promontory of Pendennis Point, Pendennis Castle was constructed from 1540 to 1545 by Henry VIII as one of a chain of fortresses designed to defend the British mainland from Spanish and French invasion. Falmouth's deepwater harbour made the town a key strategic asset, and Pendennis was built, along with its sister fortress of St Mawes, to defend the harbour and the entrance to the Carrick Roads.
During the Civil War, the castle was engaged in a five-month siege under the command of Captain John Arundell of Trerice, and later became a defensive gun battery during WWII. These days the guns have fallen silent, but you can still experience a taste of Tudor warfa…
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Barbara Hepworth Museum & Sculpture Garden
Barbara Hepworth was one of the leading abstract sculptors of the 20th century, and a key figure in the St Ives art scene, so it seems fitting that her former studio has been transformed into a moving museum. The studio has remained practically untouched since her death in a fire in 1975, and the adjoining garden contains some of her most famous sculptures.
Hepworth was known for her use of geometric shapes and striking mix of natural materials and sculpted metal; many of her pieces show a fascination with pagan or primitive motifs, inspired by her fascination with Cornwall's prehistoric monuments. Works to look out for amongst the shrubs include the harplike Garden Sculp…
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Truro Cathedral
Built on the site of a 16th-century parish church in soaring Gothic Revival style, Truro Cathedral was finally completed in 1910, making it the first new cathedral in England since London's St Paul's. It contains a soaring high-vaulted nave, some fine Victorian stained glass and the impressive Father Willis Organ.
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Pandora Inn
Prepare to fall in love with the Pandora, one of Cornwall's oldest and best-loved waterside pubs, ensconced in a heart-melting spot by Restronguet Creek. Foot-thick walls, scuffed-wood tables, ship's lanterns and a huge abandoned anchor outside conjure up the smugglers'-den vibe, and you can sink your drinks on the pontoon to the sound of clanking yacht masts.
Hardy souls can even sample some of the Pandora's fabled smuggler's rum: at 80% proof, though, you might need to arrange for a taxi home. Or an ambulance. The Pandora sits on the edge of Restronguet Creek, about 1km northeast of the village of Mylor Bridge. Heading south on the main A39 road from Truro to Falmouth, …
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Eden Project
The giant biomes of the Eden Project - the largest greenhouses in the world - have become one of Cornwall's most celebrated landmarks. Tropical, temperate and desert environments have been recreated inside the biomes, so a single visit can carry you from the steaming rainforests of South America to the dry deserts of Northern Africa.
There's an education centre, constructed according to the Fibonacci sequence, one of nature's most fundamental building blocks.
In summer the biomes become a spectacular backdrop to a series of gigs known as the Eden Sessions (artists have included José Gonzalez, Goldfrapp and The Magic Numbers) and from November to February Eden transforms …
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Enterprise Boats
Offers boat trips around Falmouth Bay and the Fal Estuary. It operates three wooden-hulled boats along the picturesque River Fal, calling at Trelissick Gardens and Smuggler's Cottage at Tolverne en route to Truro. Depending on the tides, the boats sometimes stop at Malpas, 3 miles downriver from Truro; free double-deckers connect with the harbourmaster's office near the city centre.
There are also trips from Truro to St Mawes. Boat trips run every two hours or so in both directions depending on the time of year. Cruises include an onboard commentary detailing local wildlife and points of interest such as Pill Creek (setting of the film Treasure Island), Tregothnan (the Se…
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Tate St Ives
The artwork almost takes second place to the surroundings at the stunning Tate St Ives, which hovers above Porthmeor Beach. Built in 1993, the gallery contains work by celebrated local artists, including Terry Frost, Patrick Heron and Barbara Hepworth, and hosts regular special exhibitions. On the top floor there's a stylish cafe-bar with imaginative bistro food and some of the best sea views in St Ives. A joint ticket with the Barbara Hepworth museum can be purchased for adult/child £8.75/4.50.
There are plenty more galleries around town; at the Sloop Craft Market you'll find a treasure trove of tiny artists' studios selling everything from handmade jewellery to driftwoo…
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St Michael's Mount
Looming up from the waters of Mount's Bay is the unmistakeable silhouette of St Michael's Mount, one of Cornwall's most iconic landmarks. Set on a craggy island connected to the mainland by a cobbled causeway, there's been a monastery here since at least the 5th century, but the present abbey largely dates from the 12th century. After the Norman conquest, the Benedictine monks of Mont St Michel in Normandy raised a new chapel on the island in 1135, and the abbey later became the family seat of the aristocratic St Aubyns (who still reside here).
It's now under the stewardship of the National Trust. Highlights include the rococo drawing room, the original armoury, the 14th-c…
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Statue of Humphry Davy
At the top of Market Jew St is a statue to Penzance's most famous son, Humphry Davy (1778-1829), the pioneering 'chemical philosopher', amateur poet and fanatical trout fisherman. Davy was responsible for an astonishing number of scientific advances: the discovery of six new elements (including potassium, sodium and strontium), the invention of the miner's safety lamp, and the use of nitrous oxide (or laughing gas) as a medical anaesthetic.
He also penned reams of amateur poetry and befriended some of the 19th century's best-known Romantic writers, including Samuel Taylor Coleridge, although whether it was Davy's amateur verse or his ready supply of chemical narcotics tha…
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National Maritime Museum Cornwall
Falmouth's illustrious seafaring takes centre stage at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, situated on the town's heavily redeveloped dockside. The museum houses one of the largest maritime collections in the UK, second only to its sister museum in Greenwich in London. At the heart of the complex is the huge Flotilla Gallery, where boats dangle from the ceiling by slender steel wires, while suspended walkways wind their way around the collection of yachts, schooners, punts and canoes.
Other highlights include the Set Sail exhibit, which tells the story of nine groundbreaking boats, and the Lookout, with a 360-degree panorama of Falmouth Bay. The museum even has its own…
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Minack Theatre & Visitor Centre
Surely the world's most spectacularly located theatre, the Minack is carved into the cliffs overlooking Porthcurno Bay. The visitor centre recounts the story of Rowena Cade, the indomitable local woman who originally conceived the theatre and oversaw it until her death in 1983
From the original production in 1929, the Minack has grown into a full-blown theatrical venue, with a 17-week season running from mid-May to mid-September - though aficionados always bring umbrellas and blankets in case the British weather should take centre stage. The centre is closed when there's a matinée.
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Egyptian House
As with Truro and Falmouth further east, Penzance's wealth was founded on the import-export trade, and most of the town's Georgian and Regency town houses were built for the merchants and sea captains who once plied their trade out of the harbour. The best examples can be seen along Chapel St and Queen St; look out for the extraordinary Egyptian House.
The Egyptian House looks like a bizarre cross between a Georgian town house and an Egyptian sarcophagus and was originally built for a wealthy mineralogist, John Lavin, as a geological museum.
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Town Beaches
The town beaches of Great Western, Tolcarne and Towan are nearly always crammed to capacity with windbreaks and beach tents thanks to their proximity to town. Things are usually quieter along the coastline at Lusty Glaze and Porth, while surfers haunt the ever-reliable waves of Fistral, England's most famous surfing beach, and the location for the annual Rip Curl Boardmasters surfing festival.
Despite the summer crowds, all the town beaches offer decent facilities and great swimming, plus beach lifeguards throughout the season.
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Twinstar Cruises
Offers boat trips around Falmouth Bay and the Fal Estuary. It is the only company with its own catamaran, and also offers cruises along the River Helford and Frenchman's Creek.
Cruises include an onboard commentary detailing local wildlife and points of interest such as Pill Creek (setting of the film Treasure Island), Tregothnan (the Seat of Lord Falmouth and the site of Cornwall's only tea plantation), and embarkation points for US troops during the D-Day invasions.
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Newquay Zoo
Red pandas, sloths, penguins, great horned owls and a python called Monty (get it?) are some of the wild inhabitants at this popular zoo, ten minutes walk from the town centre.
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Abbey Restaurant
This cutting-edge British bistro has been garnering serious praise, not least from the boffins at the AA and Michelin guides. Underpinned by top-quality produce, the Abbey turns out consistently fabulous food in the light-filled dining room, and nibbles, cocktails and aperitifs in the crimson-walled bar downstairs. It's not cheap, but tucking into your roast monkfish or hot chocolate soufflé, you'll feel it's money well spent.
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Bedruthan Steps
A few miles east of Watergate Bay are the stately rock towers of Bedruthan Steps (sometimes called Carnewas), a haven for sea birds and an irresistible challenge for the county's rock climbers. Though the beach practically disappears at high tide, Bedruthan is always a spectacular spot for a clifftop stroll, and there's a small National Trust café where you can seek shelter when the Atlantic wind gets up.
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Newman's Cruises
Offers boat trips around Falmouth Bay and the Fal Estuary as far as Trelissick and Tolverne.
Cruises include an onboard commentary detailing local wildlife and points of interest such as Pill Creek (setting of the film Treasure Island), Tregothnan (the Seat of Lord Falmouth and the site of Cornwall's only tea plantation), and embarkation points for US troops during the D-Day invasions.
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K&S Cruises
Offers boat trips around Falmouth Bay and the Fal Estuary as far as Trelissick and Tolverne.
Cruises include an onboard commentary detailing local wildlife and points of interest such as Pill Creek (setting of the film Treasure Island), Tregothnan (the Seat of Lord Falmouth and the site of Cornwall's only tea plantation), and embarkation points for US troops during the D-Day invasions.
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Maenporth Beach
A couple of miles further along from Swanpool Beach is Maenporth Beach, trammelled by cliffs and a fine spot for some sheltered swimming. There's also a small beach café selling drinks, snacks and ice-creams. All of Falmouth's beaches are accessible from the coast path, or you can catch the X89 bus from town. There are car parks at Swanpool and Maenporth, but they fill up quickly in summer.
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Georgian Mansions
While the lucrative shipping trade moved to Falmouth, Truro turned its attentions to mining and manufacturing, and the town enjoyed a huge financial boom after the arrival of the railway in 1859. Fine Georgian mansions and grand town houses sprang up to accommodate Truro's industrial magnates; the finest examples can be seen along Falmouth Rd, Strangways Tce, Walsingham Pl and Lemon St.
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St Andrews St Bistro
A hectic heap of North African rugs, objets d'art and oddball furniture covers this fantastic bistro, where the modern British menu is jazzed up by traces of African and Middle Eastern cuisine. Artisan bread, lentil curries, grilled fish and spicy casseroles all feature, and you'll be as chuffed with your choice whether you're a veggie or a carnivore.
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