Cornwall’s spectacular coastline is a real jewel to see when travelling or holidaying in the UK. To make your road trip even more spectacular be sure to stop at other UK gems along the way through the West Country. This post has all the tips you need to make sure you make the most of your week along the coast in Cornwall.
Where to stop on your way or leaving Cornwall
Whether you’re travelling from the North or South East you’ll be passing through the UK’s West Country. While there are numerous things to see I would recommend stopping at Durdle Door on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast and the UNESCO World Heritage site Stone Henge.
If you have the time, stay the night near Durdle Door and do the scenic walk from Lulworth Cove. If you’re visiting in the summer bring a swim suit (and maybe some swim shoes or Tevas as there’s lots of stones) the water is super beautiful and clear especially at Man O War Beach.
If you don’t have the time or money for entry at Stone Henge you will see it if you drive along the A330.
Route around Cornwall
There’s various routes you can take depending on what you want to see. A week is not enough to see everything this beautiful corner of the world has to offer. My family visited Cornwall and Devon every year and there’s still places saved on my Google Maps that I haven’t been to.
First stop: Penzance, Cornwall
Things to see:
- Land’s End
- St Michael’s Mount (be sure to check the tide times)
- Kynance Cove
- St Ives
Some of these places are up to an hour’s drive away but well worth it.
Second stop: Newquay, Cornwall
Things to see:
- Fistral Beach
- Little Fistral Beach, you can walk round to Newquay sea front and we were lucky enough to see a seal
- Sailor’s Newquay, a pub that has live music. The night we stayed the Old Time Sailors a sea shanty band singing traditional Cornish folk music were playing and it was a great atmosphere.
Third stop: Tintagel, Cornwall
If you love the romantic legends of King Arthur or Tristan and Isolde then Tintagel is a must. You can spend hours walking around the castle ruins, the beach, waterfall and Merlin’s Cave so I would say it’s well worth the entrance fee to Tintagel Castle. Although just my luck that when I walked through one of the caves there were a group of nudists swimming at the other side. I’ve visited this cave before with my family as a kid and don’t remember the nudists so I believe this was a one off!
What do I need to do before my road trip?
A car- you don’t need an off roader but a reliable car you feel comfortable driving in for hours every day is a necessity. I did this week long road trip in my 2013 Ford Ka and it managed just fine. In fact where you’re driving down little country lanes a smaller car can be handy. For the destinations listed above the road quality was all very good but be sure to have AA cover just in case you have a breakdown.
Cornwall in the summer is a very busy time. To get the best accommodation you need to book months in advance. The advantage of having a car is that if you’re booking last minute you can book cheaper accommodation further out from the main towns (but does mean you can’t have a drink as you need to drive back). Booking last minute is doable, but if you’re on a budget most of the hostels will be fully booked as well as hotels and B&Bs in most popular areas. Even when booking last minute I booked through Booking.Com as it was easy to see the location and reviews of properties beforehand.