We could talk for hours, even days, about how beautiful Cornwall is and why absolutely everyone should visit – if not live – here.
If you’ve spent any time on our website before, you’ll already know that. With stunning properties in a number of Cornwall’s hottest spots, we have a better understanding than most do about what makes the county so special.
In our experience, one of the primary reasons people avoid Cornwall during the warmer months is the flocks of people that descend upon the peninsula for their holidays. That trend has only been exacerbated over the past two summers, too, with Covid forcing people to stay at home and enjoy ‘staycations’ over traditional ventures abroad.
That’s why we thought we’d put this list together, highlighting some of Cornwall’s lesser-known attractions. These secret spots have slipped under the radar in comparison to the county’s most popular headline spots, but we know more than most when it comes to Cornwall…
Let us let you in on five of Cornwall’s best secret spots.
1) Minack Theatre
‘You mean the first item on the list isn’t a beach?!’
We know! It does break the stereotype slightly, but we just had to get the Minack theatre right at the top of our list. If you’ve ever experienced the delights of an open-air theatre before, you’ll know that watching a live performance without the confines of walls and ceilings has a unique feel to it, but we’re willing to bet that none of the venues you’ve tried before are quite like the Minack. Watching a performance there is a truly special experience, and there’s something for everyone on offer; whether you’re into live music, dramas, or just want something for the kids, you’ll have it all to choose from.
Carved into the cliff and overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the Minack theatre looks like it would be better placed in ancient Greece than modern-day England.
2) Porth Nanven Beach
Okay, beach time.
You’re probably fairly familiar with the headline acts on the Cornish beach front; St Ives, Bude, Perranporth, and others have quite rightly established themselves as the hotspots over the years. It’s not surprising, either, with the white sands and surfing potential enough to lure most people.
But we’re not here to talk about the headliners. We’re here to share our secrets with you, and Porth Nanven has to be included in that conversation. The stunning contours of this coastline and its many hills offer even the most adventurous of visitors a varied and exciting day out, while the iconic rocks down below instantly conjures images of myths and legends.
3) St. Nectan’s Glen
Water, but not of the salted variety.
That’s a little reductive, in fairness. One of the defining features of St. Nectan’s Glen is undoubtedly the stunning waterfalls dotted throughout these incredible woodlands, but there is much more to enjoy.
If you’re looking for natural – and we really do mean natural – beauty, you needn’t look much further than St. Nectan’s. It is quite rare to find such truly unspoilt scenery in the UK, but that’s absolutely what you will get if you pay this gem of Tintagel a visit.
4) Lizard Peninsula
Kynance Cove is, strictly, probably a more accurate alternative heading here. We thought about it, though, and it would be unfair to confine the delights of the Lizard peninsula to just one of its many stunning features. The green landscape, blue skies, and turquoise sea only scratch the surface when it comes to understanding why this particular stretch of the south western coast has garnered such a reputation.
‘The lizard’ boasts stunning geological features and rare plant life in abundance, while Kynance Cove represents the clearest example of what sets this part of Cornwall’s coast apart.
If you want our advice, we’d suggest taking one of the many lizard walking routes out there to truly take in the scenery. To truly appreciate everything the area has to offer, we’d recommend giving yourself two to three hours to cover around seven miles of coastline. If you’re lucky, you’ll stumble across the incredibly rare Cornish heath plant and may even spot a basking shark in the water below.
5) Botallack Mines
Last on the list is one for all history (or period drama) fans out there. The Botallack Mines offer us all a window into the past, taking us back well over a century to when the landscape would have looked, sounded, and smelt very different.
The cliffs are now a tranquill, picturesque location, but that wouldn’t have always been the case. The sounds of forges and sawmills filled the air, while smoke and dirty water poured from the mines themselves as the bi-products of the area’s workforce tainted the landscape. Over a hundred years is a long time, but many of the visual signs of that era remain to this day.
You can explore the mines themselves, walk mile-long trails across the hills, and relax at many different picture-perfect spots on this stunning landscape.
Enough talking!
There are, of course, plenty more Cornish spots we could quite happily recommend. Charlestown harbour, Polperro’s Chapel Pool, Restormel Castle … we could go on, but you’ve probably got something planned for today and we wouldn’t want to make you late.
Instead, we’d suggest that you just pay our wonderful county a visit. Who knows, you may even find your own secret spots that you can tell us about.
That really is the beauty of Cornwall; you’re never far from something special in this part of the world. It’s why we’ve invested so much time and so many resources into bringing our very own Cornish lifestyle to the rest of the country.
We hope to see you down here soon, and please do drop in and pay us a visit at our studios in Truro if you’re nearby.
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