South Cornwall
South Cornwall is in Cornwall. It includes much of the stunning Cornish coast along the English Channel of the Atlantic Ocean.
Towns and villages
- 🌍 Truro — Cornwall's main centre hosts the Royal Cornwall Museum
- 🌍 Cawsand — overlooks Plymouth Sound; Cawsand is within Mount Edgcumbe Country Park
- 🌍 Falmouth — famous for its beaches, it is home to the world's third largest natural harbour
- 🌍 Fowey — the Fowey Regatta in mid-August attracts many yachts and sailing boats
- 🌍 Looe — a summer resort place with a monkey sanctuary, and an active fishing village
- 🌍 Saltash — "Gateway to Cornwall", a small town on the Cornwall side of the Tamar crossings
- 🌍 St Austell — largest town in the county and home to the Eden Project, the world's largest greenhouse
- 🌍 Charlestown — seaside town used as filming location for the TV show Poldark
- 🌍 Mevagissey — picturesque hillside fishing village
- 🌍 Par — a fishing village with a harbour, a beach south of the village, and a large static caravan holiday park
- 🌍 Polperro — a seaside village with an idyllic appearance, tightly packed ancient fishermen's houses that survive almost untouched, and a quaint harbour
Understand
The south coast, dubbed the "Cornish Riviera", is more sheltered than the north coast of Cornwall, and there are several broad estuaries offering safe anchorages, such as at Falmouth and Fowey. Beaches on the south coast usually consist of coarser sand and shingle, interspersed with rocky sections of wave-cut platform. the picturesque fishing village of Polperro, at the mouth of the Pol River, and the fishing port of Looe on the River Looe are both popular with tourists.
Get in
By train
Regular trains run on the main line from London Paddington (12 daily to Plymouth, 3 hours) Bristol, Birmingham etc. to Plymouth, and Truro. There are also a few branch lines, the most useful linking St Ives to the main line at St Erth, from Truro to Falmouth via Perranwell and Penryn, and from Newquay to Par.
Trains from London take about 3 hr 20 min to Plymouth.
By car
Cornwall can be accessed by road via the A30 which runs from the end of the M5 at Exeter, all the way through the heart of Devon and Cornwall down to Land's End. It is a grade-separated expressway as far as Carland Cross near Truro (the expressway is expected to be open as far as Camborne (between Redruth and Hayle) by March 2024). You can also get to Cornwall via the A38, crossing the River Tamar at Plymouth via the Tamar Bridge, which levies a toll on eastbound vehicles. On summer Saturdays and during bank holiday weekends roads to Cornwall are usually busy.
Get around
By bus
Thanks to Transport for Cornwall, all bus tickets are interchangeable across the different companies. The Cornwall All Day ticket allows unlimited travel for a calendar day. As of 2023, fares are £5 for adults and £4 for under-19s. Payment is by cash or contactless. The two main bus companies are:
- Go Cornwall Bus covers all parts of Cornwall and connects with Plymouth (in Devon).
- Kernow (part of First Bus) covers western and central Cornwall.
Buses only serve designated stops when in towns; otherwise, you can flag them down anywhere that's safe for them to stop.
By train
CrossCountry Trains and Great Western Railway operate regular train services between the main centres of population, the latter company also serving a number of other towns on branch lines. For train times and fares visit National Rail Enquiries.
The Cornwall Ranger ticket allows unlimited train travel in Cornwall and Plymouth for a calendar day. As of 2023, this costs £14 for adults and £7 for under-16s.
See
The Eden Project, near St Austell, a fabulous collection of flora from all over the planet housed in two space age transparent domes, and a massive zip line.
The Lost Gardens of Heligan , near Mevagissey, 80 acres (32 hectares) of stunning landscaped scenery with a huge complex of walled flower and vegetable gardens.
The National Maritime Museum Falmouth is the ome of the National Maritime Museum's small boat collection and other exhibits.
National Trust properties
Antony House near Torpoint: an 18th-century house set within a magnificent landscape garden, still home to the Carew Pole family.
Cotehele - St Dominick, near Saltash: an atmospheric Tudor house with Medieval roots, a mill on a historic quay, a glorious garden with valley views and an expansive estate to explore.
Trelissick, Feock, near Truro, is welcoming house and garden set in an estate with stunning maritime views and lovely woodland walks.
Glendurgan, Mawnan Smith, near Falmouth, is a historic and exotic wooded valley garden leading down to the River Helford
Do
The South West Coast Path runs along the coastline of Britain's south-west peninsula. The Cornish section is supposed to be the most scenic (unless you talk to someone in Devon, in which case the Devon part is most scenic). It is particularly scenic around Penwith and the Lizard. The trail takes walkers to busy towns, remote cliffs, beaches, heaths, farms and fishing villages. Walking along it is a great way to experience the region in all its variety. (Walking the entire path takes several weeks, walking on a choice part of it is easier.)
St Piran's Day (Cornish: Gool Peran) is the national day of Cornwall, held on 5 March every year. There is large parties widespread across the whole of Cornwall, with people dressing in the black, white and silver national colours.
Drink
- Skinners is based in Truro. Tours of the brewery are available for details.
- St Austell Brewery, in St Austell, have a museum and shop
- Cornish Cyder Farm in Truro produces Rattlers Cyder.