What to see and do…
Here are just some of the things you can enjoy near Tehidy Holiday Park
Tehidy is set back from the coast in a wooded valley, but it’s close enough for you to dip into the coastal activities. If you don’t have a great deal of time and just want to take in the major sights, Richard will draw you one of his maps on a bag. I decided to follow the map, but first checked out the local area. Four miles from the site on the north coast is Porthtowan, with a beautiful, sandy beach providing a great playground for families and surfers. The Blue Bar has a reputation for good food, but you can’t book, so get there early. Moving on towards St Agnes, we passed Chapel Porth and a board that told us we had found John the Fish. In the village of St Agnes, we stopped to eat at the Bear Bar in the Peterville Inn.
Bustling Perranporth
We began the next day by going slightly ‘off-piste’ from Richard’s map-on-a-bag, to visit Perranporth. This is a bustling place full of cafés and interesting shops, so interesting that we never made it to the beach, but the town had plenty of appeal. We then made for St Ives, but learned the folly of getting side-tracked. It was not possible to drive in St Ives and the car parks at Lelant Saltings Park & Ride were full. We decided to tackle it first thing the following day. Next on our map was Chysauster, an ancient village of nine houses dating from between the 1st and 2nd centuries. English Heritage has dotted the site with information boards, so you can understand the layouts of the houses and get a feel for what it was like to live in them. Best of all, you get wonderful views here. Our next stop was Zennor, known for its Norman church, St Senara’s, and the legend of the Mermaid of Zennor. I will leave you to find out more, but there is a carving of the mermaid on one end of a small oak seat that’s worth a look. The 700-year-old Tinners Arms was busy, so we opted for the nearby chapel and had a delicious cream tea.
Theatre on the cliffs
Porthcurno and the Minack Theatre were next on our list. We parked next to the Telegraph Museum, intending to visit, but the last entry was at 4pm. Instead we took the coastal path from the beach up to the famous Minack Theatre. Views down to Porthcurno are stunning. There is a car park and a café at the theatre. Next day, our early start for St Ives paid off. We parked in the shade at Lelant Saltings and took the train to St Ives. After breakfast in a café, we headed to the Tate. This wonderful Art Deco building, which overlooks the beach, has 10 galleries. We also visited sculptor Barbara Hepworth’s fascinating studio and garden. I wanted to see St Michael’s Mount, but we couldn’t get close, and instead went to visit friends near Prussia Cove. We ended a very busy couple of days in this beautiful cove with a glass of Prosecco. Despite the crowds, Cornwall had won my heart.