Discovering the Quieter Side of Cornwall in Winter

Cornwall always feature in the top 10 of UK holiday destinations, and often I suspect, the top 5.  If you have ever holidayed in Cornwall during the summer, I suspect it may feel like it is the ‘only’ holiday destination in the UK.  It can get very busy. Small picturesque villages and harbour towns become over run with boden clad families and those seeking to make the best of the UK sunshine.

The popularity of Cornwall in summer is completely understandable.  Beautiful coast line, long sandy beaches, secluded coves, a wealth of wonderful places to eat and stay. When the sun shines in Cornwall, there can’t be many more beautiful places to be.

What about in winter though? When the days are much shorter, the weather is extra unpredictable and the holidayers and second home owners have dispersed.  What is it like to visit Cornwall then?

A trip in early November during a week when the wind howled and torrents of rain arrived regularly each day enabled me to find out exactly what it is like.  The outcome of this?  I would whole heartedly and without reservation recommend actively seeking out the quieter side of Cornwall in Winter.

The Weather

Living in the UK and planning a holiday in the winter,  thoughts will likely turn to warm sunshine, aquamarine seas, golden sandy beaches, flip flops and warm evenings sipping cocktails.  Chances are, windswept, rain beaten and wellies are not high on the list of requirements.  All of the latter will definitely feature if you visit Cornwall in winter.  I write this not to put you off but to encourage you!

The weather in all parts of the UK always has a certain unpredictability but we can pretty much guarantee, endless days of sunshine in November won’t feature.  What you will find though, or certainly what we found was stiff, bracing winds, that whipped along the coastline, stirring up stormy seas invigorating and energising us.  We saw rainbows everyday, not weak and watery rainbows, but fully formed, a pot of gold at the end, type of rainbows.  The skies are changing all the time and the golden hour is somehow softer and pinker than at other times of years, and is glorious.

When its cold and stormy outside, wrapping up inside, or burrowing into warm clothes and taking on the elements are equally enjoyable.

The Landscape

Cornwall is renowned for its wild coastline, rocky outcrops and barren moorland made famous by Daphne Du Maurier.  In late autumn and early winter all of this is accentuated by the golden browns and deep reds of the season.  The sea never loses its turquoise but it takes on a new depth as waves swirl and crash.  Sitting, watching the sea smash against the harbour wall in  Sennen cove or Porthlevan is the chance to witness mother nature fierce and unleashed. And of course trying to capture the perfect wave in a photograph can provide entertainment for hours

Despite the weather it can be a beautiful time to go walking too.  We had some wild walks (one of which had to be abandoned as we began to fear for our lives as the wind beat us into submission on the top of a cliff!) That aside we walked  amongst green fertile land, saw hills packed with numerous fronds of chestnut brown bracken and had spectacular sea views just to ourselves.  Beaches are fairly deserted and there is little which tethers you to nature more than wandering along an empty beach, with the give of the sand beneath your feet and the roar of the sea in your ears.

Choice of Places to Eat and Stay

We chose to stay in St Ives.  Its a place we love and have visited on a few occasions but have never stayed.  Usually we have arrived on the train (which incidentally is a brilliant way to arrive) and spent the day.  St Ives is in a part of Cornwall we adore, and is a very pretty harbour town.  Staying in the town meant we could walk to dinner or the shops or along the coastal path, and we could enjoy the activity in the harbour, all just a few minutes from the door of the cottage we were staying at.

As a treat we visited Rick Steins restaurant in Padstow for lunch.  We booked only 2 days before and enjoyed a delicious meal in a busy but not crowded restaurant.  Getting a table here in summer I suspect would take much more planning.

Other than Rick Steins, we didn’t need to book a table anywhere.  We had some delicious dinners in some excellent restaurants in St Ives which would be brimming with sun burnt bodies in the summer months.

Less People and Cars

People are often put off Cornwall by the volume of traffic in summer, all making its way along the same tiny roads.  It can be very busy and hard to find parking in some of the most popular spots.  Going in winter will certainly deal with this.

Mousehole, another favourite place is tiny and in the summer there can be a procession of cars seeking parking.  In November we drove around the harbour with a choice of prime spots in which to park. Padstow, another renowned tourist summer hot spot, in winter was buzzy but not busy!  Everything is still open, but the ease of wandering and perusing without the hoards is magnificent.

Browsing galleries and shops is easier and more relaxed too.  We had a lovely afternoon meandering through the art at Tate St Ives, followed by a glass of wine overlooking Porthmeor beach as the sun went down.  Another highlight of  of our winter trip to Cornwall

So if you would like to enjoy the quieter side of Cornwall,  might I recommend you add it to your list of winter holiday destitnations.

Listed below are some of my other Cornwall posts

Sennen Cove to Lands End on  Foot

From New Zealand to Cornwall in a Camper Van

Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Gallery