tell me more there is about cornwall, weekend bank holiday family getaway .. here is my plan.. midlands to Eden Project then St Ives to stay.. next day to Lands End.. then back to st Ives .. then on the way back home Tintagel Castle/Melin cave… did I miss something that “must” be going?

It’s going to rain.

Traffic will be shit.

I don’t go to Cornwall on a BH weekend and it’s five miles away…

Absolutely no chance whatsoever. It’s too expensive, a PITA to get there and not even that nice.
Go to wales instead. Cheaper, nicer and the people seem to appreciate you being there rather than call you emmits.

You crazy. But if you must go to Tintygel, do go mile or so upcoast for a yomp up to the cafe at St Nectans Glen, it is a fine glen, wet or dry.

I really like Cornwall! But not to shoot holes in your plans…Lands End is meant to be crap,the Eden project got a mixed response(kids will be bored etc) . Admittedly we never went to either because people put us off. St Ives was ok but really really busy and I can only imagine it would be busier on a BH. We stayed at Mawgan Porth and I would go back in a second, thought Padstow was much better than St Ives.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/what-to-do-in-cornwall/page/2

that bit of the A30 where it turns from a dual carriageway to a single lane would be a nightmare on a bank holiday weekend. I wouldn’t mate, just don’t. Lands end is overly costly for what it is and it’s generally a bit rubbish, it’s the sort of place that have the audacity to charge for parking as well as an inflated gate price. Go somewhere miles away from any motorway iiwy.

cant back out now, already booked accommodation in St. Ives, cliff side with picturesque view overlooking the ocean 🙁

Anywhere on BH on the road, one time of the year I never travel if I can avoid it. My parents still live there

that bit of the A30 where it turns from a dual carriageway to a single lane would be a nightmare

Is always a nightmare! 🙂 As you go into Hayle on the way to St Ives

That is a load of driving even in good traffic which seems unlikely.

hi, i dont understand what you mean why the dual carriageway becomes a single lane?

Exactly that, a long road which is the main access to cornwall is in the main a dual carriageway but at one point, for no reason I can ever see, it turns into a single lane. There is always massive tailbacks on the road just because of this section. Last year when I went past there was some notices up about it being changed, perhaps a local can inform if this has been completed yet.

Nightmare drive, especially as it’ll be wet and everybody WON’T be on the beach.

It’s not gonna rain, pleaseee 😥

Yup always bad there. It goes to single lane mainly because your at the end of the country! Seriously and its forecast to rain.

Wolfenstien, dual carriage way ends at a roundabout. The road then goes through Hayle. Small village. Traffic backs up, nowhere for it to go. Just too much traffic for the roads. When it rains all the holiday makers then drive around looking for things to visit etc. Result, total grid lock.

Check the forecast, high winds rain. Sunday threat of thunderstorms but less rain.

Why not take the train to Penzance the bike across to St Ives.

jam bo – Member

It’s going to rain.

Traffic will be shit.

I don’t go to Cornwall on a BH weekend and it’s five miles away…

wrecker – Member
Absolutely no chance whatsoever. It’s too expensive, a PITA to get there and not even that nice.
Go to wales instead. Cheaper, nicer and the people seem to appreciate you being there rather than call you emmits.

Pretty good summation IMO
Pembrokeshire is better again IMO.
Every so often Cornwall has nice weather and it looks beautiful but then its rammed with people that you would rather be a long way from you. And as Wrecker says the very people you are keeping in a job from tourism hate you with a passion?

I don’t think the widening work just north of Bodmin is complete yet. Due by this summer I think. Will just move the traffic jam down to Truro but then I rarely go that far down.

If you can’t change plans then so be it but I would echo the advice to avoid lands end.
We went last summer and they have the temerity to charge you £6 to walk into a rubbish, tacky Shaun the sheep themed theme park cum shopping village.

If you want to feel like your on the edge of England, do lizard point instead.

Eden will likely be really really busy if it’s raining as there are not a lot of indoor attractions that we found.

Jesus, you’re all a bunch of miserable buggers!

We don’t hate all of you emmets, just the nob heads you send down to Newquay 😆

A30 turns to single lane over Bodmin Moor but is currently being dualled, due to open fully in a year. Is currently 2 way single lane so you will still get the usual congestion but no worse than usual probably.

If you want to feel like your on the edge of England, do lizard point instead.

Or look at Land’s End from Sennen & walk the mile to it along the cliff & go what a horrible tacky place this is.

Apart from the sign – that’s kind of cool.

plus 1 for the Lizard & visit the Minack while you’re down that way.

sounds like a weekend of queues and angst!
sorry!

Been a regular visitor to Cornwall for 25 years – 2 places to avoid, Lands End and St Ives! Cape Cornwall (Near St Just) is just north of Land’s End and is far quieter / better views and walk the coast path towards Cot Valley for views to Lands End – also stop at Botallack and look at the tin mine / engine houses on the cliffs. Good chip shop in St Just too.

+1 devonbiker.
The mining ruins nearby are worth exploring near the museum.
Like most places stay away from the obvious and it will be fine.
Sennen, lifeboat then walk along coast to LE.
St. Michaels Mount, walk from Peranunthnoe, lunch at the Godolphin Arms, walk or bus back.
Parking at Marazion not great.

This is nice in St Ives

http://www.porthminster.kitchen/

Lands End is a dump. Go to Sennen or Porthcurno instead.

Falmouth is a nice day out.

i liked st ives!

but do skip lands end tho 🙂

Bloody hell you lot. The traffic will be hell but i thought Eden was pretty damned cool, although maybe less kid friendly. Lands End is naff, but again I loved it as a kid and the coast around that way is spectacular. Zennor etc all rather lovely. If i remember rightly Geevor tin mines down that way as well which is a pretty cool trip.

St Ives is a great place but maybe a Bank Hol isn’t the best time mind. Theres again some great walking on the coast path, we used to stay in Lelant and walk in on the cliffs or even the beach at low tide.

The traffic is easily missed if you get your arse out of bed early. Been going for the last 7 or 8 years now. Last year we set off at 5.30am (north of derby) and my bare feet were on Bude beach by 10am. Tintagel will no doubt be busy, if it’s windy they do sometimes close parts of the walk so bare that in mind. As for the Eden project never been as we try and avoid the real touristy stuff during busy times. Imho the best way to get to tintagel is park down at trebarwith strand then walk north along the coast path. We did that walk in reverse years ago and came across trebarwith for the first time.

Been going for the last 7 or 8 years now. Last year we set off at 5.30am (north of derby) and my bare feet were on Bude beach by 10am.

if you turn off for Bude then you miss the worst of the bottlenecks anyway.

Tend to agree with the majority – I’ve got relatives in Cornwall and would never dream of trying to get there on a BH. There are some lovely beaches/walking if you’ve got the weather, but most of the ‘attractions’ are pretty lame.

Hated the Eden Centre, and that was even at locals-only ticket prices (MIL lives about 2 miles away). Massively overpriced for what is mostly an ugly hole in the ground with a few glasshouses and not really that much of interest botanically compared with somewhere like Kew. Come to think of it though, if you ignored Eden, and just went to Heligan and Trebah, that would be better.

Much prefer somewhere like Pembrokeshire.

Yeah, the traffic will be horrible and the forecast is iffy, but there’s a lot of doom and gloom merchants out today.

I would definitely avoid Land’s End, but as wallop said, Porthcurno is a great alternative: beautiful beach and the Minack Theatre if it’s dry, the Museum (best secret in the whole county) if it’s wet.

Eden will be rammed if it’s wet, and the roads will be busy whatever (though not summer-busy). If you’re just down for the weekend you’ll already be spending a fair bit of time in the car, so I would try to avoid too much driving around whilst you’re down here (but that’s just me).

But if you don’t mind getting wet, just get out and walk. The coast path will be quiet if the forecast is right, and the moors above St Ives will be empty, too. Men an Tol, Watch Croft, the Nine Maidens, Mulfra Quoit makes a nice loop for a walk. Bring a map!

Are you bringing a bike?

I like Eden and often go there in the depths of Winter to read a book in the Meditteranean dome, toasty. The signs around the dual carriageway widening state that it will be finished Summer 2016 but they look like they’ve got a hell of a lot to do.
As has been said, just leave uber early. Hope you have a nice weekend.

The signs around the dual carriageway widening state that it will be finished Summer 2016 but they look like they’ve got a hell of a lot to do.

They shall be finished dreckly. 😉

Ansome

The signs around the dual carriageway widening state that it will be finished Summer 2016 but they look like they’ve got a hell of a lot to do.

They say the road will be open as usual through summer 2016 (by which I take it to mean it’ll be gridlock), but the work’s not due to be completed until 2017. I’m guessing it’ll be a temporary restoration of the 2/1 lane arrangement, just for the summer hols. Wonder if they’ll bother to remove the average speed cameras…

Don’t forget to hold on carefully to your ice cream and any small children as the seagulls are giant rat like vultures.
Don’t say I didn’t warm you.

It’ll be fine. Take a coat, get there early. Enjoy.

>Don’t forget to hold on carefully to your ice cream GoPro and any
>small children as the seagulls are giant rat like vultures.

FTFY

Its still a lovely place, even when the weather’s a bit iffy. Last year on a BH w/e, I left Surrey at 4.30am and rolled into Padstow Harbour just before 8am. Had to wait for the cafe to open for Brekkie! Came home late and got home faster than I went.

Its the only way!