Cornwall is the ultimate spring road trip in England. Photo / Getty Images
England’s prettiest coastline is arguably Cornwall - with sun, sea and fish and chips, it makes one of the best road trips in Britain, especially in spring, writes Fiona Whitty
Feted as being one of the UK’s prettiest counties, Cornwall offers rugged cliffs and surfing, serene beaches and an eerie moor, castles and myths, postcard-pretty fishing villages and Poldark film sets - and even a cool party hub.
During summer it’s bulging with tourists and its narrow, hedge-lined lanes are jammed with traffic. But visit in spring and you have the freedom to explore at a more relaxed pace.
A five-day road trip should give you a tantalising taste of this serene county, home to the UK’s most southerly and southwesterly points.
Cornwall is a good five-hour drive from London so If you’ve landed in the capital I suggest you catch a train to Plymouth, just over the border in Devon on England’s south coast. Bed down there for the night and hire a car early the next morning to start the road trip.
Use this guide as a base. You won’t fit everything in – away from the main A-roads, journeys are slow – so pick and choose.
READ MORE: Five more of the best road trips in England
Once you’ve picked up a car in Plymouth you’ll need to cross the River Tamar to get into Cornwall. Avoid the quicker Tamar Bridge and take the roll-on-roll-off Torpoint Ferry to enjoy the views.
Start sampling Cornwall’s fabulous food in the busy fishing town of Looe. Watch the small boats bringing in crab, lemon sole, gurnard, lobster and turbot then try some yourself at Pengelly’s fishmongers on the quayside.
Looe’s bustling bakeries are bursting with Cornish Pasties - semi-circular pies packed with potato, swede, onion and usually meat. Once the go-to snack for dirty-handed miners because their thick, crinkly curved edge acted as a handle which could be easily discarded, today you can try a traditional steak and blue cheese version or even a chicken katsu curry one.
For a sit-down treat visit the Sardine Factory on the harbourside, where much-celebrated chef-owner Ben Palmer lovingly crafts Looe’s freshly landed seafood. Try his fish of the day: anything from John Dory to skate wing.
Afterwards, head west to the Eden Project – due to open in Christchurch next year - to experience how nature around the globe sustains our planet.
Centre stage are its two biomes – huge greenhouse-like domes which recreate different environments, like a rainforest with high humidity and adorable free-to-roam roul roul birds.
Pop into Hangloose Adventure just outside for an adrenalin fix, including England’s fastest zipline and a freefall drop where you leap from ledges up to 8 metres high onto a giant air bag.
An alternative to the Eden Project is the 80ha Lost Gardens of Heligan, Europe’s biggest ever garden rejuvenation project.
The original estate fell into dereliction after its groundsmen left to fight in World War II. But after a 1990 hurricane revealed an old outhouse inscribed with their signatures and the date they left – August 1914 – the gardens’ grandeur was restored as a tribute.
Optional stops along the way include the fishing village of Charlestown, a Unesco world heritage site with tall ships and a delightful 200-year-old harbour that’s been used as a backdrop for TV’s Poldark, Hornblower and Doctor Who and the film Saving Private Ryan.
For a swim stop try Gorran Haven, with a soft swish of sand and sheltered waters. Then stay overnight in a room, apartment or garden lodge at the award-winning St Michael’s Resort, a beachfront spa hotel in Falmouth.
Today’s the day for exploring an extreme - at either mainland Britain’s southernmost location, Lizard Point, or its most southwesterly, Land’s End, an hour beyond.
The former is great for spotting grey seals, dolphins and occasionally basking sharks and whales, with binoculars available to borrow from volunteers at the National Trust’s Wildlife Watchpoint.
The wild and windswept peninsula at Land’s End has marked tracks along its rugged cliffs and a sprinkling of seaside-style, paid-for attractions. Nearby Kynance Cove was the backdrop for some of Poldark’s signature clifftop riding scenes.
Whichever you choose, factor in a stop at St Michael’s Mount, an island in between the two that’s one of Cornwall’s most iconic images.
Accessible by a causeway at low tide - or a boat at other times – it’s home to a grand hilltop castle. It’s also ideal for a cream tea – scones laden with strawberry jam and Cornwall’s famous clotted cream, served here along with tea from Tregothnan, the UK’s only tea plantation.
Head up to the north coast and settle in for the night at the Sloop Inn in St Ives, one of Cornwall’s oldest pubs.
Art lovers should linger in St Ives, home to Tate St Ives and Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden.
Alternatively continue to Newquay, the UK’s surfing capital, where newbies to the sport can try a two-hour lesson with the expert instructors at Cornish Wave. They also hire out boards enabling the already-converted to venture down to Fistral Beach for sublime waves.
Later carry on up the coast to Padstow, an upmarket town crammed full of art galleries, craft shops ... and Rick Stein.
The celebrity chef is behind a host of local ventures, from a pub to high-end restaurants. Stein’s Fish and Chips – his relaxed sit-in café and takeaway – is the perfect place to try the great British favourite.
Order from a variety of fish – from sea bass to cod – request it either battered or grilled and choose add-ons like silky Goan curry sauce and crispy onion rings.
Elsewhere in Padstow, hike part of the 29km Camel Trail along a disused railway line or stop by the National Lobster Hatchery.
Get your head down at – where else? – one of Rick Stein’s hotels, cottages or shepherds huts, like the classy St Petroc’s Bistro with wooden beams, exposed brick and lush velvets.
Across the Camel estuary sits Rock, made famous by frequent visitors Princes William and Harry in the 1990s.
In summer Rock, and Polzeath nearby, have a reputation for attracting party-loving rich kids lured by great surfing, golden sand and zesty nightlife. Head to the Oystercatcher bar to follow in their footsteps.
Further along the coast lies Port Isaac, the setting for TV’s Doc Martin, and the serene cliff top ruins of Tintagel Castle, said to be where the legendary King Arthur was conceived after the then-King of Britain Uther Pendragon used the wizard Merlin’s powers to seduce a rival’s wife.
The views and atmosphere are epic, with a bronze life-size sculpture of an ancient king, a swaying footbridge and Merlin’s Cave adding to the spookiness.
Later head inland to Bodmin for some shut-eye at the kooky Bodmin Jail Hotel, cleverly set within an old prison.
Each bedroom is nestled across three of the original cells while its Chapel restaurant is in the former vestry once used by inmates.
Today’s tasting menu is a far cry from what prisoners faced, with executive chef Dane Watkins including delights like fillet of Red Ruby beef, a breed native to nearby Exmoor with a deep burgundy coat.
Feeling brave? Ask to stay in room 311 – said to be haunted by former jailbird Thomas Roberts, hanged in 1786 for stealing sheep.
Take a heritage tour of the recently renovated Bodmin Jail next to the hotel and discover how inmates could be hanged for offences like horse theft, burglary or killing a ram.
Then motor over to Bodmin Moor for a different side of Cornwall. Barren and wild, it’s said to be terrorised by a large black cat-like creature, nicknamed the Beast Of Bodmin.
Park up at Minions and wander through grazing sheep to the ancient Hurlers, a series of three stone circles said to be men turned to stone as a punishment for playing hurling on a Sunday.
Carry on for another mile on foot to the Cheesewring, a rocky outcrop of piled-up granite slabs. Scientists say it was formed naturally over millions of years – but an enduring myth claims it was the result of a stone-throwing contest between giants and saints.
GETTING THERE
Various airlines fly from Auckland to Heathrow Airport, London with one stopover, including Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines and Air NZ. Cornwall is a five-hour drive from London.
DETAILS
The trendy spot is just six minutes from the Waikiki beach.