Things to do in Cornwall to suit all family budgets!

 No matter where we find ourselves in the world Cornwall will always have a huge piece of our hearts! Both myself and Jake spent much of our own childhoods holidaying in Cornwall and since the children were tiny we have always gone back time and time again which has now become one of their most favorite locations for holidays.

No matter what age our children have been there is always SO much to do, sun or rain there is always plenty of ways to entertain the whole family whatever the budget or age may be!

So, in no particular order here are some of our tried and tested family favorites -

Cornish Seal Sanctuary -

The Cornish Seal Sanctuary is in the village of Gweek in the south east of Cornwall and as expected much of the Sanctuary is outdoors. There is lots of seals to see which swim right up to the glass so whatever age your children may be they can still get up close and see the seals very easily. There are seals of all ages and some at various stages of rehabilitation which all have fact information to read and learn from. Through the school holidays they have various activities going on throughout the sanctuary as well as character meets and photo opportunities.

Crabbing In Padstow-

The is one of our absolute FAVORITE low cost activities which we tend to do every time we are in Cornwall! Padstow is surrounded by harbour wall which is perfect for an afternoon of crabbing, we have always managed to catch some here which is great as there is nothing worse than disappointed kids! There is plenty of shops around Padstow selling crabbing buckets and lines however often we have seen families offering their own buckets and lines when they have finished particularly if they are at the end of their holiday. We usually take a bit of bacon from our morning breakfast which works very well at tempting the crabs. Watch out for signs of No Crabbing zones as there are several of these however you can always be guided by where other families are lowering their lines.

In school holidays and bank holidays throughout the year there are various stalls around the harbour doing face paints, glitter tattoos and hair braids. We have seen these right through the season to October half term (last year we even went there to have the children's Halloween face paints done).

Catching the train to St Ives-

Catching the train the St Ives is not only a novelty and adventure for the children but also a fantastic way to see the incredible coastline views which Cornwall is known for! Starting your journey in St Erth where there is a huge carpark which costs on average between £2.50 - £4.50 per car per day which considering the absolute mission it can be to not only drive into St Ives but to actually try and park in the summer holidays the park and ride is a fantastic alternative at a reasonable price.

The station itself isn`t very big so easy to find the platform you need and its not a chaotic situation when you have small children in tow. The train journey itself takes around 20 minutes and in peak times there are two trains an hour so if you miss one you are never waiting too long! Once in St Ives there is around a 10 minute walk into the main town during which you can see some incredible views of the bay itself which when the sun is shining can often resemble a tropical beach paradise. The town itself can get very busy in the summer months but the bay feels a nice safe beach space for children to play and there are deck chairs to hire so you can easily spend much of the day exploring here until you are ready for your train home and the tickets are open meaning you can return at any point throughout the day.

Healeys Cider Farm-

Dont be mistaken by the name, Healeys Cider Farm is a great day out for all ages and interests! Much has been added over the years and despite going every year there is always something new which we have not seen or experienced before. There are various entry options which can include tours if you wish to experience, personally we have never done this as our children are only just hitting the age where their attention spans would justify us paying for the main tours however we always do the tractor tour which takes you though the apples orchards on a trailer. There is a beautiful cafe which caters for a wide range of culinary delights, I can personally recommend the cream tea which comes with the Healeys Jam!

The animals are always our favorite part of visiting here, there is always lots of beautiful peacocks roaming around and lots of goats and horses to see. We have often joined treasure hunts throuout the summer holidays which also entertains the children. Now, my husbands personal favorite part of the Healeys experience is the shop which has a large bar at the back serving samples of all the latest ciders, wines and gins they have on offer. There is also various soft drinks, jams and other conserves so the children can enjoy the sampling experience as well.

Dairyland Farm Park-

Deffinatley one for a dry day is Dairyland, a fun filled farm full of hands on animal experiences. The time of year is obviously a factor but both times we have gone the children have been able to bottle feed lambs and have pony rides. There is a big indoor play area with huge slides and giant structures of hay bales for children to climb, outside there are nature trails, go carts, tractor rides, animal feeding, sand pits, trampolines and so much more! There is a cafe/restaurant however to keep costs down we took a picnic, there was some lovely picnic spots throughout the park and even on busy days there was always somewhere to find a nice quiet place to sit and eat.

Beachcombing in Newquay Harbour

Despite the amount of times we had been to Newquay we had never been down to Newquay harbour, that was until a few years back when we dropped Jake off for a fishing trip there and I thought it looked like a good spot to wait with the children. Since this day we have come back every time we have been to Cornwall, in fact the last three times we have made it our first destination after a long drive from the Midlands and the children have often been in their pyjamas on the beach by 8am looking for crabs or paddling between the boats.

when the sea is out you can walk around the harbour wall to the main Newquay beach unvailing lots of rockpools and sea perfect for some wave jumping or body boarding. Once the sea is on its way back in it turns into a snug little bay which is always full of shells, crabs legs, drift wood and all sorts of remains of various sea creatures which the children spend hours hunting for. In the day it can get very busy and hard to park however early morning or evening and its a perfect place for some calm exploration away from the hustle and bustle.

Hopefully you can see through some of these suggestions there are lots of options available for families looking for something to do on their holiday in Cornwall and that it does not always have to cost!

Let me know in the comments if any of this is helpful for you and your family,

Hannah x