The Cornwall Blog

Watching movies is quintessential holiday fun, and come rain or shine you can enjoy the latest releases or some great classics this summer in Cornwall. When the weather is balmy then it can be hard to drag yourself from the beach, there is no need this August with open air cinema. At Falmouth's Pendennis Castle you can watch Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl on the 8th, A Knight’s Tale on the15th and Shrek on the 22nd August 2019. Or head to Porthminster Beach for Finding Nemo on the 18th, Disney's Moana on the 25th August and Les Miserables on the 1st September 2019. Plenty of opportunity to watch some real family favourites in fabulous locations! Find out more at the website, open air cinema Cornwall .

Wadebridge Wines are bringing another great festival to the North of Cornwall with their inaugural Rum & Tequila Festival. Last month, in June, the space around their centrally located shop became filled with stalls, music and drinks for their first Beer and Cider Fest. On the back of this success (and the previously run Gin Festival) they are bringing something a little different. The North Cornwall Rum and Tequila Festival is sure to be a great event, expect great suppliers selling their wares. Cocktails galore and delicious food with toe-tapping music. The much loved wine merchant is always a great place to visit and you know the team will have picked only the very best! The festival runs from noon till 7pm on the 20th July.

To celebrate the anniversary of the Moon Landings, Goonhilly, near Helston, is holding a rather special day. On the 20th of July 1969 the world watched, glued to their TV screens, as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the surface of the moon. These images were being transmitted by the Goonhilly satellite. To mark 50 years since this iconic event Goonhilly are presenting Apollo 50 , a family friendly day of education, science, tech, art and music. In fact you can see band Public Service Broadcasting perform songs from their album The Race for Space and Orbital will also be performing a DJ set. You can find more info at the website and get tickets.

I love the Lost Gardens of Heligan ! I keep meaning to go back, because it has been far too long. I would normally arrive by car, but there is another way that sounds much more fun: cycling there from Pentewan. Heligan is connected to the Coast & Clay Cycle Trail, part of National Cycle Network Route 3, and you can hire a bike in the village before heading up to the gardens. What really caught my eye was the electric bikes. Cornwall is not famous for being flat, and the thought of a little assistance on the climb makes them rather tempting! Cycling from Pentewan to Heligan Pentewan Valley Cycle Hire sits in the coastal village of Pentewan, between St Austell and Mevagissey. From there, the route to Heligan is off-road, so you can leave much of Cornwall's traffic behind and enjoy the ride. The hire centre has bikes for adults and children as well as electric bikes, tandems and family options. There is also a little riverside picnic area, wh...

I visited the wonderful Restormel Castle at the weekend. Just outside the ancient statuary town of Lostwithiel, this Medieval ruin is a lovely and peaceful spot to wile away a few hours. We started our day at the Duchy Nursery coffee shop, with some delicious cakes and puds. You can see the castle from the cafe and it is a charming walk through the fields up to it, though because of the limited walking ability of my mum we decided to drive and save our energy for exploring! Rarely busy, (and free for Lostwithiel and Lerryn residents with some photo ID), this English Heritage treasure can provide a place of solace on hot day. When everyone heads to the coast I often like to wonder inland. The castle is in remarkably good nick considering it is from the 13th Century. You can walk almost all the way around the top and work out which room use to house what. The views down the valley to Lostwithiel are beautiful and with plenty of benches this is an ideal place for a pi...

In central Cornwall there are plenty of peaceful beauty spots a little less known, one I love is Helman Tor. So wonderfully quiet and on a clear day you can see for miles, both coasts if you are lucky! Finding it is always a bit of a mission, Visit Cornwall have directions you can check out. With massive slabs of granite, and a logan stones (teetering on the edge) it's a place ideal for clambering over with the kids, or to just relax and watch the sun set. At the foot of the tor there is a large wetland and with grazing animals gathering around bodies of water. The landscape comprises of heathland, acid grassland with willow and oak trees down below. You can see the weather rolling across the hills with birds of prey soaring in the sky above. The rocks seem to defy gravity and provide sheltered nooks to sit and admire an impressive view.

This was a favourite book with both Carl and I at Pickle Design ! It was my go-to read at school, I just loved the illustrations and how the story unfolded before my eyes. This weekend, 16th-17th March 2019, at Eden they are celebrating Eric Carle's classic with crafty workshops, a trail around the domes and a re-telling brought alive by Eden's excellent storytellers. From making butterfly wings to string puppets this well-loved tale provides plenty of inspiration for family fun. To find out more head to the Eden Project website.