Cornwall

This town has gorgeous coastal walks as well as plenty to explore

Summer has drawn to a close and autumn has arrived. While summer is a wonderful season for getting away, there’s no reason the enjoyment has to end when temperatures drop.

Indeed, autumn ranks among the most spectacular times of year across the UK.

The foliage transforms into golden hues, tourist numbers dwindle and settling into a welcoming pub following a lengthy ramble epitomises the perfect autumn pursuit.

If you’re seeking a UK destination that truly comes alive during autumn, there’s a delightful seaside town in Cornwall that might tick all the boxes.

According to research conducted by credit card firm Zable, Fowey in Cornwall emerges as the best value location for an autumn staycation. It’s not merely affordable though – it’s also a charming harbour town brimming with things to discover.

The town sits proudly on the banks of the river Fowey and traces its roots back to medieval times.

Its naturally deep water harbour established it as a significant historical port and commercial hub throughout the centuries, while the streets showcase magnificent Victorian and Edwardian architecture.

The region surrounding Fowey also holds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty status.

If you fancy exploring the town’s surrounding landscape, then the creeks and coves walk is absolutely essential. This four-mile circular route incorporates two ferry crossings and highlights the magnificent woodlands and coastal pathways that cradle the town.

The walk requires two to three hours including ferry journeys and looks absolutely stunning at this time of year. However, if you’d prefer to remain in the town itself then you certainly won’t be short of things to do.

Fowey boasts a thriving high street brimming with independent shops and boutiques that are ideal for an afternoon of browsing.

Fore Street serves as the town’s main high street and its twisting alleyways offer a wonderful way to while away an afternoon.

Make sure to pop into Jo Downes Handmade Glass for locally blown glass artworks, or Heather Jane and Co., which features art from 180 local makers.

Round off your day at a quintessential Cornish pub, the Ship Inn on Trafalgar Square. This historic establishment was built in 1570 and features a huge open fire ideal for a relaxing autumn pint.

After a roasting hot summer during which a trip to the beach to escape the heat was top of everyone’s agenda, Rosaleen Fenton made an autumnal visit to one of the country’s most popular seaside towns

A summer trip to Cornwall can often feel like a battle against the crowds. With thousands of visitors packing into its narrow lanes, navigating St Ives during peak season can make you feel like you are trapped in an endless queue – albeit one with access to delicious Cornish pasties roughly every five feet.

But as the schools reopen their doors, the town quietens down and begins to feel like a place reclaimed by its residents. I had been told September is the best time to visit, so I gave it a go, my mum and I hopping on a Great Western Railway (GWR) train from London Paddington, hoping for a glorious, slightly calmer seaside weekend.

Our journey took on a mythical feeling as we headed further west. GWR has recently revived its Line to Legend Land storybook, a century-old set of promotional travel pamphlets and books that encourage passengers to explore the scenic regions by train. It is packed with South West folklore and retellings, and now a new tale by former Children’s Laureate Sir Michael Morpurgo.

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OPINION

The railway has installed five life-sized statues of these legendary figures across the network. Stepping onto the platform at St Ives, you were greeted by the famous mermaid of Zennor – which celebrates the legend of a local chorister lured beneath the waves. Reading about a coastline teeming with mythical creatures while watching Carbis Bay slide past your window felt like the perfect way to leave a busy working week behind.

Our home for the weekend was Tregenna Castle Resort, perched high on a hill and offering one of the most breathtaking views in the West Country – and not one I tire of looking at.

These stone walls have seen a lot of history. Built in 1774 as a grand private home, it was later purchased by GWR as an exclusive hotel. Today, the 72-acre estate is a dream for holidaymakers. Situated amidst lush ground, it boasts indoor and outdoor pools, woodland walks, a nine-hole golf course, and courts for tennis, badminton and pickleball.

Then there is the food, which deserves its own spotlight. We dined at the Godrevy View Restaurant, named after the distant lighthouse said to have inspired Virginia Woolf. The ever-changing menu is far superior to standard hotel fare. We begin with a beautifully arranged, nicely seasoned tomato salad served with Thai basil whipped ricotta, watermelon, ponzu and chervil (£11). For main, an 8oz fillet steak is generous, served alongside fondant potatoes, carrot puree, asparagus and baby beets.

On Sunday, we enjoyed roast beef, cooked to perfection, with all the trimmings, including Yorkshire puddings hiding a decadent treat within – a small dollop of braised beef swimming in rich jus. My daily routine quickly settled into gluttony – a delicious fry-up for breakfast, a rich chocolate brownie for dessert – an extremely pleasant way to start and finish every day.

While the town, which has a stand-out independent shopping scene and was named the UK’s prettiest seaside town just this week, is calmer in September than the summer holiday months, the streets still felt substantially fuller than you’d expect from a place of 11,000 people. A great energy, but the bustling made me yearn to return to the sublime peace of Tregenna Castle, just 15-minutes away.

With our visit coming just days after Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was in favour of a ‘tourist tax’ for Cornwall, the topic of overtourism was top of my mind. It’s fair to say business owners in the area remain divided on the topic, but for me, the benefits are easy to see. St Ives records more than 220,000 overnight stays annually, meaning it could bring in over £1,000,000 a year – a lifeline for a town where social issues are pressing, despite its well-to-do reputation. There’s a foodbank here, and a lot of young people who can’t survive in a property market where 15% of homes are second ones.

Chatting with locals, many said they no longer live in St Ives itself, preferring nearby Penzance, where they have room to breathe, cheaper homes, and not every shop sells clotted cream fudge.

Yet as a visitor, I can see why those in the industry are wary of scaring anyone off. It’s clear how holidaymakers pour vital cash into the local economy through independent shops, galleries and restaurants. Last year Jon Hyatt, who chairs Visit Cornwall, said he was “against any charge that might put visitors off”.

It’d be a terrible shame if they were, given how much there is to enjoy, from frolicking in the waves of Porthmeor Beach and peering off the side of Smeaton’s Pier, to touring the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden.

Unsure of what to take on next, my travel companion tried using an AI bot to plan a fun day out for us. Unsurprisingly, technology failed us with the app repeatedly instructing us to catch a bus route that hasn’t existed for over two years. Abandoning our future robot overlords, we turned to a friendly member of hotel staff instead, who pointed us straight toward Tate St Ives – a far superior mode of recommendation.

Opened in 1992 on a cliff overlooking Porthmeor Beach, the displays change regularly. We caught an exhibition by Halima Cassell, whose intricate geometric sculptures play beautifully with light and shadow. Outside, it feels as if her artwork was continuing, a rainbow appearing over the beach, ending atop the RNLI flag.

Afterward, we walked a stretch of the South West Coast Path and enjoyed the brutally beautiful landscape, with the rhythm of the waves calming our frazzled nerves. As a special treat, we returned to London on GWR’s overnight Night Riviera Sleeper service.

I slept blissfully after a trip to the glorious buffet bar, where you can enjoy a free hot chocolate, before heading to slumber in a carriage. Getting onto the top bunk is no trouble, with a smart fold-away ladder showing how cleverly designed this small cabin is.

We arrived back in London just after 5am, though passengers can stay on board until closer to 7am. Breakfast is delivered (for me, a bacon roll) alongside piping hot coffee – which gives me the strength to start my day back in London, where I mourn the glorious coastline I left behind.

Book it

Tregenna Castle Resort, Treloyan Avnue, St Ives. Rooms and luxury self-catering lodges available. Visit tregenna-castle.co.uk

GWR operates regular services from London Paddington. To travel in a sleeper cabin on the Night Riviera, you need to purchase a regular train ticket, plus a supplement for the cabin. For the best deals, book up to three months in advance. Book at GWR.com.

Timed entry tickets to Tate St Ives on Porthmeor Beach cost £14 (£1.50 extra with a voluntary donation), though locals can get unlimited all-year entry for £10. Book in advance at tate.org.uk/visit/tate-st-ives.

THE UK is set to see the last of the summer sun this weekend, so where better to enjoy it than Cornwall’s Saint Tropez?

One charming coastal village has been compared to the French glamorous resort town thanks to its incredible beaches, high-end restaurants and royal visitors.

The village in question is called Rock which sits on the Camel Estuary and has incredible views across from the well-known town of Padstow.

The upscale hotspot has numerous celebrity homeowners and even Prince William and Prince Harry have enjoyed a holiday of two there.

The princes first visited Rock in the late 1990s as teenagers for family holidays and were spotted enjoying nearby beaches and surfing in Polzeath.

Other celebrities that have been known in the area include Gordon Ramsay who owns a multi-million-pound waterfront property there.

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He’s even been filmed arriving to the village by helicopter.

Chef Paul Ainsworth owns the local pub called The Mariners, where you can get some of the best fish and chips in the area.

Other top spots include Four Boys which is open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch.

Fee’s Food is a deli where you can pick up quiches, freshly baked loaves, pastries – they also specialise in pies and curries.

Of course, no visit to Cornwall is complete without a trip to the beach, and Rock has a great one.

Rock Beach has described as being called “world class” by previous visitors, and another called it the “best beach I’ve been to in a long time.”

The sandy beach stretches on for around half a mile with views across the estuary to Padstow.

If you fancy venturing a little further afield, Porthilly Cove which is a secluded sandy beach is just around the corner.

The St Enodoc Hotel in Rock recently underwent a multi-million-pound renovation – it was closed for 10 months but had a grand reopening in July.

Along with 21 rooms, there are two restaurants to choose from – the Estuary Grill which serves lots of local seafood or the Flour Garden which dishes up hand-made pizzas.

The hotel has beautiful gardens too with lawn games, deck chairs and Maurice, a charming vintage French truck, with a mix of drinks including Guinness on-tap.

When it comes to getting there, the easiest way is to catch the ferry from Padstow – single journeys cost £3 for adults and £1.50 for children.