Cornwall with the Family | Our 4 Magical Experiences

The southwesternmost county in England is Cornwall. Visiting Cornwall with family was simply fantastic. You can marvel at Cornwall's fascinating landscape in numerous, mostly dull TV series and films. Seeing it live is, of course, quite a bit more spectacular.

Cornwall is characterized by a rugged and dramatic coastline that is very different from the other counties in England. Here you will find steep cliffs that drop into the sea, picturesque coves, and long sandy beaches, and the maritime environment creates a unique atmosphere here.

If you enjoy taking photos like I do, you'll get your fill just from the scenery alone. We've only made a total of three trips to Cornwall, but we still drove across the entire county by car.

Let my travelogue about Cornwall inspire you. I'll show you the highlights we discovered and visited, and at the end of the post, I've uploaded some beautiful photos of this impressive landscape.

00. The Cornish Cream Tea – Origin of the Delicious English Tea Time

It is a delicious tradition throughout almost all of England, but especially in the south: the Cream Tea around 3 to 4 PM. This tradition has its deep roots in Cornwall. A sign here at Land's End tells us that monks in Cornwall may have spread clotted cream on their bread first and then jam in the 11th century, serving it to workers. These workers were restoring the abbey. Since then, this treat has become a staple in Cornwall.

Correctly identified, Cream Tea is not a drink, but rather scones with clotted cream and usually strawberry jam. Clotted cream is milk that becomes solid through slow heating. Its consistency is comparable to Philadelphia cream cheese, perhaps a bit firmer and chewier.

Cornish clotted cream is even protected and may only be made with milk from Cornwall. There are even significant local differences, which mainly arise during serving. For example, with a Cornish Cream Tea, jam is always applied to the scone first (I love that word), and then the clotted cream, while in Devon, you prefer to spread the clotted cream on the scone first and then put the jam on top. Jam first, by the way, works much better because the scone doesn't crumble as easily.

On your next visit to England (outside of London), you should definitely go to a cafe or bakery and enjoy a delicious cream tea. By the way, coffee is drunk with it just like black tea, with milk or lemon. (Preferably do not use the latter in coffee.)

01. Cawsand – A charming fishing village in Cornwall

The first time I ever set foot in Cornwall was when I was 45 years old, and it happened here, in Cawsand. A boat took me there from Plymouth, and the journey alone was fantastic. It passed by the rugged coast of Devon and Cornwall, and the village of Cawsand even lies in both counties.

We (the whole family, of course) leave the boat and stand on a lush sandy beach. It's an excellent contrast to the hustle and bustle of Plymouth and a well-deserved break for us. Cawsand is a picturesque coastal village that has a few great restaurants, cafes, and bakeries, as well as a few shops. Unfortunately, the latter were closed when we were there.

During our visit to Cawsand, we already got a great and authentic impression of Cornwall. If you want to have a cozy time and are on a trip through Cornwall with family, a short stop in this nice little village is recommended.

02. Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens

Today is Friday, the weather is super summery, and it's also a public holiday in the UK. Those are actually three good reasons to stay home. But we have a better idea and are visiting a botanical garden while everyone else is hanging out at the beaches.

Our plan is working and into the Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens There's very little going on. The gardens are in a sheltered valley that allows subtropical vegetation to thrive thanks to Cornwall's mild climate. While strolling through the gardens, we discover many modern sculptures by artists from all over the world. Or just from England? Maybe even just from Cornwall. In any case, nature, art, and landscape have been lovingly combined here.

This combination creates a place of peace and inspiration, perfect for unwinding. The botanical garden is a fantastic example of how Cornwall can offer cultural and inspiring moments for families away from the beaches and coast. In some places, the garden offers views of St. Michael's Mount, which is a breathtaking sight.

Our kids were happy because they also got to fill out a quiz that led them through almost all the stations. So we had a great and entertaining morning here. Expect to spend about 2-3 hours here and definitely book your tickets in advance.

03. St. Michael's Mount – England's Historic Jewel

St. Michael's Mount is also called the tidal island. This is because at low tide you can walk over relaxed, while at high tide a visit is only possible by boat. If you read between the lines, it's surely clear that you should pay attention to the low tide times.

Just because you can walk there comfortably doesn't mean you can get back. That's what makes the island around St. Michael's Mount even more interesting and adventurous.

The history of the Mount dates back to the Bronze Age. It is believed that the site was a tin trading post. Later, it was the Normans who turned the island into a religious site. Around 1066, the island came into the possession of the monks of the famous Mont-Saint-Michel abbey in Normandy. The church, which still exists today, was built there around the 12th century. Since 1659, the castle has been owned by the St. Aubyn family, whose descendants still live in a part of the castle today.

Enough history, although this is historically an exciting place. After the botanical garden, we look forward to visiting the castle complex and the gardens. A small path winds its way up the hill, offering us a fantastic view of the bay and the town of Marazion.

We will of course also look at the castle from the inside, and the kids are in their element again. They are the princesses who lived here 50,000 years ago. 🙂 To be a child again. In any case, as parents, we are happy every time our kids learn new things on such trips and enjoy what we do.

St. Michael's Mount is definitely a must-see when you're traveling in Cornwall with family, and that's why this trip can't be missing from my travelogue about Cornwall.

The gardens are also worth seeing, nestled right against the cliffs. Here too, due to the climate, there is lush and very exotic vegetation. On the steep slopes, we find rare and even subtropical plants that you would hardly expect to find elsewhere in Great Britain. The plants are not only beautiful to look at, but also lend the place a special sense of peace and atmosphere.

Be sure to book your tickets in advance and also pay attention to when low tide and high tide are, so you can walk to the island and back to Marazion relaxed.

04. Land's End - The End of the World?

The end of the world, at least that's how it sounded to us when we read the name Land's End. Since the Earth is flat, you'd almost expect to fall off here and look down into a deep abyss. But the opposite is true. This corner of England, which marks the westernmost point of the main island, is breathtakingly beautiful and has nothing to do with abyss and darkness.

Here stands the First or Last House of England, depending on your perspective. This historic building symbolically marks the beginning or end of the famous „Land's End to John o'Groats“ route. It is the longest road you can drive in Great Britain.

This corner is relatively heavily frequented by tourists. We are here outside of the holiday season, which allows us to imagine the otherwise prevailing solitude up here. You are at the middle of nowhere. However, this middle of nowhere rewards you for making the long journey with a fascinating view, a sensational granite coast, and a magical atmosphere. This made it a special stop on our trip through Cornwall with family.

We are enjoying the fresh sea air and are glad that all the souvenir shops and attractions are already closed (we are here after 5 p.m.) because we already had some action today (St. Michael's Mount and the botanical garden). On trips like these, we always make sure that no one gets overwhelmed or overloaded with impressions. This is how I have Hollywood learned =), when I was totally exhausted in the evening.

Back from Hollywood to England. We're still getting our fill of sea air, which is noticeably colder and fresher here than back home in Gozo. Afterward, we continue our tour through Cornwall and stop at Carbis Bay Beach. There, the kids get a chance to go in the water, despite the seemingly freezing temperatures. But they weren't the only children, and we parents all stood on the beach, bundled up warm in jackets while we waited.

By the way, Land's End is just the westernmost point of England. The westernmost point of all of Great Britain is Ardnamurchan in Scotland. That would be a point for my bucket list and our next trip to Scotland, which is unplanned so far. But I still wanted to mention the point in my Cornwall travelogue for the sake of completeness.

Trip tips Cornwall with family

Conclusion – Travelogue about Cornwall

Cornwall has a good chance of becoming my favorite county in England. I don't know them all yet, but I really liked Cornwall. The landscape is breathtaking and life here seems relatively relaxed.

We visited family in Cornwall and through their stories, we gained a great insight into life here in the Southwest. We could have easily planned a few more days (or sea days) for Cornwall. There is much more to see and discover here.

But who knows, maybe we'll come back, and then especially the north of Cornwall will be new and undiscovered for us. Our family trip ends with a visit to this beautiful county after 8 wonderful weeks full of excitement and adventure. Cornwall was a great finale and was more than just a destination for us. It's a feeling of adventure and serenity at the same time, which we as a family deeply appreciated.

Have you ever been to Cornwall with family? What did you like best there? What else should we see there next time? What else is missing from my travel report about Cornwall? Let me know in the comments.

Cornwall Family Photo Gallery

I could have taken thousands of pictures of Cornwall. I hope you still feel inspired by around 150 photos. Have fun looking at them and enjoy the wonderful impressions!