on 01/05/2023
Cornwall is famously tropical, which means a rainy day is never too far away. Even in our stunning summers you can expect a shower here or there. Therefore, a necessary part of your Cornish holiday tool-kit is an emergency itinerary for a day that can't be spent at the beach. This is our list of the best ways to spend a rainy day in the English riviera.
We thought it best to start with the most obvious option. For the uninitiated, The Eden Poject is a garden centre from the future aiming to save the world (and doing a pretty good job of it). Their huge glass structures mound out of the hills of Bodelva and make a warm home for endangered plant life native to Africa, South America and the mediterranean.
There's a cafe, kids club oppertunities, a 50 foot structure worth scaling and a zip-line for the thrill seekers. We hugely recommend this spot for families wanting to kill an afternoon and stay dry doing it.
Okay hear us out - all surf teaching organisations gladly provide wetsuits, you're already going to be wet and the beach will be as peacefully quiet as it gets.
We specifically recommend surf schools Global Boarders on Gwithian-Towans Beach as well as the internationally acclaimed Fistral Beach Surf School that is up-to-its-neck in experience. Both have charming instructors happy to take you out to sea in sub-par weather and, again, will gladly provide a wetsuit to keep you warm in the rain.
The National Maritime Museum, in Falmouth, is painfully underrated among Cornwall attractions. The history of the sea can sound one dimensional but, as the museum explains, the topic is culturally relevant, violent and particularly interesting to those with interests in biodiversity, tradegy and war. There's plenty to keep you entertained for hours and activities and installments for the kids that make it an ideal spot for families to escape the rain.
Cornwall is very well known for having a few luxurious corners, and when better to dip your toe in the luxury pool, than when the affordable ones are covered in rain?
That pool metaphor is meant to signify that a massage and steam room is a great way to break up a beach holiday and that it's much more affordable to dip into the spas of The Bedruthan Steps Hotel and co. for an afternoon rather than a week-long stay.
In this, a rainy day spent in a spa, in a week of days at the beach, may be the perfectly balanced and budgeted stay in Cornwall we've all been looking for.
Bodmin Jail is a fascinating historical attraction that is sure to captivate children's imaginations. Not only is this somewhere that will keep the kids out of the rain, but it'll genuinely have them excited to go - which can be difficult with historic attractions.
The jail has been restored to its full former glory and offers guided tours that tell the story of its past. The tours go into the dark traits of prison life in a playful way (think Cbbc's horrible histories) which means that children are suitably spooked without being traumatised and stay very engaged throughout the whole tour.
There are also interactive exhibits and re-enactments that bring the history to life.
And that's our list! Let us know in the comments if there's anything you do on a rainy day in Cornwall that we might have overlooked! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with the best holiday properties in Cornwall!
Photos from @BodminJail
