'''Cornwall''' (Cornish: '''Kernow''') [http://www.cornwalltouristboard.co.uk/] is a Duchy in the extreme south west of the UK and includes the Isles of Scilly. Lying westwards beyond the River Tamar border with its nearest county neighbour Devon, Cornwall is one of the more isolated parts of the United Kingdom but is one of the most popular with travellers and holiday-makers. Its relatively warm climate, long coastline, amazing scenery, and diverse Celtic heritage (combined with tales of smuggling and pirates!) go only part of the way to explaining its appeal. Cornwall is increasingly becoming a popular destination for those interested in cultural tourism due to its long association with visual and written arts.

Cities, towns and villages

Cities

  • Truro - Cornwall's main administrative centre and only city
  • Towns

  • Bodmin
  • Bude
  • Callington
  • Falmouth
  • Fowey
  • Hayle
  • Helston
  • Launceston
  • Liskeard
  • Looe
  • Lostwithiel
  • Mevagissey - picturesque hillside fishing village
  • Newlyn
  • Newquay - surf capital of the UK
  • Padstow
  • Penzance
  • Saltash
  • St Austell
  • St Columb Major
  • St Ives - home to a branch of the Tate Gallery
  • St Just in Penwith
  • Wadebridge
  • Villages

  • Cawsand
  • Boscastle
  • Minions
  • Mousehole
  • Pendeen
  • Polmear
  • Polperro
  • St Buryan
  • St Levan
  • Tintagel - legendary birthplace of King Arthur and seat of the Kings of Cornwall
  • Zennor
  • Other Destinations

  • Land's End
  • Lizard
  • Tamar Valley
  • Understand

    The modern English name is derived from the tribal name ''Cornovii'', Cornwall is called Kernow in the Cornish language and many signs have Cornish language descriptions on them. However, everybody in Cornwall speaks English as their first language, the Cornish language is all but dead and is mainly a tourist attraction or hobby. A small minority of younger people in Cornwall are nationalistic and regard themselves a Cornish rather than English, and may resent any suggestions to the contrary. Some of these people may refer to tourists from other parts of the UK as ''emmets''.

    It is worth remembering that Cornwall has the lowest average wage in the UK. While there is very little crime, avoid making ostentatious displays of wealth among the poorer parts of the county, such as Camborne, Redruth, Penryn or St. Austell. The stereotype of the Cornish as 'inbred' and 'backward' is entirely untrue, and if repeated to a local is likely to cause offence. They have heard all of the jokes before! Cornwall has a small but developing lesbian and gay community. There is an annual Pride event in Truro. Information on gay life in Cornwall is collated online at [http://www.gaycornwall.com www.gaycornwall.com].

    Get in

    By train

    Regular trains run on the main line from London Paddington (12 daily to Plymouth, 3 hours, 8 daily all the way through Cornwall to Penzance, 5 hours) Bristol, Birmingham etc. to Plymouth, Truro and Penzance. There are also a few branch lines, the most useful linking St Ives to the main line at St Erth and from Newquay to Par. There is also an overnight sleeper train which runs Sun-Fri nights to/from London Paddington and Penzance.

    By car

    Cornwall can be accessed by road via the A30 which starts at the end of the M5 at Exeter. Cornwall can also be accessed from the A38, crossing the Tamar River at Plymouth via the Tamar Bridge. From London it's a 5-6 hour drive. On Saturdays in July & August and Easter bank holiday weekend roads can be busy, although a new 7-mile stretch of dual-carriageway at Goss Moor near Bodmin has helped to alleviate many of the long tail backs.

    By air

    Newquay airport is the main airport for Cornwall which has the following services:

  • Air Southwest - Bristol, Cork, Dublin, Glasgow-International, Grenoble (winter only), Leeds/Bradford, London-Gatwick, Manchester, Newcastle
  • British Airways - London-Gatwick
  • bmibaby - Manchester
  • Flybe - Belfast-City, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Isle of Man (seasonal)
  • Isles of Scilly Skybus - St. Mary's (Isles of Scilly), Cardiff, St. Brieuc
  • Lufthansa - Dusseldorf
  • Ryanair - London-Stansted, Alicante, Girona
  • By coach

    Cornwall is served well by National Express coach services from London Victoria coach station (9 hours, 3 daily) and other parts of the UK (Edinburgh - Glasgow - Penzance, 18 hours, 1 daily).

    Get around

    Several bus companies operate in Cornwall including [http://www.westerngreyhound.com/ Western Greyhound], Truronian and [http://www.firstgroup.com First Bus].

    [http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/ Virgin Trains] and [http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/ First Great Western] operate regular train services between the main centres of population, the latter company also serving a number of outlying towns via branch lines. For train times and fares visit [http://www.nationalrail.co.uk National Rail Enquiries].

    Talk

    Everybody in Cornwall speaks the English language as their native tongue. Centuries ago the county used to speak a Brythonic language called Cornish, which was closely related to Breton and Welsh. It survived as a living tongue until around 1777 and the death of Dolly Pentreath of Mousehole, the last person thought to have spoken only Cornish as a child (although this is disputed). The publication of Henry Jenner's "Handbook of the Cornish Language" in 1904 caused a resurgence of interest in the Cornish language, and efforts are being made to revive it. Around 0.1% of people living in Cornwall have the ability to speak a reconstructed version using Welsh and Breton as a third language hobby. The United Nations deems it a dead language. Some areas of Cornwall have bi-lingual road signs in both English and Cornish.

    See

    Cornwall boasts a large number of attractions for the traveller, many lying outside of cities and towns amidst the Cornish landscape:

  • '''Bodmin Moor''' [http://www.bodminmoor.co.uk]
  • The Eden Project. ttp://www.edenproject.com. pen Every day all year except Christmas Eve & Christmas day. 9AM 6PM. ast entry 4:30PM). Near Land's End''' [http://www.landsend-landmark.co.uk/intro.html] - The extreme South-West where Britain meets the Atlantic head-on
  • '''The Lost Gardens of Heligan''' [http://www.heligan.com] - 80 acres of stunning landscaped scenery with a huge complex of walled flower and vegetable gardens
  • '''Tintagel Castle'''- legendary birth place of the famous King Arthur and seat of the kings of Cornwall. Earl Richard of Cornwall and King of the Romans built the present medieval castle at the site.
  • '''Minack Theatre''' - a outdoor theatre built, by hand, into the side of cliff over looking the ocean; located in the town of Porthcurno, the theatre includes a museum and offers tours when there are no performances
  • '''The Tate St Ives''' [http://www.tate.org.uk/stives/] - one of the four Tate Galleries in the UK - Modern Art
  • '''The National Maritime Museum Falmouth''' [http://www.nmmc.co.uk/]- home of the National Maritime Museum's small boat collection and other exhibits.
  • '''Penlee House''' [http://www.penleehouse.org.uk/]- home of the famous Nelwyn School of Art
  • '''Pencarrow House and Gardens''' [http://www.pencarrow.co.uk]- A large house near Wadebridge built in 1760 with extensive gardens.
  • '''Prideaux Place''' [http://www.prideauxplace.co.uk/]- A large house near Padstow.
  • Cornwall's Crealy Great Adventure Park. realy Great Adventure Park, Tredinnick, Wadebridge, Cornwall, PL27 7RA. 1841 540 276. ttp://www.crealy.co.uk/cornwall/. Great family days out at Cornwall's top theme park.

    National Trust Properties

  • '''St Michael's Mount''' [http://www.stmichaelsmount.co.uk] - Near Penzance
  • '''Cotehele''' [http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-cotehele/] - St Dominick, near Saltash
  • '''Godrevy''' [http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-godrevy/] - Gwithian, Near Hayle - A stunning mix of long sandy beaches, high cliffs, and smugglers coves.
  • '''Lanhydrock''' [http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-lanhydrock.htm] - Near Bodmin
  • '''Trerice''' [http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-trerice/] - Near Newquay
  • '''Cornish Mines and Engines''' [http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-cornishminesandengines/] - Near Redruth
  • '''Tintagel Old Post Office''' [http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-tintageloldpostoffice/] - Tintagel
  • National Trust Gardens

  • '''Trelissick''' [http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-trelissickgarden/] - Feock, near Truro
  • '''Glendurgan''' [http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-glendurgangarden/] - Mawnan Smith, near Falmouth,
  • '''Trengwainton''' [http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-trengwaintongarden.htm] - Madron, near Penzance
  • Do

  • '''The South West Coast Path''' - Which runs along the coastline of Britain_fs south-west peninsula. The Cornish section is supposed to be the most scenic, particularly around Penwith and the Lizard. The trail takes walkers to busy towns, remote cliffs, beaches, heaths, farms and fishing villages. Walking along it is a great way to experience the region in all its variety. For more information on the coastal path [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_West_Coast_Path view the Wikipedia article].
  • '''The Camel trail''' - An 18 mile off-road cycle-track following the scenic estuary of the river Camel [http://www.ncdc.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=13629 view the local council website]
  • Eat

    Cornwall has a number of regional specialities:

  • '''The Cornish Pasty''' - a semi-circular pockets of soft or flakey pastry, usually filled with meat, turnip, swede and potatoes with a crimped crust to hold whilst munching - follow the [http://www.pastymuncher.co.uk Pasty Muncher] as he continues his search for the perfect pasty.
  • '''Cornish Ice Cream''' - distinctly yellowish in colour, and rich in flavour, on account of high buttermilk content
  • '''Cornish Cream Tea''' - scones with clotted cream and jam washed down by a pot of tea
  • '''Saffron Cake''' - fruit loaf flavoured with saffron
  • '''Hevva Cake''' - lardy cake made with fruit
  • '''Hogs puddin''' - a spicy thick white sausage which is sliced then grilled or fried
  • '''Seafood''' - Cornwall has a long tradition of seafood - specialities include 'Star Gazey' pie (a mixed fish, potato and egg dish with fish heads 'escaping' from the pastry)
  • '''Confectionery''' - in particular locally produced Fudge, Biscuits (called Fairings) and Rock Candy.
  • Vegetarian food is easy to find in Cornwall - even in tiny towns with just one pub there is frequently a meatless option.

    Drink

    Cornwall has three main breweries which are available to drink in most pubs in Cornwall:

  • '''Skinners''' - Based in Truro. Tours of the brewery are available see [http://www.skinnersbrewery.com/ SkinnersBrewery.com] for details.
  • '''Sharps''' - Based in Rock. They have a shop at the brewery see [http://www.sharpsbrewery.co.uk/ SharpsBrewery.co.uk] for details.
  • '''St Austell Brewery'''' - Based in St Austell. They have a museum and shop, see [http://www.staustellbrewery.co.uk StAustellBrewery.co.uk] for details
  • Cornwall is also well known for its production of mead wine (Honey Wine). Because of it climate Cornwall also has a number of vineyards.

  • '''Camel valley vineyard''' - Guided tours are available see [http://www.camelvalley.com CamelValley.com] for details.
  • Sleep

    Cornwall boast a large range of tourist accommodation, ranging from 5 star luxury hotels to B&Bs, guest houses and hostels. There is also a large number of serviced holiday cottages that can be rented from anything from a long weekend to upwards of a month.

    There are Tourist Information Centres (TICs) in most major towns. Theses are normally run by the local council and can check latest availability on the day to save having to phone round a number of B&Bs and guest houses. Note that they are unbiased and won't express an opinion on accommodations, more than giving its tourist board rating and facilities.

  • ''' [http://www.penhale-fowey.co.uk/ Camping in Cornwall] at Penhale Caravan & Camping Park.'''
  • Rayle Farm. oliday Cottages Cornwall. ridge, Illogan, Nr. Redruth, Cornwall TR16 4QP. 01209) 842245. ttp://www.raylefarm.co.uk/. Rayle Farm self-catering holiday cottages are set in the heart of beautiful western Cornwall. The traditional farm buildings have been sensitively converted by local craftsmen and are perfect for relaxing short breaks or longer family holidays. Each cottage rental accommodates between two and six people and dogs are welcome.

    Stay safe

    Visitors to Cornwall should at all times be aware of the unpredictable and dangerous nature of some of the tides and currents around the Cornish coast and seek advice from local lifeguards before swimming or surfing. It should also be noted that there is a small chance of getting great white or tiger sharks off the south coast, but don't let this worry you, they are very very rarely seen, and there have been no known attacks.

    Crime rates are mostly low in Cornwall, but there are some impoverished areas of some towns where crime is more common.