The 15 best attractions in Cornwall

Two and a half miles south-east of Bodmin is one of Cornwall’s grandest houses, situated above the Fowey valley. Lanhydrock House was constructed in the 17th century but was rebuilt after a fire in the late 1800s, resulting in a profusion of High Victoriana. The house is owned by the National Trust, with 50 (or so) rooms open to the public. One of the few remaining 17th-century interiors is the long gallery, which has a stunning barrel-vaulted ceiling depicting scenes from the Old Testament. Another highlight is the restored Victorian kitchen and servants’ quarters. In spring, the bloom of camellias, azaleas, magnolias, rhododendrons and bluebells is breathtaking; footpaths lead from the gardens into the 1,000-acre area of park and woodland beyond.

The undisputed flagship of Cornwall’s art scene, the UK’s smallest Tate occupies a striking, curving building in an even more striking location: Porthmeor Beach. At the heart of the building is an open-air rotunda (representing the gas-holder that once occupied the site at the old gasworks); the brightly coloured glass display is the work of late Cornish artist Patrick Heron. The museum’s changing exhibitions (there is no permanent collection) showcase the work of 20th-century painters and sculptors, particularly those associated with St Ives (the naive art of Alfred Wallis, say, the geometrical paintings of Ben Nicholson or the studio pottery of Bernard Leach), as well as exhibiting contemporary artists as part of its artist-in-residence programme. Take a breather in the top-floor café, which has great views.

The highly evocative relics of this Norman circular keep and moat are probably the best-preserved remains of their kind in the country. Located just upriver of Lostwithiel, with commanding views over the River Fowey, its lawns are a lovely spot for a picnic. The shop sells kids’ swords and chainmail vests for would-be valiant knights.

Believe the hype: this place is amazing. All ages love the Eden Project, and it’s well worth braving the queues and crowds to explore the largest greenhouses on earth. The vast ‘bubble-wrap’ domes of the Rainforest and Mediterranean biomes house a world of natural wonders–lush jungle greenery, coffee plants, cocoa beans and rubber plants, as well as herbs, vines, clementines and olive trees – while the Core is home to Eden’s inspirational Educational Centre. The brainchild of Dutch-born entrepreneur Tim Smit–whose first Cornish project was The Lost Gardens of Heligan – Eden rose from the barren depths of a disused china clay pit into a project of extraordinary vision.

Just off the coast of Marazion, St Michael’s Mount – bearing an uncanny resemblance to its namesake across the channel – is the stuff of fairytales. It is an iconic island castle holding court in the bay. Legend claims the mount was once the lair of the giant Cormoran, who tyrannised the local population but was defeated in David and Goliath fashion by a little Cornish boy. Early records, however, show that the mount began life as a bustling port for the fishermen of Marazion. Its religious status was conferred when a church was added and, by the eighth century, a monastery had been founded. It was used as a store for Royalist arms during the Civil War before becoming the residence of the St Aubyn family. St Michael’s Mount was donated to the National Trust in 1954 by Lord St Levan, although his son, the fourth baron, still lives on the island.

Originally laid out by the outrageously creative Charles Fox – brother of Alfred, who owned Glendurgan next door–Trebah has 26 acres of lush, subtropical vegetation tumbling down a wooded ravine. Legend has it that Fox was a stickler for detail, even asking that the head gardener put up scaffolding towers to indicate the eventual height of each tree. The garden design cleverly saves the best till last: the view from the bottom leads the eye up past a pond, reflecting a pretty white bridge, beyond the vast bed of pastel-hued hydrangeas, the gunnera (or ‘giant rhubarb’) and flanks of mature trees, all the way up to the white house at the top. Children can whoop it up on the climbing frames, swings and paraglide (over-fives only) in the Tarzan’s Camp play area; there’s also a conservatory selling plants, a shop and the Planter’s Café, with its appealing seasonal menu.

The romantically named Lost Gardens of Heligan were once part of a historic estate owned by the Tremayne family. The gardens fell into decline when 16 of the 22 gardeners were killed during World War I and lay neglected for the best part of a century. They were rescued from oblivion in the mid-1990s when Tim Smit (later the brains behind the Eden Project, see p45) and John Nelson set about restoring them. The project not only gives a sense of the dedication of the 18th- and 19th-century plant-hunters but also conveys a wider message of ecological sustainability. There are jungle boardwalks, tranquil woodland hikes and, at the heart of the project, the garden itself – not just a showpiece but a productive enterprise. On-site facilities include a farm shop, a tearoom and a picnic area.

Like many of Cornwall’s most beautiful places, the blackened remains of this ancient castle reward visitors who come out of season –a blustery day in December is the perfect time to experience its full power. The fact that it’s a bit of a challenge to reach (there are 100 steps, a lot of uneven ground and a vertiginous bridge over the rocky valley to Tintagel Head to contend with) makes it all the more exciting. What’s left of the 13th-century castle – steep stone steps, stout walls and a lofty space where the Great Hall once stood – contributes to the drama. Tintagel was thought to have been a trading settlement in the fifth century (pottery has been unearthed to back this up). Less empirically, the site is rumoured to be where the legend of King Arthur was born, resurrected by Victorian poet Alfred Lord Tennyson in his Idylls of the King. The potential for fantastic stories and family games of noble knights and holy grails are endless, and the views are unfailingly stirring.

Geevor was a working mine for over 80 years, employing some 400 at its peak, before its closure in 1990 after the crash in tin prices had rendered the huge clifftop operation economically unfeasible. Following a multi-million-pound preservation programme, which included the addition of the interactive Hard Rock Museum, the mine was brought back to life as a visitor attraction. The site has been sensitively adapted, leaving the workings of the mine wonderfully intact – everything from the hulking machines of the compressor house and the ore processing mill down to the helmets and paperwork of the employees remains in place. Visits culminate with an underground tour of the tunnels, conducted by ex-miners – an experience that is as emotive as it is claustrophobic.

Even those not usually drawn to horticulture find this exotic garden exciting, so confirmed garden geeks can safely expect to be catapulted into horticultural heaven. The Abbey Garden is without doubt Scilly’s biggest attraction, but that understates its significance: for many, this is one of the most extraordinary gardens in the world, a singular experiment in horticulture – or, as author Walter Besant famously described it, ‘Kew with the roof off’.

Among the modernist heavyweights of the 1930s St Ives art colony (which included the likes of Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson and Naum Gabo) was the pioneering potter Bernard Leach, widely hailed as the ‘father of studio pottery’. After long years of neglect, his internationally renowned Leach Pottery, founded in 1920 alongside Japanese potter Shoji Hamada, reopened in 2008 after a £1.7 million restoration and redevelopment programme – furnishing St Ives its third major artistic attraction, alongside the Tate and the Barbara Hepworth Museum. Born in Hong Kong, Leach spent his formative years mingling with the artists of the Japanese Shirakaba folk craft movement; when it opened, the Leach Pottery was the first in the Western world to install a Japanese woodburning kiln. Now a scheduled monument, the kiln stands – as it did in the 1970s–in the most evocative part of the museum: the old pottery, which has been left respectfully unpolished. The Leach Tableware collection, produced on site and sold in the shop, makes a classy souvenir.

Owned and managed by the Tate, this small museum is an engaging tribute to one of the 20th century’s most important artistic figures. Sculptor Barbara Hepworth made this her home and studio from 1949 until she died in 1975. It offers a fascinating insight into Hepworth’s life, with her studio and garden preserved as she left them. Her curving sculptures, including Fallen Images (completed only a few months before her death), are complemented by biographical material, while the garden, which she helped to design, displays her larger pieces in a peaceful subtropical setting.

Gloriously sited on the river and surrounded by walking trails (through the woods, along the water and crisscrossing the estate), Trelissick is a fine example of a grand Cornish garden. The 30 acres feature an apple orchard and an array of mature trees and plants, many of which are rare and exotic enough to excite the most jaded of gardeners. Only the grounds and gardens are open to the public, with a café with pleasant courtyard seating, the inevitable NT gift shop, and a rather more charming gallery showing work by Cornish artists and craftspeople. Best of all, the gardens lead down to a couple of ferry landing stages, making them easily accessible from the south coast.

This wildly romantic National Trust country house looks like an Oxbridge college dropped deep in the west Cornish countryside. Hugely advanced for the 17th century, the architecture is impressive despite its state of disrepair, and the historically significant formal gardens are thought to be the oldest in the country. The Grade I-listed house is a stunning evocation of the period, with mullioned windows, original Elizabethan stables and a glorious colonnade leading through the screen wall into a courtyard. The overgrown gardens – little changed in centuries – and work-in-progress feel won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but we couldn’t help but fall for the untamed beauty of it all and the tangible sense of history.

Housed in an impressive wooden building, the NMM features a huge collection of restored sailing craft and nautical objects, as well as hands-on interactive displays, audio-visuals, talks and special exhibitions, covering all aspects of maritime life, from boat design to fascinating tales of survival at sea. One highlight for all ages is the Tidal Zone, where you can go underwater and look out into the harbour through two large windows; stand there long enough, and you’ll see the tide rise and fall. Another is the 360-degree views over the harbour and towards Flushing from the top of the 95-foot LookOut. One ticket buys you annual unlimited access – and given the vast scope of the museum, it’s worth considering a second visit. There is a stylish glass-fronted café on the first floor, looking out over the water.