Top Five Trips for Preschoolers in Cornwall (and a little bit of holiday spam!)

We all know its true... holidays with little ones bring a whole new meaning to the term "holiday". Trying to find outings and adventures that will provide fun for the whole family, without costing you an arm and a leg, can be challenging. Three days ago, we returned home from a fabulous two weeks in Cornwall and I thought it would be fun to share the highlights from the kiddos point of view. I asked our girls (aged 2 and 3) what the highlights had been for them... here's what they came back with...


1. Tanglewood Wild Garden - Newbridge, Penzance.
Adults: £5.00, Children: £2.00. Under 5s: Free
This is one of Cornwall's hidden treasures, and was an absolute highlight for all of us...  beautiful gardens full of quirky features; the girls were in their element and ran around the gardens, delighted at every discovery. Every ten metres or so there was something new to discover and there was no end to the creativity of the designers - street chalk stations, sculptures, fairy doors, wooden carvings, games around every corner, swings, dens and so much more!

2. The Beaches (Car Park costs only)
Cornwall has so many fabulous beaches! Our personal favourites were Porthcurno (although leave your buggies in the car... there is a fairly long walk down) and Crantock... gorgeous sandy beaches where the kids were able to paddle, build sandcastles galore and generally have a whale of a time. Porthcurno sand is not particularly sandcastle friendly, but has the bluest sea you've ever seen in Britain and is literally stunning. St Ives had a lovely beach, but the town is NOT buggy friendly - steps everywhere -  so have your baby carriers/rucksacks at the ready!

3. Greeb Farm - Lands End
Adults: £4.00, Children:  £2.00, Under 5s: Free
To be honest, we were pretty unimpressed by Lands End... a little dated and tacky was the general opinion and the car park ticket price of £6 seemed a little steep if you were only planning on staying a short while. The attractions seemed quite random and didn't seem to have much to do with Lands End at all (Shaun the Sheep?!)... my memories of Lands End are tied up with Pirates and Smugglers, so I was a bit disappointed by the lack of Pirates there... but hey ho. You can't have everything.

There was one attraction at Lands End, though, that the children loved. A little farm where they could wander round, stroke the animals, and buy a little bag of food for £1 to feed them. This little farm, and the incredible views, were what made the trip to Lands End worthwhile! You can buy tickets just for the farm without having to spend the full £12 for the rest of the attractions. The girls loved roaming amongst the ducks, feeding the goats and stroking the chickens, among other things!

The Lands End scenery is stunning and the walk down to the tip is buggy friendly!

 

4. Minack Theatre
Adults: £4.50 , Children: 50p, Under 2s: Free
The Minack Theatre is a breathtaking piece of creativity - an outdoor theatre carved into the cliff-face by an old lady and her gardeners. It is an incredible story and an incredible piece of architecture. The Theatre puts on Children's Storytelling Shows three times a week, and we were privileged to be able to see A Midsummer Night's Dream. The story was a bit over the girl heads, but they were mesmerised throughout! Definitely a must see!

5. The Eden Project
Adults: £25, Children: £14, Under 5s: Free - discounts if booked in advance.
This one is the pricey one, but to be honest, its worth every penny if you hit it on a good day. It totally has the wow factor and is certainly one of the must-see attractions in Cornwall. We went twice - once when the sun was shining, and once when it was tipping it down. On the tipping it down day, it seemed everyone in Cornwall had had the same idea and the whole experience just felt crowded and a little overwhelming, but on the sunny day, when the crowds were dispersed between indoors and outdoors, it was perfect. So much to see, explore, discover and admire and a stunning environment to do it in. For the girls, the highlights were the Rainforest biome (which had waterfalls, giant leaves and little huts to discover - as well as Baobab smoothies to try at the end!), the dinosaurs (The Eden Project have a big dinosaur exhibition this summer - with dinosaurs which roam around the grounds!) and the soft play in "The Core". The grounds are completely buggy friendly and the ice-cream delicious!

There is so much to see and do in Cornwall that you really can't do justice to it in one blog post... but these "top five" were certainly worth a visit with little ones!

What would your top five in Cornwall include? Let me know in the comments!

Happy holidays! (...and sorry for all the holiday spam!)

Other Cornish Highlights
* St Michael's Mount - the walk over when the tide is out is magical. Perfect for little imaginations!
* Lanhydrock - this is one of the National Trust's finest properties with loads for the children to do and explore. It would definitely have made our top five, only we visited it on a previous trip!
* Mevagissey - A little coastal town perfect for exploring, crabbing and sampling great fish & chips!
* The Cornish Seal Sanctuary - The Sanctuary is home to sea-lions, penguins and a number of non-aquatic animals too! The girls loved exploring!

THIS POST IS NOT A SPONSORED OR COLLABORATIVE POST. IT IS THE GENUINE OPINIONS AND REFLECTIONS OF THE AUTHOR