Porthcurno, Cornwall (Ian Woolcock/Shutterstock)
Looking for some Great British adventure inspiration? You're in the right place. Here you'll get an independent, ad-free lowdown on Britain's top 50 adventure locations - the online yin to the paper yang of our Joyously Busy Great British Adventure Map.
Why Go To Cornwall?
Cornwall is rightly famed for the concentration of sandy beaches on its coastline, but that's only part of the picture. Just some of the things you can do in Cornwall that you can't do anywhere else...
Get to the lovely Lizard peninsula, mainland Britain's most southerly point
Begin or end mainland Britain's great end-to-end route, Land's End - John O'Groats
Walk the entire coastline of Cornwall as part of the South West Coast Path, England's longest national trail
And... did we mention the beaches?
Want to find out more? Read on for great photos, articles, videos, top tips and other content to fire up your adventure appetite. Got a question? Ask away.
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Kernow: a proud peninsular paradise and masterclass in how to do coastlines. More great beaches - big and small - per mile, than almost anywhere. The north coast, in particular, has some sublime stretches of sandy sumptuousness, but the south coast and inland are top class too. The moorland of Zennor and Bodmin, Kynance Cove and other delights of the Lizard, the glorious gardens, the Fal and Helford estuaries, are all highlights.
Most the images we use are free from artificial flavourings and colourings, but maybe not this one of the Bedruthan Steps, Cornwall (Billy Stock/Shutterstock)
And... you can walk all of it on the South West Coast Path, Cornwall's - and the Westcountry's - essential journey. Along with bits of Devon and Dorset, the SWCP includes the entire coastline of Cornwall, which means regular sights like this...
Cornwall, let's face it, looks pretty bloody majestic from the air...
Some obligatory drone footage…
… and some less obligatory but no less compelling wind-based antics
Getting To Cornwall, Maps & Guides
Getting there: 4.5 hrs by car from London, or rock star it and fly direct to Newquay from London Gatwick or Birmingham (1 hr)
Travel times from where you are: See Cornwall on Google Maps.
Maps: Find the right Ordnance Survey maps and / or get a month's free subscription to their excellent OS Maps app.
Guidebooks: Both Lonely Planet and Rough Guides offer a combined Devon and Cornwall book, and Bradt does a dedicated guide to Cornwall.
Walking route guidance: South West Coast Path national trail.
Tourist board: Visit Cornwall.
Even More Cornwall Adventure Inspiration
The South West Coast Path at Wheal Coates near St Agnes, Cornwall (Helen Hotson/Shutterstock)
Read this great article from Sidetracked, an ode to Cornwall and sea kayaks. Since Comedian Ed Byrne's been writing for The Great Outdoors magazine his amusing, self-deprecating commentary has entertained - this time he tries cliff climbing in Cornwall.
Here's a good guide from the official tourist board on canoeing and kayaking. For those seeking a little more cultural background, find out all about the World Heritage status of Cornwall's mining locations.
Are you a bit of a Poldark fan? It's OK, you can admit it. Here's a list of prime Cornish locations used in the successful BBC series.
You can't talk about Cornwall without talking about the surf...
The BBC's Ramblings podcast with Clare Balding includes these episodes on Cornwall:
What Next?
Click here to see 49 other Great British adventure locations and tell us about your adventures, plans and suggestions for these pages.
Britain's Best Outdoorsy Bits... Mapped!
Liking what you see, but fancy keeping it old school with an actual paper map? Our Joyously Busy Great British Adventure Map features all of Britain's best outdoorsy bits (including the Top 50), plus some enjoyably random and vaguely useful stuff too. Available either as a 2-sided fold-out map or a framed wall map (office furniture and fake plants not included).
