10 Best Picnic Spots in Cornwall

Picnic season isn’t over just yet here in Cornwall!

In fact, Autumn picnics are just as fun, delicious (and Instagrammable!) as picnics in Spring and Summer. Everywhere is quieter, the temperature is mild enough to sit outside but just chilly enough to warrant snuggling up in a jumper, scarf and maybe a blanket or two, and the countryside is extra beautiful and golden too!

Some of my Autumn picnic essentials include:

Warm soup from a thermos (my fave is butternut squash, coconut and chilli)
Salt & pepper baguette for soup dipping
Apples & figs
Root vegetable crisps
Hot (or chilled) cider (try Stowford Press*!)
A picnic mat and snuggly blankets
A cute hamper to carry it all in!

You could also bring along some warm apple crumble slice or vegan pumpkin pie if you’re prepared enough (I never am…). We had lots of fun taking these photos and playing with the dogs at Tehidy Woods (mentioned below)!

1. Porthkidney/Lelant dunes

The view over Porthkidney beach is stunning; its white sand and blue water from St. Ives bay and beyond is always set off perfectly by the fact that there’s barely ever anyone there! Out of season, this beach is always super quiet because there’s very little parking and it’s quite difficult to get to. It’s also only accessible properly when the tide is out, making it less popular.

2. Trelissick

One of my new favourite places to visit (now that I live so close!), Trelissick has everything you could ever need for all your picnic dreams! You can go inside the gardens itself, which is basically ‘picnic heaven’ with so many little gardens and cute spots for laying a rug out. Or (the dog friendly option) you can go around the Trelissick park and coast path instead, which has vast expanses of fields to set up on, a little pebble beach onto Fal river, or even woodland to choose from too.

3. Wheal Coates

One of my favourite bits of coastline, Wheal Coates will always have prime place in my heart due to living so close to here as a kid and visiting regularly. Nowadays, I love grabbing a fish & chips and sitting up on the cliffs overlooking Towanroath mine shaft and the beautiful ocean below.

4. Tehidy Woods

Another regular spot I love visiting – although I don’t live as close to Tehidy woods anymore, it’s a great place to take the dogs. We can usually get a decent hour long walk here, with a large field at the end perfect for throwing a ball for the pups and setting up a delicious picnic (like we did today!).

5. Godolphin Estate

Another large woodland estate, Godolphin also has a stream running along through the middle, and lots of different routes to choose from. It’s fun to explore and a beautiful place to find a spot by the stream and settle down for some lunch!

6. Castle Cove (St. Mawes)

Admittedly, we only found this spot the other day but it’s officially a new favourite picnic place of mine! I’m not 100% sure that the cove we found was indeed called Castle Cove (it was a little bit further along the coast path than where Castle Cove appears to be on Google maps), but it was a peaceful, hidden away spot that I can’t wait to revisit with a hamper full of treats!

7. Godrevy Cliffs

I’ve enjoyed many-a sunset BBQ up on these cliffs, looking over the beach and out to the famous lighthouse in the Summer. It stands to reason that this would also be a great spot for a Cornish picnic, and you can even do it from the shelter of your car if you park in the right space – making it a year round place for picnic-ing!

8. Carn Marth

The walk from Lanner up to Carn Marth has some seriously awesome panoramic views of around Cornwall, but it also has a hill-top lake and sheltered amphitheatre to set up a picnic in for some peaceful, unique and pretty epic scenery.

9. Basset’s Cove

It feels like I always talk about Basset’s Cove on my blog, but it really is one of my favourite places in Cornwall. There is a little slice of cliff just beyond the car park that has the most epic views of the rock stacks and cove below, and is perfectly sheltered from the sight of other cars and from the wind. I love this area so much!

10. Durgan

Again, I probably always harp on about Durgan here, but it is a stunning, quiet little cove that I love for taking the dogs, going kayaking, having summer BBQs and for taking a picnic. It’s pretty secluded and always fairly quiet in Autumn and Winter.