Fiery sunsets, secret coves, rugged moors, craggy cliffs and sea-view dining spots; Cornwall is a land of contrasts that makes a magical backdrop for your honeymoon. Take hand-in-hand walks along the coastal trails, pause for cliff-top picnics, stargaze, storm watch, surf, skinny dip and toast your love over candlelit dinners beside the waves. Then cuddle up in a romantic cottage by the sea where you can lap up all the luxuries of just-married life.
Here are some five top honeymoon locations in Cornwall that will take your breath away along with some great ideas for newlyweds…
The Lizard Peninsula
Best for: Outdoor types
Lure your lover onto the white sands of Kynance Cove and step foot on the most southerly point of the UK mainland. This pristine peninsula hemmed by crystal-clear waters is the perfect destination for active couples looking to wild swim and snorkel or come face-to-face with sea life on kayaking safaris.
Poldhu Cove
On land ramble along the coastal trails, climb the Lizard Lighthouse tower and marvel at Goonhilly Earth Station’s cloud-scraping satellites. There are plenty of places to fill up on local food – from the famous Ann’s pasties and finger-licking ice cream made from the cows at Roskilly’s Farm, to hot chocolate with your toes in the sand at Poldhu Beach, and fish and chips from The Lifeboat House at Coverack. After sundown cuddle up under a blanket and stargaze – you’ll be blown away by the jewels of sky in this dark skies location.
St Mawes
Best for: Beaches and boating
Hideaway in a picture-postcard fishing village surrounded by smugglers’ coves, craggy headlands and verdant farmland. Fishermen unload their catch of the day on the doorstep, which gets plated up in sophisticated restaurants a pebble’s throw from the sea: Bag a private dining booth at the waterside Watch House, enjoy a cream tea on the terrace at Olga Polizzi’s Hotel Tresanton and seek out the Hidden Hut tucked away along the coast path. If you want to cook up your own ingredients, hop aboard a fishing trip and see what you can snag for supper, or learn the Cornish way at Philleigh Way cookery school.
Sailors and boat lovers will swoon at the destination, being the perfect place to castaway under sail, by paddle or by ferry. Fill your sails on a yachting adventure on the Carrick Roads, hop on Fal River ferry boat to Flushing, Falmouth or even the city of Truro, or why not take a trip along the Helford Estuary to Frenchman’s Creek, where Daphne Du Maurier honeymooned and was inspired her to write her famous tome about love and pirates?
St Ives
Best for: Creative couples
St Ives seduces honeymoon couples with its unrivalled combination of world-class galleries, dining hot spots, sublime beaches and dramatic scenery. Clap your eyes on artworks by the greats on a twirl of the Tate St Ives and the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, get hands on with a pottery or painting workshop, and take home your own arty souvenir from one of the galleries or boutiques lining the cobbled streets.
St Ives
Don your walking boots and tackle some of the most stunning sections of Cornwall’s South West Coast Path, filling up on the romantic local legend of the Mermaid of Zennor and taking a pit-stop under the low beams of the Tinner’s Arms, where literary legend DH Lawrence once stayed. If you’re keen to remain in the embrace of the wild terrain skirting St Ives, dine on local and foraged foods at the award-winning Gurnard’s Head, and snuggle up for a performance under the stars at the cliff-edge Minack Theatre. Or slip back into the picturesque town to squirrel away in a romantic abode, sip Champagne, and tuck into seafood beside the golden sands of Porthgwidden or Porthmeor.
Porthleven
Best for: Surfing, storm watching and seafood
If you’ve got a passion for surfing you will have heard of Porthleven for being home to one of the UK’s best right-hand reef breaks. If you’re keen to hit the surf together but not ready for the challenge of hollow waves breaking over a rocky ledge, head to nearby Praa Sands and Perranuthnoe for a sandy-bottomed surf experience on a duo of Cornwall’s beautiful beaches. There are bucket loads of beauty to explore on foot, too: Head out along Porthleven’s three miles of sand and shingle beach at low tide, to meet Loe Bar and the Penrose Estate, where miles of footpaths wend around Cornwall’s largest freshwater lake.
If the storms roll in there’s no need to hideaway in your romantic cottage quite yet, just dress for the weather and keep your camera handy – Porthleven’s clock tower was one of Cornwall’s most photographed landmarks during the storms of 2014. Despite battling the elements, Porthleven’s fishing fleet is one of Cornwall’s busiest, landing boatloads of catch each day, that gets served up in a cluster of harbour-side eateries. We love Amélies for lobster on the terrace and Kota for a Michelin-starred menu heavy with local seafood.
Padstow
Best for: Gastronomes
Hugged by countryside and bordered by the Atlantic, the harbour town of Padstow has long been a favourite of food lovers, who flock it its abundance of waterside eateries serving sumptuous local produce plucked from land and sea. Lovers should sample the local Porthilly oysters served with award-winning Cornish bubbly made in the nearby Camel Valley vineyard. Add to the edible attractions a gargantuan helping of gob-smacking coastal scenery, a string of pearly beaches and a glistening estuary feeding into the lush Camel Valley, and you have a honeymoon destination extraordinaire.
Padstow Harbour
Newlyweds should book ahead for one of the region’s most unique dining experiences at Paul Ainsworth at No6 or Stein’s classic Seafood Restaurant, or why not learn to cook like Cornwall’s celeb chefs at Mahé (Ainsworth’s cookery school) or Rick Stein’s Cookery School? You can walk up an appetite on countless romantic coastal walks, whether you strike out to The Rumps Headland or Stepper Point to gaze back at the Doom Bar (where the Camel Estuary meets the Atlantic), or hop on the ferry to Rock and stroll to the white sands of Daymer Bay.
Wherever you choose to honeymoon in the county, you can choose from plenty of romantic cottages and intimate escapes beside the sea in Cornwall.