Granary Barn Camping

The former market town of Helston, now home to the famed Fury Dance, is just over two miles or five minutes’ drive south, forming a triangle with the Lizard Peninsula and Penzance. The lower part of the town has a boating lake, park, skate park and café. Take the path from the boating lake to the National Trust-managed Penrose estate near Loe Pool, Cornwall’s biggest freshwater lake, then on to Porthleven, the UK’s most southerly working port. Your South West Coast Path hike from here (to Lizard Point or Marazion) has spectacular views over Mounts Bay including St Michael’s Mount… or just scramble down to the several beaches set around the bay. Other attractions and activities include the Helston Railway line (five minutes’ drive), with a working section that offers rides, Flambards Theme Park (10 minutes), and Land’s End and the Telegraph Museum Porthcurno (and beach) both within 40 minutes. Watersporters have paddleboarding and sea kayaking from Porthleven 10 minutes away, a surfing school at Marazion (20 minutes) and a diving school at Portkerris, 35 minutes from the site. You could also laze around lush Praa Sands (10 minutes), Lizard Point (25 minutes) or Land’s End (40 minutes), or take in a show at the famed cliffside Minack Theatre (45 minutes). And once you’ve intrepidly checked the above off your bucket list? Tom can share details of many lesser-known attractions for you to investigate next: you might need to book another week…