Things to know before visiting Cornwall

Just like every other county in England, Cornwall has tips to follow when visiting. From some of the best cafes to eat at or knowing and understanding our landscape.

Photographer: Russel Pike

---

What time of year is best to visit?

This is a tough question because if you want to enjoy Cornwall at its best, the summer is the best time to come. However, we all know that British summers don't really last that long. Also, Cornwalls summer just so happens to collide with the English school Holidays, meaning usually a lot of places are busy.

April & May are the best months to visit for exploring and going on adventures, however the weather is unpredictable.

June is usually better for the weather and the sunshine starts to come out more. Although, this also means our beautiful county becomes busier.

If your looking for a chilled and calming time to go exploring, I would avoid July & August as this is when Cornwall is most popular for visitors.

In conclusion, I think September is the best time of the year to visit Cornwall. The weather is still sunny and our scenery has still got a summer glow to it. Business will have died down due to schools starting again. And our beaches are still looked after by the RNLI, to make sure you are safe in the sea.

Our roads are tiny!

Being in the countryside, our roads weren't built to fit two lorries. When travelling our back roads, be cautious of tractors and farm machinery, animals, children, cyclists, fast drivers, and oncoming vehicles. So, if you want to visit our secret beaches and gems, please drive carefully and slowly (otherwise you may find a cheeky local giving you the bird).

Tide times

Its always best to check what the tide is doing before visiting beaches. This is because some of our beaches don't have visible sand when its high tide, meaning going on beach walks are unlikely and going for swims in the sea isn't always safe. A common mistake people make is that they go for walks along our lovely beaches but the tide comes in, leaving them stranded.

Rip Currents

Although we live in a beautiful place surrounded by sea, the biggest killer isn't sharks. It is very common for people to get caught in rip currents. A rip current is a body of water that takes you out to sea. Yet, it is not the rip current that kills you. It's panicking. If you find yourself in a rip current, do not panic! If you are not so strong of a swimmer or you're a bit tired, let the current take you out to sea and it will eventually stop, meaning you can swim straight back into safety. If you are more of a strong swimmer, swim parallel to the beach to get yourself out of the rip current.

RNLI

Most of our beaches are monitored by lifeguards from the months of May- September/ October. The RNLI are very well trained and are usually dressed in red and yellow which makes it easy to spot them. Find out more about the RNLI by reading my 'beach, sea & the RNLI' blog.