Longships
Originally uploaded by tightwadcornwall

Recently whilst on holiday in Cornwall I saw a small, grumpy child at one of the nation’s many attractions. Clearly the view across to Longships and generally the whole Land’s End Experience was not doing it for her. Personally I love the cheesiness of Lands End; all the opportunities to buy over priced rock, the chance to part with large sums of cash to watch things I have seen countless times before, and especially the possibility of making it home safely after some jelly-leg inducing peeks over the cliffs. I couldn’t understand the child’s unhappiness.

Her Mum approached, “Come on Emma. We’re just going to have some lunch and then we’re visiting the Eden Project. Hurry up”

Aargh. On several levels this left me with an understanding of Emma’s grumpiness. Firstly it is about 2 and a half hours’ drive to Eden from Lands End. Secondly I would be knackered and grumpy with such a pointlessly relentless agenda. Thirdly for a family of four such a day would cost at least £100. This seems quite expensive for a day that is spent largely in travel and ends in exhaustion.

As a result I decided to harrass the world with my views *ahem* give people a cheaper alternative to such a nightmare holiday.

The purpose of this site is not just to expound Cornish holidays according to me, but also to provide a forum for information on holidaying there on the cheap; if you have a question please post it as a comment and I will try my hardest to find the answer. If you know an answer then please post that too, and if you can see any (obviously deliberate) errors I have made then please feel free to correct me! Apologies in advance for any errors made. I have done my best to provide accurate information, but things may change without my knowledge. If you are considering visiting somewhere, please check with them first about prices, voucher use etc. before leaving.

And here is my first pearl of wisdom: one attraction a day is plenty unless you want grumpy children sulking at you.

The aim of this information is to pass on some of the money saving ideas a lifetime of holidaying in Cornwall has taught me. However before I start I would just like to outline my own ethics on money saving. I believe money saving and tight waddery on holiday create a symbiotic relationship between holiday maker and local. The local needs the holiday maker’s money in order to survive until next summer. The holiday maker needs the local’s facilities in order to stop their children from complaining about being bored and demanding expensive gadgets as recompense. Neither should wind up feeling ripped off. If the holiday maker feels ripped off they won’t return, meaning no survival for the local; if the local feels ripped off and unable to maintain their facilities than there will be less for the holiday makers next year.

Coupons are a part of this relationship - they provide a means for the local to set lower prices without ending up unable to survive until next year and also allow the holiday maker to feel like they have got a bargain.

Cornwall is not a county rich in sterling; lots of local people have difficulty in affording property as second homers drive up house prices two or three times beyond the reach of local average wages. With the traditional industries of tin mining and fishing dead or dying locals rely more and more on tourism to simply pay the bills. I’m sure the same is true of other areas around Britain - the Lake District immediately springs to mind.

As a result when I am out and about, armed with my purse full of coupons, I try not to stand on my rights and demand all the voucher-combined discounts to which I think that I am entitled. Put simply if I do a local economy that I want to see thrive will be put under pressure unnecessarily. For the same reasons I choose to buy my weekly shop whilst on holiday rather than bringing it down with me. Tescos, Asdas and various other supermarkets have infiltrated the Tamar boundary, thus reducing my need to make my car smell of cheese for a five hour journey.

A few tips to get yourself prepared for a money-saving holiday …

1) Research

I guess that’s why you are here! Use this and other sites (see the blogroll and also the sites included here) to give yourself an idea of what there is in Cornwall that interests you and is a reasonable distance from where you are. I have researched a few already and listed my findings below. This will give you a clear idea of what is within your budget, what could be (given the right discounts) and what you will be avoiding at all costs.

2) Start Collecting Vouchers

Yes, I do mean that! Tesco clubcard deal vouchers and leisure vouchers can be used at some Cornish attractions, so start saving them now! Clubcard deal vouchers are available, pretty obviously, from tescos. Instead of spending clubcard vouchers in store, they can be swapped at four times their face value for days out vouchers amongst others - check out their website for more information.

Leisure vouchers are a kind of gift voucher that can be used across the Whitbread group. In Cornwall this primarily means The National Seal Sanctuary. Obviously these are available for purchase, but can also be earnt free from some of the UK kickback sites like pigsback and ipoints  - it is worth signing up and seeing how much you can earn!

• Buy ‘The Cornishman‘. This local paper always comes with coupons for money off days out.  As the vouchers tend to be for attractions spread across the nation, it is unlikely all of them can be used. However at an initial cost of 80p it is easy to save more than the cover price. Recently I received free entry to the National Seal Sanctuary by using these vouchers - well worth it!
• Do your weekly shop!
• Keep hold of the vouchers you get given at any attractions you visit - they could be useful!

The Eden Project

Originally uploaded by tightwadcornwall

Travelling Time: (from Penzance) 1hr 30mins

Vouchers to collect/look out for: Tesco Clubcard Deal vouchers

Entry Includes: If you (or one of your group) are a UK taxpayer then you can gift aid your entry and receive an annual membership at no extra cost (ie a year’s entry for the same price as a day’s). Gift aiding allows The Eden Project to claim back some of the tax you pay, so they receive a greater fee courtesy of the tax office.

The Eden Project has become one of the unmissable parts of a trip to Cornwall, with good reason. Developed from the old china clay pits near St Austell, Eden is a fascinating place.

If you are not picnicking then a good lunch option is the family pasty meal (from the pasty shop in the food hall). For £13.50 we got 2 large and 2 small pasties, 2 portions of chips and a jug of still lemonade. This could easily feed 4, and depending on appetites possibly even 5.

Travelling time: 25mins

Vouchers to collect/look out for: Tesco clubcard deal vouchers (not in conjunction with any other offers); The Cornishman; other attractions. Vouchers are proliferate - under no circumstances pay full price to get in!

Entry Includes: Entry to all the different attractions within the theme park. You can have your ticket stamped for £3 re-entry within 14 days. Be warned - Secondary school aged children are classes as adults. Day or afternoon(2.15pm+) entry can be purchased.

Flambards is probably the most unusual of  the Cornish theme parks. Obviously it includes the usual spills’n'thrills rides - not quite to the standards of AltonTowers et al but still screamworthy. However it is also part museum, including a mock up Victorian village and exhibitions of both aircraft and Blitz Britain. On top of this there is also a garden centre, if you prefer a quieter life! There is plenty to enjoy, especially if you can get in at a decent price.

Travelling Time (from Penzance): 45 minutes

Entry includes: One the day entry to the attraction, including Shuttle bus tour of the antennae, entry to the connected earth gallery and multimedia visitors centre and use of the outdoor and indoor children’s play areas. There are two additional tours; firstly of two of the satellite dishes and secondly of the nature in the local area. Neither of these are included in entry price though.

Vouchers available:  Tesco Clubcard Deal vouchers, The Cornishman, online voucher

Goonhilly is unexpectedly fascinating. We went there last as a means of entertaining the kids on a grey day. Our expectations were quite low, and it exceeded them. We, and the kids, all had a great time. There is plenty to do; the tour takes a little while and allows you around the satellite dishes. When  we visited you could actually go inside some of them (I don’t know that this is still true). The exhibitions are also good - informative without being dry - and caught the children’s imaginations.

A word of warning though. The satellites are due to be decommissioned  before the end of the year and there is a question about how long the site will stay open as a visitors attraction after that. I fyou are keen to visit, don’t leave it too long!

Lands End!

Originally uploaded by tightwadcornwall

Travelling time: 30mins by car (plus possible walking time)

Vouchers to collect/look out for: Possibly The Cornishman; neither leisure vouchers nor clubcard deal vouchers can be used here.

Entry includes: depends on which one you buy! (see below)

First things first - Land End is a top attraction in Cornwall and it charges top dollar entry prices. It does not accept any of the usual vouchers and does not have regular coupons in The Cornishman.

This sounds unpromising I know but bear with me! It is still possible to have a reasonably priced day out there, just read on…

The Car Park: This costs £3.00 for the day, which is a bit of rip off in my opinion as most people using the car park spend a fortune on other parts of the complex. To avoid this you have several options:

1. Take a bus. In the summer there are open top buses that go from Penzance to Lands End. I’m not saying it’s a lot cheaper(it depends on how many you have in your car), but the views are far nicer and younger children will probably be more excited by it (although obviously not on a rainy day). Also, as the journey time will be longer it will also mean spending less time at the Lands End complex and thus less on the attractions there.
2. Visit Sennen Cove first. Sennen Cove is just around the coast from Lands End. Day parking there costs just £2.50, or £1 for 3 hours. There is a relatively easy walk along the coastal path to Lands End (please note it starts with some steep steps) which takes about 30 mins. Sennen has some good eateries (personally I like The Old Success or the fish and chip shop, but there are others), so again you can spend time there first and cut down on actual time spent at the complex.

The Complex: Entry to the actual complex is free. This allows you to visit the toilets, shops, cafes and restaurants. It also lets you to use the children’s play area, visit a few of the smaller attractions and look out from Lands End. So, if you are on a really tight budget and don’t have to worry about children harrassing you to do anything else don’t bother to pay for anything else! Otherwise ticket prices become quite complicated as there are various options depending on which attractions within the complex you want to visit. Basically if you want to visit more than one of the attractions then buy one of the family ticket options as it will save you money.

Entry Prices: (a bit complicated!)

Single adult and 2 children all attractions: £16.95; Single parent and 3 children all attractions: £18.95; Additional children £5.95

2 Parents and 2 children all attractions: £21.95; 2 Parents and 3 children all attractions: £23.95; Additional children £5.95

Single ticket prices:

Doctor Who Up Close - Adult £4, child £3, Concession £3.50
Return to the Last Labyrinth - Adult £4, Child £3, Concession £3.50
Air Sea Rescue - Adult £3.00, Child £2.00, Concession £2.50
Greeb Farm - Adult £3, Child £2, Concession £2.50
The End to End Story - Adult £2, Child £1, Concession £1.50

The Attractions :

1. The Last Labyrinth This is my favourite part of the exhibition (I don’t know how much that says about me…) It takes you on a brisk walk through the history and legends of Cornwall, using an interactive presentation. Decidedly low tech, it is worth a look.
2. Greeb Farm Great for the youngsters! A small farm and some craft workshops. Interesting, but probably not too much for older families
3. Air Sea Rescue Vaguely exciting and the closest Lands End gets to a thrills’n’spills ride! This gives an insight into how helicopters and the boats work together in an RNLI sea rescue.
4. The End to End Story Not terribly exciting exhibition extolling the virtues of those who have travelled from Lands End to John O’Groats or vice versa. Would it surprise you to learn that the same company owns both sites?
   
5. Doctor Who In all honesty I have no idea what this exhibition contains, and am just assuming it does what it says on the packet. If you and yours are interested in Doctor Who, great, if not wouldn’t bother with it. So there you go.

National Seal Sanctuary

Originally uploaded by tightwadcornwall

Travelling time : 30 mins

Vouchers to collect/ look out for: Tesco deals days out vouchers; Lizard Attraction Saver Passport; The Cornishman.

Entry includes: 1 days entry (if you leave you can get your hand stamped); re-entry ticket to use within one month.

I will start by saying that there are many attractions in West Cornwall that I regularly visit, and The National Seal Sanctuary is not one of them. Kids love it, but as it is essentially a one trick pony it doesn’t really offer a rich mine of family interest.

St Michael’s Mount

Originally uploaded by tightwadcornwall
There are a variety of National Trust and English Heritage attractions throughout Cornwall. Membership to either allows you free entry to all the attractions managed by that group. Thus if you are already a member of one or the other it is well worth bringing your cards with you and enjoying what they offer. Below are a selection of the attractions they give entry to, although there are some others listed amongst the beaches. Please note the memberships are not interchangeable - you cannot use National Trust membership to get into English Heritage properties and vice versa.

Entry Includes: Annual membership of either will give free entry to all the sites they manage. Memberships are not interchangeable - National Trust Membership only gets you into National Trust places, English Heritage only into English Heritage places. You can pay to visit individual sites if you prefer, if this looks a cheaper option.

Vouchers to collect/look out for: English Heritage membership(£69 for joint adult membership which includes unlimited child family members’ entry) can be paid for with Tesco Clubcard Deal Vouchers or leisure vouchers in the first instance, although not for renewals. The National Trust have various offers for new membership (the current one is 12 months for the price of 9 when paying by direct debit), but also do not seem to have any offers on renewals.

Cornish Mines and Engines (NT)

Lizard Point (NT)

Pendennis Castle (EH)

St Michael’s Mount(NT)

Trengwainton (NT)