Waking up to freshly cooked eggs, an ocean view and someone you love is a pretty dreamy scenario, right? Add in a vintage (1973 to be exact) VW camper van, Cornwall and four days to explore the coast on an epic Cornwall road trip and it’s a bucket list adventure worthy of a pretty high placement. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that Cornwall is one of the best places to visit in the UK. Check out the best things to do in Cornwall here.

Well last week I did exactly the above, and it did not disappoint one bit.

Sure, driving a 43 year old VW camper isn’t always smooth sailing, but it is SO much fun and it adds SO much character (and so many memories) to the adventure. I’ve done road trips all over the world (they are my absolute favourite) and honestly, this one in Cornwall was up there with the best.

The UK has the most stunning rugged coastlines, so combine that with Cornwall’s incredible seafood, walks, pubs and activities and we already had a recipe for success. Check out the best beaches in Cornwall here.

However, in case any of you guys aren’t aware about the English weather situation… it can never be predicted or relied upon. We can, quite often, have 4 seasons in a day and summer can means weeks of endless rain (we just had this in June).

This factor alone can make planning holidays in the UK rather annoying. However, saying that, Cornwall is one of the only places in the world that I love even when it’s raining, cold and grey. The cozy English pubs, glasses of cool Cornish cider, cream piled hot chocolates and wrapped up walks on the beach all hold some of my favourite memories. Check out the cutest villages in Cornwall here.

Conclusion?

There is no perfect time to plan a road trip to Cornwall. I would honestly go whenever.

My mum and I embarked on our Cornwall road trip last week (mid July) and amazingly timed it with a heatwave here in the UK, so the scenes I managed to capture were beyond epic.

Wondering how to plan your very own Cornwall road trip?

The beauty of road trips really is in the spontaneity. The concept of pulling up somewhere, wandering around and discovering random places is what it’s all about. Wonderfully, this means you don’t need to do too much planning before hand. Well I don’t like to anyway.

Just grab yourself a vehicle, a rough idea of a route, an open mind and you’re all set!

Before you go:

– Book your Campervan

We hired ours through The Cornwall Camper Company and had amazing service. Ben, one of the two owners was on 24 hour help and assistance and made sure we had absolutely everything we needed.

– Plan your mode of transport to pick up the Campervan

Top tip: The train down to St. Austell (a 5 minute walk to pick up our VW) from Reading is absolutely gorgeous. I SO much prefer hopping on the train as opposed to driving the 4-5 hours from where I live. Book your train tickets here!

Top tip: Insure everyone that is going on the road trip, or at least 2 of you. It can be demanding driving the vintage vehicles (no power steering etc) and will mean you can swap over.

– Plan a rough route

Like I said, leave some room on your road trip for spontaneity. Have an idea of where you’d like to see but don’t create a full blown, hour-by-hour itinerary, trust me.

Grab a pen and paper and take some notes from our itinerary. Not going to lie it was pretty epic…

Here’s my 4-day itinerary for your Cornwall road trip in a camper…

DAY 1

We picked up Lilly the gorgeous VW campervan in St.Austell, equipped with everything we needed (minus towels and clothes) for our adventure. Ben and Jess (TCCC owners) showed us around Lilly and we headed for a test drive before she was left in our capable hands.

Wonderfully, we were only 15 minutes from The Eden Project – one of Cornwall’s most popular attractions and home to the biggest indoor rainforest in the WORLD. So we went!

What I was actually more excited about though (being the adrenaline junkie that I am) was the zipline we were booked on to do over the Eden Project. Yes, you heard! You can watch the footage in my vlog!

Basically we got a bird’s eye view of the lot. If that wasn’t enough, I opted for the ‘big swing’ ride straight after for an increased dose of tummy dropping adrenaline. I had no idea these activites were even at Eden Project – how cool is that! I would definitely recommend leaving at least half a day for the Eden Project during your Cornwall road trip as there is SO much to see in the different biomes and we hardly got to scratch the surface.

There is also a pretty epic live venue at The Eden Project and they hold ‘Summer Sessions’ every summer with a cracking line up of artists so should it fall on your visit – I believe you will not be disappointed. Check the line ups and dates here.

By evening we headed down to Carlyon Bay, 2km from the centre of St. Austell where I was transported to a scene that felt nothing short of a tropical summer holiday. It’s crazy how much of a difference the sun can make. But with the green tones of the countryside and the dark blue altlantic backdropping the bay, you couldn’t mistake it for anywhere but England and I saw my home country in a very beautiful light.

As the sun begun dropping all shades of golden and we tucked into some seriously perfect oysters and crab from Ostraca, washed down with some sparkling wine. Ranger, the guy who catches the produce here and serves it up, sources the seafood in the local waters so dining here really is a testament to Cornwall.

DAY 2

We had arrived in the dark to Mother Iveys Bay Holiday Park and so waking up to the view over the ocean and to the sound of the waves crashing on the private beach was a lovely start to the day.

I haven’t stayed in many campsites in my ‘older years’ to compare this to, but the whole thing seems pretty legit. Just a 2 minute walk from it’s private bay, views of the ocean from the pitch, a pleasant toilet and shower block, a shop with essentials in, the peace and quiet of no nightlife bars or discos on site and very pleasant staff. We only really rested our heads here but we did so with ease and with no disturbance. It’s a site I am already looking forward to returning to.

Day 2 had us drive an hour up to Tintagel where we bought a ticket to explore the Castle ruins and enjoyed a stunning coastal walk. The heritage site is right beside a gorgeous village – filled with shops, pubs and places to grab lunch or a pasty! There are enough walks to occupy you for days (see here).

For lunch we drove Lilly onwards into Padstow where we dined in one of the four Rick Stein restaurants that sit in the Cornish fishing village. We chose the Seafood Bar which is a casual, come as you like, dining experience perfect for a snack or a full blown feed as we did. The crevettes, lobster and beetroot cured salmon were my favourite dishes here. If you’re a massive seafood lover consider booking onto one of Rick Stein’s cooking classes here.

After, we browsed the art shops and walked harbour in Padstow, before grabbing a Salted Caramel Roskillys Icecream and heading to Watergate Bay to watch the sun go down.

Check out my complete guide to Padstow here.

Top tip: The Beach Hut served a rather good mojito and plate of nachos with ALL the toppings.

DAY 3

After cooking up a breakfast of eggs and mushrooms with fresh fruit in Lilly, we strolled down to the private bay on the Campsite for the first time and were totally taken aback by the view… The ultimate spot for a moment of reflection or to enjoy your morning cup of coffee.

Day 3 was to set for us to navigate Lilly to Lands End – the most western point of England {right down at the very tip of the UK} and we were to do this via the coastal route I had heard so many wonderful things about (B3306).

As chief navigator I decided it would be totally rude to not stop off at my all time favourite beach cafe in Cornwall located on Porthmeor beach on the way. If you’re facing the horizon in the busy, but beautiful harbour of St. Ives, Porthmeor is just a few minutes walk to the left on the adjacent cove. The cafe is just as stunning in winter as it is in the summer, boasting views over the turquoise waters and serving up, arguably, some of the best cafe dishes I’ve ever set eyes on, including milkshakes and hot chocolates {with the works} but with extensive healthy options too.

Joining the B3306 at St. Ives, we continued all the day down to the tip, with ice cream and snap happy picture stops at Cape Cornwall and Sennon before arriving at the magic that is – Lands End.

After a brief stroll through the tourist driven arcade of shops, we had a coffee in the Land’s End hotel before walking beside the Atlantic to get some long sought after shots on the most western tip of the Country.

We had provisionally noted stops off at Marazion and Penzance as we made our way back to Hayle {our camping location for the evening} but by this point we were tired and in need of a cool shower after sweating it out on the hottest day of the year so far – 34 degrees!

And so we did. We pitched up at Gwithian Farm Campsite, prepared Lilly for our last overnight sleepover and freshened up in the onsite showers.

Ever curious, we wandered over the dunes that sit directly behind the small campsite to find Godrevy Beach and the sun setting over her. Staying true to our adopted Cornish influence, we tucked into some fresh fish and chips and some luxury hot chocolates from The Rockpool – a beach side seafood restaurant about 25 minute beach walk from the campsite.

The restaurant had super cute quotes all over the walls and so it was a winner before I even indulged in the menu.

DAY 4

We had only the morning to enjoy on Day 4 but it was a beautiful one. We had endless cups of coffee in the sunshine and cooked up another camper-style brekkie on Lilly’s stoves.

Should we have had more time to explore before we took Lilly back home, I would have loved to revisit the beach around the corner on which I filmed my debut music video – Hayle Beach.

In fact, should we have had more time, there are SO many places I would still love to uncover in Cornwall. I will just have to save those spots for next time.

Watch my adventure come to life in my videos…

Have you been to Cornwall?

What were your favourite places? I’d love to know!

Love as always + happy adventuring,

Mollie.