Cornwall

Built inside an old china clay pit near St Austell, the Eden Project has transformed an industrial wasteland into one of the UK's most incredible gardens. Massive honeycomb domes pop up from the Cornish countryside, looking almost alien. Inside the Rainforest Biome, the air instantly shifts—becoming warm and humid, filled with the roar of waterfalls and canopy walks winding through banana palms. Right next door, the Mediterranean Biome replaces the steam with the smell of olive trees and lavender. Outside, the gardens spill down the hillside, featuring everything from local wildflowers to tea and hemp. It's a fantastic day out for families, plant enthusiasts, or anyone who loves a story about giving a place a second chance.

Located near Truro at Penhallow, Healeys Cornish Cyder Farm is a favorite family spot and one of the UK's biggest cider producers. For over 25 years, this working farm has been crafting award-winning ciders, fruit juices, and country wines, while also hosting what is said to be Cornwall's only distillery of its kind, bringing back a tradition lost to the county for centuries.

You can hop on a tractor-and-trailer tour to see the orchards and production process firsthand, or simply wander through the museum, cellars, and distillery at your own speed. With cider tastings, friendly farm animals, a kids' play area, and a restaurant featuring local produce, there's plenty to do. Since tickets usually offer unlimited entry for a year, it's a great value choice for a relaxed day out.

Jamaica Inn is a historic coaching inn perched in isolation high on the windswept Bodmin Moor, located at Bolventor along the A30 between Bodmin and Launceston. Built around 1750 as a resting stop for travelers crossing the desolate moor, its remote location made it a perfect hideout for smugglers moving contraband from the coast. The inn gained worldwide fame through Daphne du Maurier’s 1936 gothic novel and a subsequent Alfred Hitchcock film, cementing its status as a literary landmark.

Nowadays, the inn operates as a hotel, restaurant, and bar, though most day visitors come for the museums. The Smugglers' Museum brings Cornwall's illicit history to life with atmospheric exhibits, while the Daphne du Maurier Museum honors the author with personal memorabilia. Between its moody moorland setting, ghost stories, and the onsite farm and gift shops, Jamaica Inn is a truly evocative place to visit.

Land's End is the westernmost point of mainland England, where the granite cliffs of Cornwall's Penwith peninsula dive into the Atlantic. For ages, this striking headland has been seen as the true edge of the country, serving as the far-off counterpart to John o' Groats nearly 900 miles away. The wild coastline, beaten by waves and salty winds, has always been a guide for sailors, with the Longships Lighthouse perched on a rocky reef offshore.

Now, a visitor center sits just behind the cliffs, filled with shops, cafes, and attractions, though the real magic is found outdoors. People usually gather at the iconic signpost to snap photos of the distances to their hometowns before wandering the coastal paths for views of the crashing sea. On a clear day, you can spot the Isles of Scilly on the horizon, while the nearby cliffs and heathland are alive with wildflowers and seabirds.

Nestled in the Cornish countryside near Mevagissey, the Lost Gardens of Heligan are some of the most romantic garden restorations in Britain. Originally the home of the Tremayne family, the grounds were left to decay for decades after the First World War, as many of the gardeners who worked there never came back. In the early 90s, John Willis and Tim Smit (who later helped start the Eden Project) stumbled upon the overgrown estate and began an ambitious effort to revive its historic beauty.

Now, visitors can explore over a thousand acres of pleasure grounds, working gardens, and wilderness. The walled Productive Gardens use traditional methods to grow a vast array of herbs, fruit, and vegetables, while a boardwalk leads down into the Jungle—a humid subtropical ravine filled with bananas, tree ferns, and giant gunnera, complete with a high rope bridge. Huge living sculptures, like the sleeping Mud Maid and the Giant's Head, covered in greenery, continue to charm guests of all ages.

Paradise Park is a family-run wildlife sanctuary located in Hayle on Cornwall's north coast. Since opening in 1973 as a small tropical bird garden with a few owls, eagles, cranes, and parrots, it has evolved into a major hub for bird conservation. The park hosts the World Parrot Trust, which focuses on protecting endangered parrots, and has been instrumental in bringing the red-billed chough—Cornwall's iconic cliff-dwelling crow—back to the region.

Nowadays, the sanctuary looks after over a thousand birds across 130 species, ranging from bright macaws and parrots to penguins, flamingos, and kookaburras, as well as mammals like red pandas, otters, and red squirrels. Visitors can enjoy daily flying displays and feeding sessions with the lorikeets, penguins, and otters. With its beautiful gardens, ponds, and aviaries, the park is a lovely place to visit, and there's an indoor play area to keep the kids happy regardless of the weather.