Cornwall

It&#8217;s National Picnic Week! But where are we heading &#8211; to one of our favourites spots of course. A beautiful wicker basket packed with fizz and crustless sandwiches or a glorified packed lunch with mountains of Tupperware and sausage rolls (guilty!). Fear not, our Muddy guide to lovely picnic spots will at least ensure the location is perfect and so is the food with <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/reader-treats/win-ocado-vouchers/" target="_blank">£500 of free Ocado deliveries</a> (well hello M&amp;S Deli range).



Anywhere you think we should have included? Let us know in the comments. 



Best for dunes: ROCK



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The picnic spot: Plenty of spots to choose from in the dunes alongside the beach where you&#8217;ll get the best views across the Camel Estuary (above) but those in the know head for Porthilly beach as it is a little quieter. Once full up with <a href="https://www.ocado.com/products/m-s-hand-rolled-spinach-feta-filo-borek-581201011">handrolled spinach and feta filo borek</a>, head to The Mariner&#8217;s for a refreshing pint, or, work off lunch with a swim, sail, or even water skiing session.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Best for a teeny orchard: ZENNOR</h2>



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The picnic spot: So many good places &#8211; the coast path either way has some of the most gorgeous views, but then so does the moorland inland. Away from the stunning views, in the village itself there is a teeny orchard to the side of the carpark which is a nice sheltered and shady spot to grab a bite out of the wind as you re-fuel before taking on the return <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="walk that we recommend here (opens in a new tab)" href="https://cornwall.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/walks-near-me/10-coastal-walks-to-blow-away-the-cobwebs/" target="_blank">walk that we recommend here</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Best for easy white sands: TOWAN BEACH, ROSELAND</h2>



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The picnic spot: This white sanded beach tucked away on the Roseland is a world away from its Newquay sister of the same name. Pack your picnic in a rucksack as its a bit of a walk from the National Trust carpark, down a beautiful path full of wild flowers, but worth the trek when you open out to warm sand and clear waters, and best of all, not too many fellow picnickers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Best for a swim: PORT GAVERNE, Nr Port Isaac</h2>



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The picnic spot: Port Gaverne (above) is a short walk down from the top of Port Isaac village &#8211; it&#8217;s a lot quieter and perfect for a pre-picnic dip. Either sit on the beach, or you&#8217;ll find benches in handy spots on both the walk down from Port Isaac, or, out onto the headland the other side. Fancy a longer walk before you eat (<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.ocado.com/products/m-s-4-pesto-halloumi-kebabs-552823011" target="_blank">pesto halloumi kebabs</a>)? Take the coast path out of Port Isaac in the other direction and head for the deserted village of Port Quinn (not for those who can&#8217;t do steps, there are, and I barely exaggerate, about 1000 on this part of the coast path).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Best for a headland walk: PADSTOW</h2>



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The picnic spot: Want wild and remote? Head beyond Padstow to Hawker&#8217;s Cove, then continue along the coast-path out to the headland at Stepper&#8217;s Point (just watch out for the sinkholes) and find a suitable place to sit and eat watching the Camel Estuary. Want a shorter walk? Stop on the coastpath when you get to Hawker&#8217;s Point and head to the sand if the tide is out.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Best for an easy walk from town: FOWEY</h2>



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The picnic spot: So close to the town you&#8217;re practically in it, yet not super busy either. Take the road out of Fowey towards St Catherine&#8217;s Castle and as it drops down again you&#8217;ll find Readymoney Cove. Perfect spot for a picnic and a dip &#8211; if you feel energetic you can do the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="loop round to Polridmouth Cove (opens in a new tab)" href="https://cornwall.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/readmoney-cove-polridmouth-cove-fowey/" target="_blank">loop round to Polridmouth Cove</a> and back.



Best for flowers: WEST PENTIRE HEADLAND, Nr NEWQUAY



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The picnic spot: Pack up your picnic and head across beside the wild poppy fields to the headland where you&#8217;ll find benches (or sit on the grass) to enjoy the views across the flowers to Polly Joke beach towards Holywell. Prefer to eat on the sand? Take the left hand path and head straight down.



Best for ancient woodland: LANHYDROCK, Nr Bodmin



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The picnic spot: Spoilt for choice at The National Trust gardens at Lanhydrock. There&#8217;s ancient woodland everywhere on the Lanhydrock Estate, or you can follow the river to Respryn Bridge. Want a (slightly more) manicured formal gardens? That&#8217;s possible too.



Best for the views: ROUGHTOR, Bodmin Moor



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The picnic spot: Even just a few hundred metres out of the Roughtor car park will find you a nice moorland spot (pick a day when the wind isn&#8217;t howling) but for the very best view, head to the top! Panoramic views across to both coasts, just watch out for ponies who might try and steal your picnic.



Best for the river: HELFORD PASSAGE, River Helford



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The picnic spot: Plenty of picnic spots along the edge of the beautiful Helford, we like the bit between Helford Passage and Durgan where you can find all sorts of places from pebbles to grass upon which to park your picnic. Want to book ahead? Try the gardens at Glendurgan or Trebah where you can choose from the beautiful gardens or the private beach at the bottom.

10 picnic spots in Cornwall

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