Trewena

Planning a Cornwall trip

The best base to explore Cornwall

Cornwall is bigger than it looks on the map. Where you base yourself decides whether you spend your holiday seeing it, or driving across it. Here is the case for a base you can reach the best of Cornwall from, and how we help you make the most of it.

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St Michael's Mount rising from the sea off the south Cornwall coast, the tidal island castle and causeway that is one of the county's most iconic sights, and one of many within a day trip of a Trewena base.

Two ways to visit Cornwall

First, what kind of trip is this?

There are really two ways to holiday in Cornwall, and they call for different kinds of base.

The first is to stay put in one place. Maybe you want a beach holiday, on the sand every day, in which case somewhere like Polzeath or Newquay makes good sense; or there is one town close to your heart, perhaps St Ives or Penzance, that you simply want to settle into. If that is your trip, base yourself right there.

The second is to want the whole of Cornwall. To watch the sun set over Land's End one evening, wander the biomes at the Eden Project the next day, stand on the cliffs of Tintagel Castle, spend a day out on the wild Lizard, mooch through the galleries of St Ives, and catch the grey seals at Mutton Cove. If that is the trip you are dreaming of, basing yourself in one far corner means a great deal of driving there and back, because Cornwall is longer and slower to cross than the map suggests.

For a trip like that, you want a base you can reach the best of Cornwall from: well placed for the big hitters spread right across the county, so that wherever takes your fancy tomorrow, you can be there, enjoy it, and still be home for dinner.

Where we are

A base for the best of Cornwall

Trewena sits on the rural edge of Falmouth, between the town and Penryn, on Cornwall's south coast. It is inland enough to be quiet and coastal enough to matter: the harbour and beaches are ten minutes away, and the A39 and A394 are a couple of minutes from the door, so day trips in any direction are genuinely day trips.

You are also right beside two of Cornwall's most important towns: Falmouth, the south coast's cultural capital, with its harbour, galleries and festivals, and Truro, the county's actual capital and only cathedral city, just fifteen minutes up the road.

From here, most of west and mid Cornwall is within an hour, and the big sights are within thirty minutes. You get the gentle south coast on your doorstep and the wild north coast within a day, which means you can choose your coast by the weather rather than by how far you are willing to drive. For the full travel detail and a map, see where Trewena sits in Cornwall.

Within reach

What you can get to, and how far

A rough guide by drive time. For what to actually do when you get there, our guide to Cornwall is full of days out, walks and beaches.

Where Trewena sits in Cornwall

St Ives, 45 min from Trewena

St Ives45 min

 Tintagel, 1 hr 15 min from Trewena

Tintagel1 hr 15 min

 Eden Project, 1 hr from Trewena

Eden Project1 hr

 Lost Gardens of Heligan, 45 min from Trewena

Lost Gardens of Heligan45 min

 Minack Theatre, 1 hr from Trewena

Minack Theatre1 hr

 St Michael’s Mount, 40 min from Trewena

St Michael’s Mount40 min
Hand-drawn pen-and-ink map of Cornwall with a compass rose, inland topography sketched in, and Trewena marked centrally. Twelve labelled destinations within an hour or so: Tintagel, Eden Project, Lost Gardens of Heligan, Truro, Falmouth, Glendurgan, St Ives, St Michael's Mount, Minack Theatre, Porthleven, Cadgwith and Lizard Point.
Truro, 20 min from Trewena

Truro20 min

 Falmouth, 5 min from Trewena

Falmouth5 min

 Porthleven, 30 min from Trewena

Porthleven30 min

 Lizard Point, 30 min from Trewena

Lizard Point30 min

 Cadgwith, 35 min from Trewena

Cadgwith35 min

 Glendurgan, 15 min from Trewena

Glendurgan15 min

Within 30 minutes

  • Falmouth harbour and beaches (10 min)
  • Trebah and Glendurgan gardens (15 min)
  • Truro, the county town (20 min)
  • Lizard Point and Kynance (30 to 40 min)

Within an hour

  • St Ives (45 min)
  • Lost Gardens of Heligan (45 min)
  • St Michael's Mount and Penzance (45 min)
  • The Eden Project (1 hr)

A longer day out

  • Minack Theatre (1 hr)
  • Padstow (1 hr)
  • Tintagel and the north coast (1 hr 15)
  • Land's End (1 hr 15)

For the coast on foot, see the best South West Coast Path walks, or make a day of the north coast with the Tintagel to Boscastle walk.

The bit you can't get from a booking site

Hosts in the know

The real advantage of a good base is not just where it is, but who is there. We live on site, and we know this corner of Cornwall properly: which beach is sheltered when the wind swings round, which garden is best in the rain, which lane avoids the worst of the summer traffic, and where to eat that is not just the first place in the guidebook.

So we do not just hand you a welcome folder and disappear. Tell us what you fancy and what the forecast is doing, and we will help you shape the day: the north coast when it is calm and clear, the wooded creeks of the Helford when it is blowing, a garden or a gallery when it is wet. It is the kind of local, up-to-the-minute steer you cannot get from a listing on a booking site, and it is a big part of why guests come back.

Your base

Three cottages, each for two

Pick the one that suits you and settle in. They all share the same handy spot and the same on-site help.

The Tractor Shed exterior. Slate stone wall, dark blue door, white render, garden in the foreground.

The Tractor Shed

Single-floor, indoor-outdoor luxe.

A 2024 barn conversion, single-floor throughout, with French doors onto a private patio.

From £80 / night More →
Little Avalon lounge. Sofa with cushions, wood burner in the original granite fireplace, exposed beams.

Little Avalon

Wood burner, exposed beams, classic Cornish.

An 1850s labourer's cottage with a wood burner, exposed beams, and a private Cornish garden.

From £75 / night More →
The Pigsty exterior. Whitewashed wall, blue door, picnic bench on a flagstone patio.

The Pigsty

Upside-down layout, super-king bed, full of character.

A converted pig house. Bedroom downstairs, living and kitchen upstairs, reading nook over the orchard.

From £75 / night More →

Common questions

Choosing where to stay in Cornwall

Where is the best place to stay in Cornwall to explore the whole county?
A base on the south coast around Falmouth and Truro lets you reach the best of what Cornwall has to offer without long drives. The Lizard, the Roseland, St Ives, Penzance, the Eden Project and even the north coast around Tintagel are all day trips, because you are not setting out from one far corner. Basing yourself in a single honeypot town at the tip of the county means long drives back and forth for everything else.
Is Falmouth a good base for exploring Cornwall?
The Falmouth area is one of the best bases in Cornwall because it is so well connected on the south coast, with good road links in every direction. Staying just outside the town, on the rural edge near Mabe and Penryn, keeps you close to Falmouth's harbour and beaches while putting the A39 and A394 on your doorstep, so day trips in any direction are genuinely day trips rather than half-day expeditions.
Do you need a car to explore Cornwall?
For seeing the wider county, a car makes a real difference, as public transport between the smaller towns and beaches is limited. From a base like this you can reach most of west and mid Cornwall within an hour by car, and the big sights within thirty minutes. Some guests do stay car-free and use taxis and local buses for a slower, closer-to-home trip, but most visitors exploring Cornwall bring or hire a car.
How many days do you need to explore Cornwall?
A long weekend lets you see one coast and a couple of headline sights without rushing. A week is the sweet spot: enough for both coasts, a few gardens, a moor or coast-path walk, and some slow days near your base. From one well-placed base you spend that time seeing places rather than driving between far-apart bases, which is the main advantage of not moving around.
North coast or south coast, which is better for a Cornwall base?
Each coast has its own character: the north is wilder, with big surf beaches and dramatic cliffs, while the south is gentler, with wooded creeks, sheltered coves and calmer water. A south-coast base near Falmouth gives you the softer coast on your doorstep and still reaches the north coast in a day, so you get both. It also means you can pick your coast by the weather, heading to the sheltered side when it is blowing.
What makes a good base for a Cornwall holiday?
Three things: a spot well placed to reach the best of Cornwall without a slog, a quiet setting so you actually rest, and good local knowledge so you spend your days well. Trewena is on the rural edge of Falmouth for the first two, and our on-site hosts cover the third, helping you plan each day around the weather and pointing you at the right beach, walk or garden rather than the obvious tourist stops.

Base yourself well

Make Trewena your Cornwall base

Check dates across all three cottages, or ask us anything about planning your trip before you book.

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