As the days grow longer and the chilly winter air drifts away, Cornwall blooms with colour and warmth, spring has arrived! With peaceful beaches and nature awakening, spring is the ideal time to explore Cornwall, we have compiled a handy list of beautiful spots to visit this spring to add to your bucket list.
See the magnolias at Caerhays Estate
There is nothing better than seeing the spring blooms out again in some of Cornwall’s beautiful gardens. Caerhays Estate, which is located on the coast near Mevagissey, has a National Collection of Magnolias, there are just over 40 species of magnolia at Caerhays. When the first magnolia blooms, this signifies the arrival of spring, which is normally earlier in Cornwall than most of the UK. March onwards is the best time to visit, where you can see the 100-year-old magnolia stand tall in full bloom.
Admire the poppies at Polly Joke
In late spring, Polly Joke turns into a carpet of bright red as the poppies flourish above the sea. The area near Crantock plays host to the blanket of poppies on the South West Coast Path around the end of May every year. Why not stop off for a drink at Bowgie Inn afterwards? The pub is just behind the poppy fields and has unbeatable sea views in its beer garden!
Say hi to the four-legged friends at The Lost Gardens of Heligan
As a Rare Breed Farm Park, Heligan Gardens has an array of farm animals to meet and greet, including Tamworth pigs, Devon and Cornwall Longwool sheep, a Shire Horse and Golden Guernsey Goats! Spring is the best time to see the gardens in all its lush greenery, stop in Heligan Kitchen for a Sunday Roast, which features its home-reared meat and fresh produce from their kitchen garden.
Savour coastal flavours at Porthleven Food Festival
Taking place 2nd – 4th May 2025, Porthleven Food Festival brings some of the best local chefs and food stalls together for a weekend of food and music. The three-day event in the harbour town offers the perfect day out for foodies, with all the tasters of cheese, wine and gin you can handle, plus chef demos and live music.
Set sail for a wildlife-spotting adventure
Cornwall’s marine wildlife spans from seals, dolphins, puffins, and even humpback whales! Padstow Sea Life Safaris offers trips to see all of the above on their RIB boats. Choose from 1- 3 hour trips, spring is the ideal time to wildlife spot as the waters start to warm up.
Explore the National Trust Easter Trails
The National Trust has an array of Easter events on offer for the whole family, including egg hunts, crafts, and woodland trails, all bursting with colour as spring arrives! Head to Godolphin for an eggciting Easter egg hunt, or bring the whole family on a world of adventures at Tregwainton, where you will find 10 nature-inspired activities including seed planting and egg and spoon races.
Discover the majestic St Michael’s Mount
After being closed for the winter period, the castle and gardens of St Michael’s Mount reopen for the spring/summer season. The tidal island offers a majestic, cobbled causeway walk at low tide or a boat ride at high tide. Once on the island, there is a café, shops, art gallery and the castle and gardens to explore, where you will find exotic succulents and all manner of unlikely plants which thrive in this microclimate.
Meet the seal pups at The Seal Sanctuary
The Seal Sanctuary at Gweek is a charity that rescues and rehabilitates grey seal pups around the Cornish coastline. The sanctuary rehabilitates over 70 seal pups each season (which runs from September to March) so you can catch the seal pups in the hospital and nursery pools at the Sanctuary before they get released back to the sea. You can also visit Puffin Island, home to ten rescue Puffins from Iceland! Read more about our continued support with the Sanctuary.
Walk through the bluebells in Tehidy Woods
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Underneath the canopy of leafy trees sits the magical carpets of bluebells that bloom in mid-April each year. Tehidy is one of the best spots to see them, with 9 miles of trails so grab your furry friend and head for a walk in the woods. Tehidy Woods Café is the perfect spot for coffee and donuts at the South Drive entrance of the woods.
Set free baby lobsters on an ocean adventure
The National Lobster Hatchery is a marine conservation, research and education charity based in Padstow. Every year, normally starting when the weather starts to pick up in Spring, hundreds of baby lobsters are released back into the ocean as part of their conservation work. Look out on their Facebook page for releases, which are normally at a local beach at low tide in the rockpools and all members of the public can join in. Find out about when we went along last year!
Looking for your next Spring adventure? Browse our cottages in Cornwall here!