Top 10 family outdoor activities in Cornwall


Child in a coat and hat standing in daffodils.

To celebrate spring, we’ve put together a list of some of our favourite outdoor activities in Cornwall for families. As the days get longer and warmer, it’s time to get outside and make the most of nature’s playground. And the best thing is that most of these activities are either free or cost next to nothing.

Ready or not, here we come!

Top 10 family outdoor activities in Cornwall

1. Play hide and seek in one of Cornwall’s wonderful gardens. With plenty of space for the kids to run around, they’re perfect for family games.

2. Head to the beach for a sandcastle building contest. Pentewan is our nearest sandy beach and is just 10 minutes’ drive from Bosinver.

3. Go for a woodland walk and see how many different signs of spring you can spot. Cardinham Woods and Trelissick are both within easy reach of Bosinver and are definitely worth a visit. While you’re out, you could also collect a few things to make your own nature-based works of art (see number 7 below) or have a go at building a den.

4. Go for a picnic. Why is it that sandwiches always taste better outdoors?

picnic

5. Get adventurous and try kayaking, canoeing, archery or horse riding – or whatever else takes your fancy! Active-8 can arrange pretty much any activity you can think of, and they also offer multi-activity days for families (which have been highly recommended by many of our previous guests).

6. Try some traditional outdoor activities like stone skimming, pooh sticks or kite flying.

7. Make some nature art – you can find some fantastic suggestions on the Imagination Tree website.

8. Go on a spring scavenger hunt. There are lots of great ideas oBosinver_kite_flying-300x157n the One Perfect Day blog and a free printable scavenger hunt sheet you can download. Alternatively, you could make up your own. For more ideas for nature-based outdoor fun, download the excellent spring play booklet from the Woodland Trust’s Nature Detectives website.

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9. For a modern twist on a treasure hunt, why not give geocaching a go? Great for families with older children, the aim is to find hidden containers, called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices (including smart phones), and then share your experiences online.

You can even make your own geocache and leave it behind for other people to find – as some of our guests have already done.

10. Go cycling. The Bissoe Trail and the Camel Trail are ideal for families as they’re off-road, mostly flat and well-surfaced. The Pentewan Valley Trail is literally just down the road from Bosinver. It’s a lovely route which takes you through King’s Wood along the river, following the path of the old narrow gauge railway which was used to transport china clay from St Austell to the ships at Pentewan harbour.

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What are your favourite outdoor activities as a family? Have you got any family traditions, crafts or games you’d like to share? Leave a comment below, tweet @bosinver or post on our Facebook page.

Editor’s note: this blog was originally posted in March 2014 and has been updated and revised.

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Action Nan and the rest of the team are always busy writing posts that we think you’ll like – from top tips on where to take the kids, to what’s likely to be going on in the local area when you stay – we’ve got it all in our blog!