A long weekend in west Cornwall: Penzance travel guide
A couple of weekends ago, Oliver and I took a long weekend off to explore Penzance, on the west coast of Cornwall. Cornwall is, in my opinion, one of the most interesting counties in the UK: it sits right on the westernmost tip of England, surrounded on all sides by the coast, and is the champion of cream teas, Cornish pasties, and fish ‘n’ chips. During the summer, Cornwall swarms with happy holidayers seeking the promise of sun, sand, and surf. Autumn and winter on the other hand, are a quieter affair here; but whilst the sun may go down at 3:30pm, there’s no reason why you should write Cornwall off at this time of year. If anything, take the opportunity to escape from the crowds, and enjoy a leisurely weekend on the west coast.
It might take you a good 5 hours to get to Penzance if you’re travelling from London, but luckily the train line runs directly from Paddington to Penzance town centre, so find yourself a good book and bring some snacks, and you’ll be set for the journey. Read on for my recommendations for the best places to stay, eat, and visit if you’re thinking of visiting this sleepy seaside town…
To stay:
Our first two nights in Penzance were spent at the wonderfully quaint Chapel House. This boutique bed and breakfast sits in an elegant town house on Chapel Street, and each room features sea views, flat screen TVs, and handmade oak beds. Whilst some of the rooms feature interesting pops of colour, we were in room number 2 , which I liked the most thanks to its muted and minimal colour scheme and impressive freestanding bathtub. The drawing rooms on the ground floor are similarly whitewashed and filled with natural light, housing eclectic artwork and tasteful furnishings.
Breakfast every day is in the open-plan kitchen downstairs, where you can help yourself to croissants, cereals, fresh fruit and homemade jams. Choose from a home cooked menu too: scrambled eggs, full English, avocado toast…you can pretty much have everything you like, and it’ll all be delicious.
For our third and final night, we stayed at the Artist Residence, which is just a few doors down from Chapel House. I’ve previously written about how we’re fans of the Artist Residence brand, as we’ve stayed at their branches in Oxfordshire and Brighton before (we loved the Oxfordshire branch so much that we chose to spend our wedding night there!).
Much like their other outposts, the Penzance branch is cosy and eclectic all at once: featuring rustic, up-cycled interiors and individual artwork, each bedroom is uniquely designed. Go for one of their larger rooms to ensure a deep freestanding bathtub; you’ll also find generous mini-bars (stocked with all sorts of artisan treats, including Cornish fudge and popcorn) and flat-screen TVs in each bedroom. Cosy up by the wood-burning stove in the bar/lounge area, and gather for meals at the in-house restaurant, The Cornish Barn, at mealtimes.
Both of these stays were gifted, but all opinions are my own. I do not accept and write about gifted stays unless I truly enjoy them.
To eat:
The Cornish Barn is the Artist Residence’s in-house restaurant, offering all-day brunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and hearty roasts on Sundays. You’ll find the same interiors here found throughout the rest of the property: rustic wooden features, quirky interior details, and interesting artwork. You can also opt to eat your meals in the bar/lounge area, if you prefer to relax on the sofa next to the fire.
You’ll find classic breakfast items on the brunch menu here, including a delicious eggs Royale, and hearty vegetarian full English. For dinner, expect a range of seafood-based dishes and crowd-pleasers such as beer chicken with sweet potato fries. Everything we ate here was flavourful, and generous in size.
We didn’t expect this small, independent pizzeria located in the heart of Penzance to serve up some of the best pizza Oliver and I have ever eaten, but Totti far surpassed our expectations. Here you’ll find 10-inch Neapolitan pizzas with fluffy crusts and interesting toppings, available for takeaway, or to eat perched on one of the few bar stools - you’ll be sure to leave satisfied and impressed.
It’s not a visit to Cornwall without some classic fish ‘n’ chips is it? Fraser’s offers takeaway fish and chips, and a comfortable dining area too. You’ll find mammoth portions and super friendly staff here; leave some room for dessert so as not to miss the delicious Cornish ice cream they have on offer.
The Jubilee Pool is Penzance’s resident lido, which is an impressive art deco masterpiece in itself; by the side of the pool, you’ll find the its resident cafe: a modern space serving a simple menu of flatbreads, salads, sandwiches, and homemade cakes. This is a welcoming space to park yourself for a leisurely lunch or coffee break, and the food here is very tasty indeed.
To visit:
Mousehole
Mousehole is a tiny fishing village just a 5-10 minute drive from Penzance, and famous for its fishing port. As the base for a lot of holiday homes, it’s usually swarming in summer, but makes an idyllic coastal escape to wander around in the quieter months.
Take a day trip
If you’re staying in Penzance for more than a couple of nights and fancy yourself a bit of an explorer rather than a stay-in-bed-all-day person, I’d definitely recommend driving down to Cornwall or hiring a car whilst you’re there, so you can explore the surrounding coast easily. Nearby St Ives (25 minutes by car) or Falmouth (45 minutes by car) are both larger towns than Penzance, and make for a great day trip.
St Ives is home to a Tate gallery and The Barbara Hepworth museum, as well as multiple seafood restaurants (try Portminster Kitchen). Meanwhile, Falmouth has a number of independent coffee shops and creative boutiques to browse - unfortunately a lot of these were closed on the Sunday when we visited, but we had managed to fit in coffee and cake at Espressini (which also serves a delicious-looking brunch menu) whilst Beacon Coffee and Stones Bakery looked like tasty establishments too.
No. 56 Penzance
If you’re staying in Penzance, it’s mandatory to take a stroll along Chapel Street, which is home to a number of boutique shops, including No. 56. Selling a wide and wonderful range of homewares, clothing, and all manner of elegant, tasteful objects, it’s certainly somewhere you can spend a good hour or so browsing and finding lots of things you didn’t realise you needed.
