Worth getting out of bed for...

Viewpoint

Watch the sun set beyond Longships Lighthouse at Land’s End. At the other end of the county, Kit Hill, between Tavistock and Liskeard, gives views all the way to both the north and south coasts.

Arts and culture

In summer, the open-air Minack Theatre, high on the cliffs near Porthcurno, makes the most of its wild-seas backdrop (www.minack.com). Near St Austell, the Eden Project (www.edenproject.com) makes you feel like an excited kid again – even on a rainy day, inside the conservatory biomes it’s totally tropical. Tate St Ives by Porthmeor beach has a collection of work by contemporary British artists (www.tate.org.uk/stives), but don’t miss its sister museum on Barnoon Hill, dedicated to Barbara Hepworth (+44 (0)1736 796226). The magnificent sculpture garden is laid out according to her original plans.

Something for nothing

The evocative ruined castle overlooking the sea in Tintagel is said to be where King Arthur held court with the Knights of the Round Table; it’s certainly a dramatic spot. If you’re brave, you can clamber down from the ruins to the beach and explore Merlin’s Cave – it’s only accessible at low tide.

Shopping

There are several farmers’ markets in the region; have a wander at the Truro market at Lemon Quay on Wednesdays and Saturdays, or the Tuesday morning market in central Falmouth. The New Gallery in Portscatho (+44 (0)1872 580445) and Padstow Gallery (+44 (0)1841 532242) are excellent art-hunting grounds, as are the smaller dealerships in Veryan, Tregony and St Just in Roseland. Mrs Smiths will love Onda, the sleek boutique at St Mawes’ Hotel Tresanton (+44 (0)1326 270456).

Daytripper

Hop over to the Isles of Scilly, an archipelago of 140 tiny, rocky islands – only five inhabited – some 28 miles off Cornwall’s tip. Once there, take boat trips, snorkel with seals (www.scillydiving.com), laze on the beach or eat your way around the seafood cafés of St Mary’s. Get there by plane from Newquay or Land’s End with Skybus (www.skybus.co.uk), or by helicopter from Penzance (www.islesofscillyhelicopter.com).

Perfect picnic

The headlands overlooking Lantic Bay east of the Fowey (pronounced ‘Foy’) estuary are ideal on a warm day; with freshly baked bread and West Country delicacies, Tiffins Delicatessen on Fowey’s Fore Street (+44 (0)1726 832322) can’t be beaten for picnic fixings. On the north coast, head for the clifftop on the Rumps walk near Polzeath, stopping for supplies at Di’s Dairy and Pantry in Rock on the way (+44 (0)1208 863531).

Walks

One of the prettiest options is the Hall Walk, a looping two-mile trail around the Fowey estuary that requires a couple of ferry hops to complete. The clifftops south of Bude, with their spectacular rock formations, make for a dramatic trek. The Lost Gardens of Heligan in St Austell (www.heligan.com), a Victorian estate with pools, grottos and vegetable gardens, provides a gentler stroll.

Children

Take tweenagers boarding at the Fistral Beach Surf School in Newquay (www.fistralbeachsurfschool.co. uk), and younger children to the Crealy Adventure Park near Wadebridge, which has fairground rides and a petting zoo (www.crealy.co.uk). Best known for its colourful parrots, Paradise Park near St Ives also has otters and shrieking barn owls (www.paradisepark.org.uk).

Activities

North Cornwall has excellent surf beaches; Newquay’s Extreme Academy will get you surfing as well as dirt-boarding and kite buggying (+44 (0)1637 860840). There’s water-skiing on the estuary with the Camel Ski School in Rock (+44 (0)1208 862727); and Adventure Cornwall offers coastal kayaking as well as climbing on Bodmin Moor (+44 (0)1726 870844). With Fowey River Sailing, you can take to the water in a traditional wooden dinghy (+44 (0)1208 873721).

And

The rabble-rousing chant ‘Oggy, Oggy, Oggy!’ – often heard at rugby matches, Scout meetings, and even once at the Oscars when Catherine Zeta-Jones collected hers – comes from a Cornish folk song; oggy is a slang term for a pasty.