10 things to do in Southeast Cornwall with children

Southeast Cornwall is easy to reach along the A38 and has plenty of activities as well as beautiful sandy beaches. Prepare to meet woolly monkeys, see how pineapples grow, go surfing or ride a donkey in this scenic area.

1: Explore a Rainforest

The Eden Project at Bodelva is very family orientated as well as being eco-friendly, informative and educational. Kids will love to run along the paths in the tropical biome surrounded by huge tropical trees. Look for pineapples, rubber and cacao trees and learn where many of our spices come from.

2: Ride a Donkey

The Tamar Valley Donkey Sanctuary at St Ann's Chapel has working donkeys offering rides. There are plenty of other animals in the petting area and a great play barn for kids while parents take time out in the café and gift shop.

3: Learn to Sail

The Fowey Maritime Centre offers sailing instruction for all ages in the calm waters of the Fowey Estuary.

4: Adopt a Woolly Monkey

The Woolly Monkey Sanctuary is in a stunning location on the clifftop just outside Looe. Spot the monkeys, enjoy the play area and try to keep the children from talking you into adopting a monkey. Note ‐ you don't actually get to take the monkey home with you!

5: Play Pooh Sticks at Lanhydrock

The 900 acres of gardens and woodland make Lanhydrock a great place for energetic kids to play. There's even a special children's garden nature trail to follow. Take a picnic and throw sticks from the Kathleen Bridge into the River Fowey and see whose Pooh stick wins.

6: Scramble the Cliff Path

Lantic Bay is one of the most gorgeous coves in southeast Cornwall, but the price you pay is climbing the steep path that zigzags down the cliff.

7: Picnic Overlooking Drake's Island

Mount Edgcumbe Country Park is free to enjoy (although the formal gardens charge a fee). Take a picnic and relax on the sloping grass below the grand house. Views across the Tamar to Plymouth Sound overlook Devil's Point and Drake's Island. You may see naval vessels and submarines around the historic dockyard.

8: Have Breakfast at Pinky's

This whacky café on North Street, Fowey is a wonderfully mad place to take the family for breakfast. Forget cornflakes, the menu suggests pain au chocolat, brownies, muffins and croissants washed down with ginger beer or Cornish apple juice. It's memorable!

9: Watch the Seals from the Banjo Pier

The banjo-shaped pier at the mouth of Looe Harbour is a pleasant place to stroll and look for wildlife. When the fishing fleet returns at high tide, seals can be seen bobbing in the water hoping to be thrown a fishy snack from the boats.

10: Go Surfing

Tregantle Beach has great surfing waves when the wind is in the right direction. Walk down the coastal path past Tregantle Fort. Watch the locals skillfully riding the surf and join them if you dare.

So that's our Top 10. Feel free to add your own ideas to our list of things to do in Southeast Cornwall. We know there are plenty more hidden gems out there!