Join us on a November break in Cornwall with 10 amazing things to do that will blow your socks off! November 5th sees plenty of fireworks and bonfires all over the county and Truro hosts its annual City of Lights switch-on and lantern-lit parade.
We outline a night’s Sleep Out for a good cause at Eden and a blustery coastal walk around Land’s End. Explore the highs and lows of the coastal footpath and discover a new take on Flambards in winter.
Of course, Tate St Ives and Eureka Escape Rooms in Truro are always open for business and there are still a few festivals to be had. Check the venue for the Blues, Rhythm and Rock Festival and don’t miss the Cornwall Winter Fair at the Royal Cornwall Showground in Wadebridge. It’s all part of visiting Cornwall in November!
- Celebrate Bonfire Night in Cornwall
- Join the Annual Eden Sleep Out
- Rise to the challenge at Eureka Escape Rooms!
- Enjoy a cider tour and tasting
- Join Remembrance Sunday Tributes
- Shop for Christmas at the Cornish Winter Fair
- Wrap up warm for Truro City of Lights
- Walk around Land’s End
- Admire the views at Tate St Ives
- Take a trip back in history at Flambards
Celebrate Bonfire Night in Cornwall
Port Eliot Estate near Saltash opens its gates on November 5th for a superb Bonfire and Fireworks event. It has a “quiet” family fireworks display for youngsters at 5:30pm and a brilliant pyrotechnics show to light up the night sky with plenty of crackles and bangs at 8:30pm. The bonfire is lit at 6:30pm.
Other bonfire night events with fireworks are held at Bideford’s Big Sheep attraction, Bodmin Football Club, Falmouth Cricket Club, Flambards theme park, Lappa Valley Newquay and Bude Rugby Club.
Join the annual Eden Sleep Out
The Eden Sleep Out is now an annual fundraising event that takes place nationwide to highlight the plight of the homeless. Organised by the charity End Youth Homelessness, volunteers are invited to bring a sleeping bag to the Eden Project site after dark. You can sleep beneath the stars or in the shelter of the canopy of the Link Building connecting the biomes if the weather’s bad. Check the Eden website for the exact November date as it changes each year.
The event includes workshops and readings by local authors around the all-night fire pit, musicians making a contribution, informative talks and unlimited hot drinks. It’s a thought-provoking way to spend one night of your November break in Cornwall and helps raise thousands of pounds for good causes.
Rise to the challenge at Eureka Escape Rooms!
Where better to lose yourself for an hour or so than the Eureka Escape Rooms in Truro? It offers themed challenges for 2-8 “players” who must work through a dilemma and find a way out. Pit your wits, work out the challenges and Eureka! You’ve done it!
Enjoy a cider tour and tasting
If you’re staying near Perranporth in November, Healey’s Cornish Cyder Farm is open for tours and tastings. Enjoy seeing how sweet Katy apples harvested from the 20-acre orchards are turned into sparkling cider.
Learn how to make Rattler gin, ride on a vintage tractor and enjoy tasting the produce as part of a Cyder Farm Experience that takes you from pip to pour! There’s something for youngsters too with a petting farm of pygmy goats, donkeys, shire horses and Cornish Black Pigs. A great day out!
Join Remembrance Sunday tributes
Churches, cathedrals, war memorials and cemeteries all over Cornwall mark a day of remembrance on the nearest Sunday to November 11th. It originally marked the anniversary of the end of hostilities in World War 1, along with the loss of life in many other conflicts since. Wear your poppy with pride and look out for military parades and processions.
Many events are led by the Royal British Legion (RBL) in local parishes across the county followed by a service of remembrance. Truro Cathedral, St Ives War Memorial and RBL HQ in Newquay are just some of the places you can attend.
Shop for Christmas at the Cornish Winter Fair
The Royal Cornwall Showground near Wadebridge is the location of the huge Royal Cornwall Show in June. However, what is less well publicised is the Cornish Winter Fair which is held in the indoor arena at the Royal Cornwall Events Centre on the third weekend in November. It attracts over 6,500 locals who try to keep it a well-kept secret, but word is out that’s it’s a fun November festival if you’re visiting Cornwall.
Hosted by the Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association and Wadebridge Prime Stock Show, it primarily celebrates the best of Cornish farming & food and is free to attend. As well as livestock classes there are food and craft displays and stalls and an Eduction Zone to browse. And where better to do your Christmas shopping in a leisurely environment?
Wrap up warm for Truro City of Lights
Truro gets a head start on December with its City of Lights Festival which takes place around November 20th or the nearest Wednesday to it. It’s Cornwall’s most prominent outdoor lights & arts festival and attracts over 3,000 people to the streets of the town. The parade of puppets, floats, bands, drummers and dancers starts at 7:00pm and is lit up to create a glow throughout the streets as it heads along Boscowen Street and Little Castle Street to Lemon Quay.
As part of the event, the Christmas lights are switched on followed by fireworks. Keep your eyes open for music and drama performances around the town and plenty of food stalls serving tasty snacks that fill the air with aromas.
Walk around Land’s End
November in Cornwall is a great time to enjoy a bracing walk, and none fit that description better than the Land’s End Trail near Penzance. This 3.5 mile loop walking trail takes about 90 minutes and is in an exposed part of the headland in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The route is fairly flat as it goes between Sennen Cove and Land’s End with spectacular coastal views.
There’s a free downloadable app from iWalk Cornwall for following the route which passes a Bronze Age Barrow marked by a cairn, views of the Longships Lighthouse, Land’s End complex (the most westerly point of UK mainland), old coastguard buildings and the wreck of the RMS Mulheim which ran aground in a storm in 2003.
Admire the views at Tate St Ives
Where better to take shelter on a windy wet day in November than Cornwall’s Tate St Ives? This contemporary art museum was purpose built and has stunning views across the bay waters at Porthmeor Beach. After spending time critiquing the local and national artworks in a series of galleries, head to the top floor where the cafe serves hot and cold drinks and snacks with stunning views.
You might want to venture out onto the rooftop terrace for some photos, but odds are you wont stay long!
Take a trip back in history at Flambards
Flambards, Helston is still open throughout the winter (November to Easter) for indoor attractions while renovations and repairs are done in the wider park and big rides.
The Victorian Village experience takes you back to dioramas of the 20th century with shops, cottages, a blacksmiths, sweet shops and a fascinating Chemist Shop. Memory Lane charts changing fashions while the War Gallery, Britain in the Blitz and the Aviation Experience bring history accurately to life. There’s also a cafe and family amusements.
That’s our round-up of things to do in November in Cornwall, so get your cottage booked today and join the fun! And here’s a taster of what’s happenin’ in Cornwall next month!
Born in Cheshire, Gillian Birch moved to Cornwall at her earliest opportunity and never looked back. After 20 years, her ongoing discovery of popular attractions, quiet footpaths and local eateries has made her a fount of knowledge as she entertains readers with her informative articles on the hidden gems of Devon & Cornwall from a local point-of-view.