A family weekend in Cornwall for less than £150? Here’s how I managed it (almost)

“I’m 80+: What’s your excuse?” the back of his t-shirt stated, as an octogenarian gentleman whistled past me in flapping shorts on a chilly February day in a former Cornish clay pit.

My excuse, ahem, was to bring up the rear of the morning’s Park Run and walk at pace – along with others – such that I could enjoy the sights of the Eden Project without its giant honeycombed biome bubbles becoming a hasty blur. Daughter number two, the competitive one, had other ideas. She’d already crossed the finish line beside the giant Rainforest greenhouse and was enjoying the views waiting for “slowcoach” Mum, and daughter number one who was approaching the end of the course.

Our morning’s exercise was part of a plan that encompassed the trend of Park Run tourism, whereby runners make a point of visiting different venues; the Eden Project was the sixth location for the girls. It also eased us into a budget break to Cornwall; could we manage a weekend away for less than £100?

At the usual Eden Project entry fee of £38 online per adult – and £32.50 per child – a paid visit to its giant bubbles would have instantly burst our weekend budget; Tripadvisor reviews quote: “Good, but very expensive”. Take part in the Saturday morning Park Run, though, and entry to the site is free of charge. The route zigzags around the enormous crater two-and-a-half times, providing plenty of opportunity to view the site.

In truth, we did blow our budget soon after, with brunch at the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery, in nearby Lostwithiel. If there was anywhere in the county that warranted breaking our own fiscal rules, the informal but upmarket café here, with its view over Restormel Castle, would be it. A Duchy Breakfast, not least, was sufficiently hearty to fuel us for the rest of the day, especially with a side of “posh hash browns” seasoned with rosemary sea salt.

A visit to Lanhydrock, near Bodmin, eased the spendthrift guilt. Visits to walk and cycle in the 1000-acre National Trust-owned estate are free of charge. We roamed the open parkland, along extensive beech avenues, made acquaintances with wrens and robins beside the River Fowey, and enjoyed the extensive vistas from woodland trails, where dedicated cycle routes allow families to get active.

Next, our budget tour of Cornwall took us west to the county’s pointed toe. Had the winter weather been harsh, we could have stopped at Helston’s Museum of Cornish Life, a “trove of memories and curiosities”, with free entry. But the skies were benign. St Ives, a congested north coast hotspot in summer, was gently buzzing, the beaches populated by families in puffed coats, the restaurants thankful for some low-season income.

St Michael’s Mount, firmly rooted in Marazion Bay on Cornwall’s south coast, was closed to visitors during our weekend visit (it will open for the February half term), but that did not stop us, and other families, from the thrill of crossing the pink cobbled causeway on foot, as the sea plopped against the narrow thoroughfare before it disappeared beneath the incoming tide.

While a visit to the attractions and restaurants at Land’s End would have broken our budget in one (again), Cape Cornwall, seven miles north and only a shade shy of beating its neighbour as England’s most westerly point, is, again, free to visit, save for a small parking charge.

This can be overcome by arriving on foot along the South West Coast Path, the showstopping subject of The Salt Path, a new film – in cinemas from May 2025 – based upon Raynor Winns’ bestselling book of the same name.

Sunday lunch was thrifty, too, purchasing that classic Cornish all-in-one meal, the pasty. How delicious it was, devoured overlooking wild Cape Cornwall, watching the Irish Sea and North Atlantic Ocean swirl together, crashing against blackened rocks of the historic Tin Coast landscape. Dessert? A scoop of Shipwreck at Moomaid of Zennor ice-cream parlour in St Just.

It’s created at Moomaid’s dairy farm in the nearby village of Zennor, through which we later passed from St Just to St Ives (I regard the landscape here one of the county’s finest), and Shipwreck – their defining concoction of cream, sea salt, dulce de leche and honeycomb – is an essential gastronomic experience in northwest Cornwall.

What of our budget accommodation after a day of exploring? We stayed at the YHA hostel in Penzance, a private room, including continental breakfast, for £57 total. If this grand, stone mansion, with a pillared entrance, tucked along a private drive and surrounded by Cornish countryside, offered an AA-rosette restaurant and plush double beds, it would be marketed as a country house hotel for hundreds of pounds a night.

As it happens, there’s a refectory-style restaurant and dormitories. After dinner in the restaurant (a £1 meal deal for kids, a wine list including prosecco for adults), we retired to the comfortable guest lounge where the décor was a little different to a three-star hotel at three times the price. Board games offered rare screen-free family time.

In our room, we didn’t have Harrison Spinks mattresses, and the bunkbeds were reminiscent of a school field trip. But we weren’t expecting lavish. The duvets were cosy, the night immensely quiet (I’d envisaged youths partying all hours), and we woke to birds twittering in the hedgerows outside our window. Guests aged from Gen Z to Boomers.

Holidaying with Gen Z daughters, who are keen on exercise over alcohol inebriants, we’re never going to burst our weekend budget. We could have reduced costs by cooking dinner and breakfast in the extensive hostel kitchen and we could have foregone our Duchy of Cornwall nursery brunch, which would have kept us hovering around our £100 budget, even allowing for accommodation, dinner, ice cream, and hot chocolates.

But our fiscal rules were not meant to be punishment. We had fun. Cornwall in winter without the crowds, traffic jams on the A30 and the necessity of booking summer accommodation for a fortnight, we’d argue, is more enjoyable. And our ice cream didn’t melt so fast.

Essentials

YHA Penzance

YHA is currently running a 20 per cent discount deal for direct bookings online before midnight on February 13. Other winter deals are also available.

Eden Project park run

Find upcoming events at parkrun.org.uk, entry is free of charge for runners.

Lanhydrock

Walking and cycle trails a free of charge; parking charge £6 or free for National Trust members. There is a charge for entry to the house and gardens.

St Michael’s Mount

Open during February half term, entry onto the island is free of charge. Charges apply to tours of the castle.