In Autumn, Cornwall slows down from the frantic pace of the summer season. The beaches are no longer crowded but the sea is at its warmest so for the energetic there is still plenty to do. This is the ideal time for surfing as the sea can be too flat in the Summer and too rough during Winter. See our things to do page for some other suggestions.
For those who enjoy walking, the coastal footpath and the moors are glorious at this time of the year; a blaze of colour from the heather and the bright yellow gorse. To take best advantage of the walks at this time of year, when you'll have much of the scenery and places of interest to yourselves, we recommend you bring walking boots or wellies. There are a number of riding schools situated around the edge of Bodmin Moor if you'd to see the scenery from horseback.
The ancient wooded valleys such as Rocky Valley and St Nectan's Glen near Tintagel, Minster Valley near Boscastle and around Golitha Falls near St Breward turn rich Autumn colours which also make for some great walks and photography.
Blackberries and sloes grow in many places along the coast so you may want to combine a walk with some forraging to make a blackberry crumble or some sloe gin.
For anyone into sea fishing (or just eating fish), the mackerel are now at their best having had all Summer to grow and it's a good time to catch good size pollock at dusk before they move offshore for the winter.
If fly fishing is more your scene, the salmon run from August to October.
If you're into birding then October is the best month with Cornwall having one of the largest county bird-lists and providing some of the most exciting birding in the UK.
Seals have their pups on secluded beaches during the Autumn. You may spot some from the coast path where you can watch from a safe distance with binoculars. Buckator cliff near Beeny just north of Boscastle is a particularly good spot.
You may also want to check out our facebook page where there is a photo gallery of autumn pictures and we post links to seasonally-relevant items of interest.
