Carlyon Bay

Carlyon Bay is a sheltered south coast bay just east of St Austell in central Cornwall. The Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan are both under 10 minutes away by car, and the South West Coast Path connects the bay to the Georgian harbour village of Charlestown to the west.

The bay has a slightly different character to much of Cornwall. There’s a golf course running along the clifftop, a spa hotel, and a generally relaxed feel that suits couples and families looking for a slower pace. The South West Coast Path passes right through, connecting to the pretty harbour village of Charlestown to the west - worth the walk for its tall ships and unspoilt Georgian harbour, which has doubled as a film set for Poldark and other period dramas.

Location-wise, Carlyon Bay is hard to beat for accessing some of mid-Cornwall’s best attractions. The Eden Project is barely ten minutes away by car, the Lost Gardens of Heligan about the same, and the Wheal Martyn clay country park is just up the road. You get the beach, the walks and the big-ticket days out without having to drive far for any of them. The coast path section from Carlyon Bay to Charlestown takes roughly 45 minutes and passes through woodland above Par Sands. Spring and autumn are particularly good times to visit, with the Eden Project running seasonal festivals and the beaches remaining accessible without the peak-season car parking pressure.