Click here for activities in St Ives, Penzance and the Far West
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For most of us, a holiday means lying happily motionless on a sun drenched beach, or sitting in some relaxing venue watching the world go by. You can do this to the limit in West Cornwall; but the region offers another challenging, yet secure world of exhilarating activity, the world of surfing, cycling, sailing, riding, golf or just pleasurable walking through some of the finest landscapes in the world.
Walking in West Cornwall is unbeatable. The South West Coastal Footpath runs like a parting through the heather and gorse of the cliff tops for a spectacular 130 miles. In and out of exquisite coastal valleys, rocky coves, past virgin beaches, and through charming towns and villages. Away from the coast, West Cornwall has a superb network of footpaths that cross exhilarating moorland, follow ancient field paths, wind through cool woodland glades to tiny hamlets and churches, with the pleasures of a wonderful old inn or pub along the way.
The Cornish Way cycle route wheels its way from Truro to Land's End on a route planned with cyclists in mind. For the horse riding enthusiast West Cornwall has miles of rideable tracks and there are numerous riding stables and trekking centres catering for all levels of skill.
West Cornwall has excellent facilities for the 'outdoor' sports of golf, tennis and bowling.There are tennis courts and bowling greens in all the sizeable towns and there are golf courses of unique character at Cape Cornwall, Lelant, Helston, Falmouth, Truro, Mullion, Perranporth, Praa Sands, and Tehidy Park.
You can relax on the sun-soaked sands of St Ives, Sennen and Porthcurno with sparkling, crystal clear water foaming on to the shoreline or, if watersports appeal, then you can ride the rolling Atlantic swells with surfboard, bodyboard or sailboard on the famous surf beaches of Porthmeor at St Ives or Gwenver at Sennen. For wide, open spaces you can sample the long sweeping expanse of Hayle Towans' beaches while for families with very small children the ideal beaches are Marazion on Mount's Bay, Porthminster at St Ives and Carbis Bay.