SPRING
Spring
Cornwall wakes up weeks before the rest of England — magnolia gardens, daffodils, wildflowers on the cliffs, and the coast to yourself.
THE COLLECTION
St Ives
Hillside
Sleeps 8 · 3 Bed · 4 Bath
From £1,235/Week
St Ives
Treleigh
Sleeps 12 · 5 Bed · 4 Bath
From £4,535/Week
St Ives
Beach Haven
Sleeps 4 · 2 Bed · 2 Bath
From £585/Week
Mousehole
Trevene
Sleeps 6 · 3 Bed · 2 Bath
From £1,285/Week
Bude
Halekulani
Sleeps 8 · 4 Bed · 3 Bath
From £1,035/Week
Crackington Haven
Trevigue Cottage
Sleeps 6 · 4 Bed · 2 Bath
From £1,358/Week
Crackington Haven
Atlantic Haven
Sleeps 2 · 1 Bed · 1 Bath
From £975/Week
Portreath
Harbour Heights
Sleeps 6 · 3 Bed · 2 Bath
From £1,230/Week
St Ives
Salubrious House
Sleeps 9 · 4 Bed · 3 Bath
From £1,530/Week
Praa Sands
Libertine
Sleeps 8 · 4 Bed · 4 Bath
From £2,180/Week
Carbis Bay
No 5, Gwel Marten
Sleeps 4 · 2 Bed · 2 Bath
From £1,235/Week
Falmouth
Waves
Sleeps 9 · 4 Bed · 4 Bath
From £2,035/Week
Padstow
The Grain Store
Sleeps 5 · 3 Bed · 3 Bath
From £1,330/Week
Perranuthnoe
Trekoa
Sleeps 8 · 3 Bed · 3 Bath
From £1,035/Week
St Ives
Porthminster Mews 2
Sleeps 4 · 2 Bed · 2 Bath
From £830/Week
St Ives
Vitamyn Sea
Sleeps 8 · 4 Bed · 2 Bath
From £1,435/Week
St Ives
Sea View House
Sleeps 10 · 5 Bed · 5 Bath
From £1,530/Week
St Ives
Tresillian
Sleeps 12 · 6 Bed · 4 Bath
From £1,530/Week
Padstow
Peacehay Barn
Sleeps 12 · 6 Bed · 5 Bath
From £2,935/Week
Porth
Seascape
Sleeps 6 · 3 Bed · 3 Bath
From £1,035/Week
Padstow
Kismet
Sleeps 8 · 4 Bed · 4 Bath
From £1,235/Week
Feock
Creek End
Sleeps 10 · 4 Bed · 4 Bath
From £2,235/Week
Bude
Ravenscourt
Sleeps 10 · 5 Bed · 4 Bath
From £2,530/Week
Charlestown
Orchard Cottage
Sleeps 4 · 2 Bed · 2 Bath
From £1,285/Week
Where these cottages are
Spring across Cornwall
The spring cottages we look after, grouped by where they are
Where these cottages are
Locations approximate — exact addresses provided on booking confirmation.
EDITORIAL
Cornwall gets spring first
There’s a real, measurable head start to a Cornish spring. The Gulf Stream and the surrounding sea keep the far south-west milder than anywhere else in England, and the season simply arrives earlier here. While the rest of England is still in coats, Cornwall’s magnolias are out, the gorse is yellow, and the coast path has dried out. Spring arrives here weeks early. It’s why the county’s gardens open their spring season in February, why daffodil fields are in flower while the Midlands is still grey, and why a March or April week in Cornwall feels like a season ahead of the same week almost anywhere else in the country.
Spring is garden season, and Cornwall’s gardens are why people plan trips around it. The county holds some of Britain’s finest woodland gardens, planted by Victorian plant hunters and thriving in the mild, damp climate. Caerhays Castle on the Roseland holds a National Collection of magnolias — over 40 species and hundreds of cultivars — and a hundred acres of camellias and rhododendrons that erupt through March and April. Trebah and Glendurgan run down to the Helford in sub-tropical valleys; Trengwainton near Penzance, Trelissick on the Fal, Lanhydrock near Bodmin, Pencarrow and the Lost Gardens of Heligan all hit their stride in spring with magnolia, camellia, rhododendron and drifts of daffodil and primrose. If you have any interest in gardens at all, spring is the season the county was built for.
The coast does its own version of spring. From April the cliff tops put on the best wildflower show of the year — pink thrift along the cliff edges, yellow gorse and broom, bluebells in the coastal woods, sea campion, primroses, and the last daffodils on the verges. The South West Coast Path is at its finest: dried out from winter, not yet busy, and lined with colour — Pentire Head and the Rumps near Polzeath, the Lizard from Kynance to Mullion, the West Penwith cliffs from Zennor to St Ives. It’s also a fine season for birds, with spring migration in full swing and the seabird colonies settling in to nest. And for dog owners there’s a bonus: the summer dog restrictions don’t begin on most north coast beaches until 1 May, so an early-spring trip means the run of the sand.
The practical case for spring is strong. The weather is mild and improving — March daytime highs around 10°C, climbing to a comfortable 14-15°C by May, with Cornwall picking up more sunshine than most of the UK through the season. You’ll get showers; you’ll also get long runs of bright, breezy, jacket-and-jumper days that are ideal for being outdoors. Crucially, spring is a shoulder season — outside the Easter and May half-term peaks, cottage prices are well below summer rates, the beaches and lanes are quiet, parking is easy, and the restaurants and cafés that close for deep winter are back open. The sea is still cold — around 10-12°C — so swimming is bracing and surfing is a wetsuit job, but the spring swells are good and the line-ups uncrowded.
A few notes on timing. Cornwall’s spring effectively begins in February and runs through to late May. St Piran’s Day on 5 March — Cornwall’s national day, marked with parades and the open-air St Piran play on the dunes at Perranporth — is the county’s first big spring date. Easter falls within the spring window and is the first proper holiday week of the Cornish year — see Easter Breaks. May half-term closes the season as it tips towards summer — see May Half Term. Outside those two peaks, spring is the flexible, good-value end of the calendar — but the gardens, the wildflowers and the quiet make it many regulars’ favourite time to come. Browse what’s available below; every cottage is confirmed bookable for your spring dates.
Good to know
Questions
The things people ask before they book
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Because Cornwall does spring better, and earlier, than almost anywhere else in England. The mild maritime climate means the season arrives weeks ahead of the rest of the country — magnolias and camellias are out in the gardens from February, daffodils line the lanes through March, and the cliff-top wildflowers follow in April and May. It's also the quiet, good-value end of the calendar: outside the Easter and May half-term weeks, cottages are well below summer prices, the beaches and coast paths are uncrowded, and parking is easy. Add the great Cornish gardens at their absolute peak and a coast path that's dried out and lined with colour, and spring is, for a lot of people who know Cornwall well, the best season of the lot.
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Mild, improving, and sunnier than most of the UK. March daytime highs average around 10°C, April around 12°C, and May a comfortable 14-15°C, with the county picking up roughly six to seven hours of sunshine a day as the season goes on — courtesy of the Gulf Stream. You should expect some showers, but spring also brings long runs of bright, breezy days that are ideal for walking and gardens. Pack layers, a waterproof and walking boots, plus a swimsuit if you're brave. The sea stays cold through spring — around 10-12°C — so swimming is bracing and surfing means a wetsuit.
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Cornwall has one of the finest concentrations of spring gardens in Britain. Caerhays Castle on the Roseland is internationally known for its magnolias (a National Collection) alongside camellias and rhododendrons across a hundred acres of woodland garden. Trebah and Glendurgan are dramatic sub-tropical valley gardens running down to the Helford River. The Lost Gardens of Heligan near Mevagissey, Trengwainton near Penzance, Trelissick on the Fal, Lanhydrock near Bodmin and Pencarrow all put on superb spring displays of magnolia, camellia, rhododendron, daffodil and primrose. Most open their spring season in February and are at their peak through March and April. If gardens are your reason for the trip, the Roseland and the Helford put you in the thick of them.
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Cornwall is a major daffodil-growing county, and its daffodils flower early — gardens and field edges show colour from late winter, with the main display through February and March, weeks ahead of most of the UK. The coastal wildflowers follow as spring goes on: from April the cliff tops fill with pink thrift, yellow gorse and broom, bluebells in the coastal woods, sea campion and primroses, building to a peak in late April and May. So an early-spring trip is for the daffodils and the gardens; a late-spring trip catches the cliff-top wildflower show at its best. Either way, the South West Coast Path is the place to see it.
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Very — particularly early spring. The summer dog restrictions that apply to many of Cornwall's busier beaches don't begin until 1 May, so a March or April trip means your dog has the run of the sand on beaches that would be partly off-limits in summer. Blue Flag beaches bring their restrictions in slightly later than that, and all of them lift again on 1 October, but the practical point stands: spring, and especially the weeks before May, is one of the most dog-friendly times of the Cornish year. The coast path is dried out and at its wildflower best for walking, too. See our Dog Friendly collection for cottages that welcome dogs.
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You can, with the right kit. The sea is cold in spring — around 10-12°C — so swimming is firmly bracing rather than balmy, though plenty of locals are in year-round (often in wetsuits). For surfing, spring is genuinely good: the swells are consistent, the line-ups are far quieter than summer, and many surf schools reopen from Easter onwards. You'll want a 4/3 or 5/4 wetsuit, and boots in the early part of the season. By late May the water is starting to warm and the surf conditions are at their improver-friendly best. If watersports are central to your trip, a late-spring date gives you the kindest conditions.
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Generally, yes — significantly. Spring is a shoulder season, and outside the two peak weeks the savings are real: the same cottage can cost substantially less in mid-March, mid-April or early May than in peak July and August, and the county is far quieter with it. The two exceptions are Easter and May half-term, both of which are holiday weeks that price closer to summer and book up well ahead. If value and quiet are your priorities, aim for the spring dates between those peaks — you'll get the gardens, the wildflowers and the empty beaches at the lowest prices of the season short of deep winter.
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It depends which part of spring. The Easter and May half-term weeks are holiday peaks and behave like summer — book six to nine months ahead, more for larger cottages or anything with a hot tub or sea view. The spring weeks between and around those peaks are far more flexible; you'll find good cottages at shorter notice, though the most sought-after places and the prime garden-country locations still reward booking early. As a rule: if your dates are fixed to a school holiday, book well ahead; if you're free to travel mid-season, spring gives you more choice and better prices closer in than almost any other time of year.
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