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Cornwall, the westernmost tip of England is famed for its natural beauty, ancient tin mines, gorgeous beaches, beautifully rugged coastline and for perfecting what was arguably the world’s first fast-food delicacy – the Cornish pasty.
Yet come this summer’s end, the county will also play host to one of the UK’s biggest and best loved visitor attractions when the Tall Ships Race returns to the historic town of Falmouth for the first time since 2008.
A flotilla of more than 40 sail-training ships both ancient and modern will converge from around the world on Falmouth Bay for the four-day Falmouth Tall Ships Festival Regatta. The event, which runs from August 28 to 31 (before the fleet heads off on its two-day race from Falmouth to Royal Greenwich, in London, via the Isle of Wight), is one of the biggest international sailing extravaganzas ever to be held in solely English waters.
Sadly, at the time of writing, no ships from the United States had registered for this year’s Falmouth Tall Ships Regatta, but spectators will still enjoy a rare chance to see and go aboard class A square riggers, schooners, clippers, and alike, registered from as far afield as Portugal, Holland, Russia, the Canary Islands, Denmark, Poland and Belgium.
Truly one of the world’s greatest maritime events the Tall Ships Regatta is again expected to attract an audience in excess of 100,000. Of course, an interest in maritime history draws thousands to this spectacle on the sea, but there are numerous events on the 2014 agenda that are bound to interest even the most ardent of land-lovers.
This year’s regatta includes a colourful and vibrant programme of shoreside and water-borne activities celebrating the ships’ stay in port including; live music, entertainment, exhibitions, displays, concerts, and a ships' crew parade through the town. The vast majority of the attractions are also free.
The 2014 Falmouth Regatta is again set to conclude with a spectacular moonlit firework display that, according to organisers, will quite literally catch your breath and send you home with the fondest of memories of your time in Cornwall.
If you extend your stay to take a closer look at Cornwall you will not be disappointed as the county has so much to offer holidaymakers.
The Eden Project, a string of pentagonal biomes, or domed greenhouses, situated in a reclaimed kalonite pit (a rare clay mineral used in the production of paper, toothpaste and fine medical gauze), near St Austell, is now one of the UKs top tourist attractions.
A stunning spectacle in its own right, the Project is now one of the few places to view thousands of rare plant species from around the world and is event temperate enough for grape vines, coffee and bamboo to flourish.
The equally photogenic St Michael’s Mount, a tidal island 400 yards from the main coastline, is another must for tourist, as is the stunning Minack open-air theatre high on the cliffs at Porthcurno.
The theatre lies barely four miles from Land’s End, the most westerly tip of this craggy yet striking granite peninsula which is bounded by the Celtic Sea and the English Chanel to the south.
A keepsake photograph of the fingerpost sign here, reminding you that you’re only 3,147 miles from New York, is a must for visitors.
Golf, tennis, snooker and kayaking are on offer should you choose to make the Budock Vean Country House Hotel the base for your stay.
Nestled in a verdant Cornish valley amongst 32 acres of manicured gardens and overlooking a tranquil and scenic meander of the Helford River, this four-star hotel offers quintessentially English accommodation at its finest, yet it is only a 10-minute drive from Falmouth.
The Budock Vean boasts a nine-hole golf course designed by James Braid, the late Scottish golf professional responsible for laying out the King’s Course at Gleneagles - the host venue to the Ryder Cup for 2014.
Resplendently marketed as the Hotel on the River, The Budock Vean also tempts you with an indoor pool, sauna, spa facilities and an outdoor hot tub for those balmy late summer evenings.
From the hotel’s jetty you can catch a water taxi to nearby riverside pubs, or simply head off for a stroll around the organically-managed gardens to take in the 350,000 plant species introduced here.
This year’s timetable for the Falmouth Tall Ships Regatta & Race is as follows: Falmouth: August 28-31; Race: August 31-September 2; Cruise in Company:September 3-5; Royal Greenwich Regatta: September 5-9.
For more information on offers at Budock Vean throughout the Tall Ships Regatta 2014, please visit:
http://www.budockvean.co.uk/offers-and-breaks/falmouth-tall-ships-festival
Or for the latest information on the Falmouth Tall Ships Regatta 2014 visit: http://www.falmouthtallships.co.uk/
May 2, 2023
