How have I lived in Cornwall for almost 10 years and never visited Penryn? Penryn is a lovely, small but colourful town in West Cornwall on the Penryn river. It is a charming town bursting with history and quaint narrow cobbled streets, it looks pretty much untouched and still has so much character.

We visited on a Monday, when many of the small independent shops were closed, as it was out of season, but it was still lovely to wander around, and it was very peaceful with little traffic or tourists, which was good for us as there is very little parking and I can imagine it gets super busy in the Summer, especially with its proximity to Falmouth (being only 1 mile away).

I loved all the painted houses and colourful bunting that lined the streets. Although they were mostly closed, Penryn does have lots of small shops and creative businesses. You can see that it has a thriving art scene and some fantastic restaurants and cafés, it feels like there is a real community vibe here and that is unusual for Cornwall, as many towns are very much tourist focused but Penryn had a local’s feeling and felt like people still live and shop here.

We landed lucky and managed to get a seat in The Sunshine café, I think it was because it was a Monday afternoon. During Summer, it is so busy and is a popular spot not only for food but also their Yoga and wellbeing classes that take place in their studio which is attached to café. The café space is bright, calm and a very friendly place, I loved the decor and how everything on the menu is plant based with an emphasis on using good local produce. I could have sat in there all day, I felt very relaxed. The food was delicious, I had the vegan beans & sausage on sourdough with a side of sweet potato fritters and an Almond Milk Matcha. I didn’t have room for a sweet treat, but I did spy quite a few options like a vegan croissant, brownies, and carrot cake. If you’re in Penryn, I highly recommend it even if you are not plant based, the food is incredible.

We did walk over to Falmouth, with it being only 1 mile away, we thought it was too good a day not to. After the walk and a few hours exploring the harbour town of Falmouth we had worked up an appetite, so when we got back to Penryn for the car we had to sample the chips from Penryn Traditional Fish & Chip Shop & they were so good. Nothing beats chippy chips, especially when you are by the sea, am I right!?

So we had a lovely day being tourists in our home county, and we will not leave it another 10 years to visit again, we have to pop back when the shops are open. Have you visited Penryn, or have any other recommendations for hidden gems in Cornwall?