Short answer: The best things to do in Boscastle are free: the harbour and blowhole, the Willapark lookout, Forrabury Stitches and the Valency Valley. Add the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic (£8 adults, open to 31 October 2026), a pasty, and the 3.7-mile Pentargon loop from the farm shop for a full day.
Boscastle is small enough to cover on foot, which makes the question of things to do in Boscastle really a question of how long you have. Two stone harbour walls built in 1584 by Sir Richard Grenville shelter what Wikipedia calls the only significant harbour on a 20-mile stretch of this coast, and almost everything worth seeing is close to them. Here is what fits into one hour, a half day and a full day.
Park at the Cobweb car park (Cornwall Council runs it, and the National Trust says it is about 100 yards from the village) and follow the river to the harbour. That is the walk the 2004 flood took, and the National Trust says the village was repaired in a way that kept its character. At the quay, the Trust's lime kiln and blacksmith's forge are reminders of the harbour's trading past, and the shop and cafe stand on the right-hand side as you face the sea.
Then walk out to Penally Point to see the blowhole, known as the Devil's Bellows. The Trust says you can see it about an hour either side of low tide, and a walking site adds that it needs a swell running. Wear a windproof. Our parking guide covers the charges, and the car park is free after 4pm.
The cliff path to the Willapark headland, 96 metres high, is the best view for effort in the village. A whitewashed tower stands at the top, and the Trust says its walls shelter you from the wind. The building is now the Boscastle Coastwatch Station (4.8 from 258 Google reviews), staffed by National Coastwatch Institution volunteers. Reviewers say the path is fine in rain with good shoes and mention benches on the way up. On the way you pass Forrabury Stitches, a medieval strip-field system that the Trust says is still farmed. Cattle and ponies graze the clifftop fields all year.
The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic (4.5 from 2,860 Google reviews) is open daily until 31 October 2026, then closes for the winter. Adults pay £8, children aged 6 to 17 pay £5, and under-5s are free. It is a five-minute flat walk from the car park, the museum says, but the building is not accessible, with narrow doorways, and dogs are not allowed. Our museum guide has the details.
Grab a pasty from Boscastle Bakery, take a table at Toby Jug Cafe or the National Trust cafe, or head up to the Napoleon Inn for pie. Our pubs guide compares the three pubs.
The South West Coast Path describes a 3.7-mile moderate loop from Boscastle Farm Shop via Pentargon Cove, the harbour, Willapark and the Stitches. You may see seals in the cove below Pentargon, and peregrine falcons nest on the cliffs, the guide says. It lists a stone stile, two kissing gates and another stile on the coast path. Pentargon Waterfall itself (4.3 from 126 Google reviews) involves a lot of steps down to the bridge, so it suits fit walkers more than small children. The loop works well as a post-breakfast walk, ending with coffee at the farm shop cafe (4.7 from 2,036 Google reviews). A shorter option is the "Panoramic Path" back to the farm shop after the row of white cottages.
The Valency Valley path starts at a gate at the far end of the car park and runs through one of the few wooded areas in North Cornwall. It leads to St Juliot, where Thomas Hardy acted as architect for the church's restoration in 1870 and met his first wife, Emma Gifford. The National Trust notes that after her death in 1912 he designed a memorial tablet for her, which sits on the church's north wall. It is a quieter route than the cliffs and suits a drizzly day.
Tintagel is a short drive down the coast. A little before it, St Nectan's Waterfall (4.6 from 4,357 Google reviews) charges £11 for adults and £6 for ages 5 to 15 on its official site, with under-5s free and parking at £3 for the day. Our St Nectan's Glen guide has more.
Yes for both. The National Trust rates it two pawprints and says dogs are welcome under control, but cattle and ponies graze the clifftop fields all year, so keep them close. For children, the lookout, the blowhole and the harbour are free; the museum is a judgement call. See Boscastle with kids for a family plan.
Yes, with planning. The National Trust says the Go Cornwall 95 bus between Bude and Wadebridge serves the village, and the 96 links Wadebridge with Bodmin Parkway station. On a Saturday in late October the 95 runs about every two hours, but it does not run on Sundays until Easter 2027, so check the timetable before you travel. Cyclists will find the nearest National Cycle Network route, NCN3, about five miles away at Collamoor Head. The Trust's harbour walk is the gentle option once you are here, while the paths beyond the harbour are steep and uneven.
The museum closes after 31 October, but the walks stay open from dawn to dusk and the pubs and the Trust cafe carry on, with the cafe's hours shifting through the season. The Boscastle Shanty Festival is listed for early November at the Cobweb Inn. Our winter guide has the rest, and the Boscastle town page lists everything else we cover.
Walk the river to the harbour, see the blowhole at Penally Point, climb to the Willapark lookout, and visit the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic. The Valency Valley and Pentargon loop fill a longer day.
An hour covers the harbour and blowhole. A half day adds Willapark, the museum and lunch. A full day adds the Pentargon loop or the Valency Valley walk.
The National Trust says you can see it about an hour either side of low tide, and it needs a swell running. Wear a windproof.
No. It is open daily until 31 October 2026 and then closes for the season.
The South West Coast Path says you may see seals in the cove below Pentargon. It is a chance, not a guarantee.
Times, prices and dates are the businesses' and organisers' to change, so check before you travel. Spotted something we've got wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.
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