Short answer: Museum of Cornish Life is free, indoors and far bigger than it looks — and unusually, dogs on leads are welcome. The Cornish Seal Sanctuary has indoor areas and the seals don't mind rain.
The Lizard Peninsula is genuinely exposed, and when weather comes in off the Atlantic there's nowhere to hide out there.
Free, indoors, and reviewers consistently note there's far more inside than the modest exterior suggests. Unusually for a museum, dogs on leads are welcome, and staff will make you a tea.
Partly indoors, and the seals are entirely unbothered by rain — arguably more active in it. Entry includes free return visits for a year, so a wet day is a reasonable time to go.
A thatched pub brewing its own Spingo ale on site since before America was discovered, with a maze of cosy snugs. A genuinely good place to sit out weather, and dog-friendly.
Regarded as some of the best Mexican food in Cornwall, with separate clearly labelled vegan and gluten-free menus. Small, so book ahead.
Near Lizard Point, very dog-friendly, and a warm place to wait for a break in the weather before attempting the coast path.
The lanes down to Lizard Point and the coves are narrow with few passing places, and visibility drops fast in sea fog. If the weather is genuinely poor, staying in Helston itself is the sensible call rather than pressing on to the coast.
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