Short answer: Breakfast at The Coffee Pot, the free Lawrence House museum, then the castle for a few pounds. Skip Hidden Valley and Trethorne unless the budget stretches — both are proper paid days out.
Launceston is inland, which works in your favour on a budget — there's no beach parking to pay for and no seaside pricing on food.
The Coffee Pot does a full English at a price that genuinely surprises people, including a proper gluten-free version. Seating is tight at peak times, so go early.
A National Trust town museum across three floors, free to enter, run by welcoming volunteers. There's a Victorian playroom children reliably enjoy and an owl trail to follow round the building.
English Heritage, and cheap by their standards. Around an hour to walk the grounds and climb the motte, with genuinely panoramic views — you can see clear across into Devon on a good day.
Proper Ansome, tucked behind an industrial estate, does freshly cooked food at genuinely low prices with smaller "dinky plate" options. Afterwards, the independent shops — The Byre, Zebediah's, Wild Gifts — cost nothing to browse.
Hidden Valley and Trethorne Leisure Park are both genuinely good, but they're proper paid attractions that would eat the whole £50 for a family. Save them for a day you've budgeted for.
Launceston's independent shops are free to browse and genuinely worth the time — The Byre for sustainable goods, Zebediah's for work by local crafters. If the weather holds, the Kensey Valley walk out towards Newmills costs nothing and gives you a river and woodland for an hour.
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