Short answer: Helston in half-term week: do the outdoor banker in the morning, keep the indoor fallback ready, and check winter opening hours before driving anywhere. Half term runs 26–30 October for most schools.
Helston is the gateway to the Lizard's half term: beaches twenty minutes away, a flat boating lake in town, and — by the end of the week — the start of bonfire season on the doorstep.
The dates: half term for most Cornish schools is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 (a few academy trusts take the week before as well), and most English counties share the same week — so expect other families about, but nothing remotely like summer.
Have the wet plan ready before you need it — Helston's rainy-day guide is the one to bookmark, and the pasty verdict covers the refuelling.
Book nothing you can't cancel and check everything's open before you set off — late October is when winter hours begin, and it changes year to year. Daylight runs out around 5pm, so front-load the outdoors. The trade-off is the good one: this is Cornwall with the crowds gone and the light at its most dramatic, and many attractions add Halloween events for exactly this week.
Everything else — filtered by who's with you — is in the Helston guide, and the county-wide Bonfire Night guide covers what the week rolls into next.
See the full Helston guide, filtered by who's with you.
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