Short answer: You can do a full day in Redruth for two adults for roughly £40. Cornwall Gold, Wheal Peevor, Carn Brea and Kresen Kernow are free; budget for gold panning at about £2 each, two pasties, parking and fish and chips at Greg and Lou's. Leave a margin, as the prices here are budgets from reviewers, not menu prices.
Redruth is one of the cheaper places in Cornwall to spend a day, mostly because the best things to do cost nothing: engine houses, a hill with a monument, a free archive exhibition and a museum with free entry. That makes a Redruth day out for £50 or less easy for two adults, with room to spare for treats. Below is a worked itinerary with a budget for each spend. The costs are estimates, some based on what reviewers say they paid, so treat it as a plan to adapt, not a promise of the bill.
Here is the plan we would follow on a Wednesday, Thursday or Saturday, when Kresen Kernow, the pasty shops and the chip shop are all listed as open.
That comes to roughly £39, leaving about £10 for a coffee and cake, or a diamond hunt if you have children (reviewers mention £5). Even if every price is a few pounds higher, you stay under £50.
Start at 10am, when its listing says it opens, on New Portreath Road. Entry and parking are free according to reviewers, and you can pan for gold for about £2 a go. There is a mining museum, a play area and a cafe. Reviewers say dogs are welcome. The Tolgus Mill part is an authentic tin processing mill, and one reviewer mentions guided tours in the summer season. Allow ninety minutes.
A short drive away, three restored engine houses sit on level paths, with steel stairs for looking inside. It is free, and reviewers say the small car park holds five or six cars, so it is a good one for a weekday. Reviewers say it is safe for children and mention information boards. Our Redruth mining walks guide has the full picture.
The local answer is a pasty. Brays and K's Pasties on Nettell's Hill is rated 4.7 from 248 Google reviews, and one couple with 40 years of Cornish holidays call it their top choice. Berryman's at Pednandrea Bakery is 4.5 from 109, and one reviewer paid £4.50 for a medium, adding that the pastry was not greasy. Our Redruth pasty guide gives opening hours. For a hot roast, the Marketway Cafe in the market is rated 4.6 from 30 Google reviews, and reviewers describe a good-value roast of the day. Ask for the price when you arrive.
Eat your pasty at the top of Carn Brea. The hill above Redruth is crowned by a granite monument to Francis Basset and a small castle, with wide views on a clear day. The lanes up are narrow and the car park is small, so allow time. Carn Brea Castle is the spot to aim for in your sat nav. Then head into town.
Drive down and park in town around 2:30pm. Check the pay machine for charging hours, and see our parking guide for which car park takes cash. Walk to Kresen Kernow on Little Vauxhall. Reviewers describe free entry and an exhibition space. Cornwall Council says it is open to the public on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 9:30am to 4pm, so arrive by 3pm. A reviewer found the cafe "a little expensive", so keep it to a drink.
The chip shop reopens for the early evening session. Greg and Lou's on Higher Fore Street is 4.7 from 692 Google reviews. Reviewers praise the double-battered chips and the dining room; one complained that a large cod was barely bigger than a standard, so a standard portion is the safe order. It serves lunch and an early evening session on Wednesday to Saturday, according to our fish and chips guide, so check before you go. See the fish and chips guide for alternatives.
For the town in general, see the Redruth page. If you want a beach tacked on, our beaches near Redruth guide covers Portreath and Porthtowan.
About £40 for two adults using the budgets here, which cover gold panning, two pasties, parking and fish and chips. Most attractions are free, but prices are estimates, so leave a margin.
Cornwall Gold entry and parking, Wheal Peevor, Carn Brea and entry to Kresen Kernow, according to reviewers and Cornwall Council.
It varies by car park, so check the pay machine for the tariff, charging hours and whether it takes cash. Our parking guide covers the town-centre options.
Reviewers confirm free entry and free parking, with gold panning at about £2 and a diamond hunt at £5. Prices may change.
A pasty from Brays and K's or Berryman's, with one reviewer reporting £4.50 for a medium at Berryman's. Marketway Cafe also serves a roast of the day.
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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