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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Helston
Hellys
Base in Helston 2 nights only if you want Loe Pool and the Lizard without a car; otherwise sleep in Porthleven or Mullion and pass through.
Helston is a small market town and the practical gateway to the Lizard Peninsula: buses to the Lizard, Mullion and Porthleven leave from Coinagehall Street, and the Penrose Estate walk to Loe Pool and Loe Bar starts at the edge of town. The town itself is half a day. Its one unmissable date is Flora Day, on or around 8 May, when the Furry Dance fills the streets and everything else books out.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Local name
- Hellys
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (crowds and full beds), Flora Day week if you have not booked
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–120 excl. bed · High £120+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 999 · Police non-urgent 101 · NHS non-urgent 111
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | £3–4.50 |
| Cornish pasty | £4–6 |
| Fish and chips | £10–16 |
| Pint of Spingo at the Blue Anchor | £4–5.50 |
| Bus fare, short hop | £2–3 |
| Taxi, 5 kmTaxi, 3.1 mi | £8–12 |
| Museum or mine tour entry | £7–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- NQY · Cornwall Airport Newquay
- About 45–60 min by car; no direct bus to Helston, so a taxi or a hire car is the practical link
- LEQ · Land's End Airport
- Flights to the Isles of Scilly; about 45 min by car
Typical fares
- Bus 37 Helston → the Lizard
- about 45 min, roughly hourly, sparse on Sundays
- Bus U4 Helston → Porthleven
- about 15 min
- Taxi Helston → Cornwall Airport Newquay
- about 45–60 min, £50–70
Get around
The centre is walkable but hilly, with steps down to the boating lake. Buses 37 (Lizard, Redruth), 35 (Gweek, Falmouth) and U4 (Porthleven, Penzance) run from Coinagehall Street; Sunday services are thin. A car makes the coves and cliff hotels far easier.
See and do
Known for
- Flora Day and the Furry Dance
- Penrose Estate, Loe Pool and Loe Bar
- Gateway to the Lizard Peninsula
- Blue Anchor Inn and Spingo ale
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Porthleven | Bus U4 towards Penzance, or walk through Penrose | 15 min by bus; about 1 h on foot |
| The Lizard and Kynance Cove | Bus 37 to Lizard Green, then about 1 mile on foot to Kynance | About 1 h to the village, plus the walk |
| Mullion Cove | Bus 37 or 35, then a walk down to the harbour | About 45 min |
| Penzance | Bus U4 | About 1 h 15 min |
| St Ives | Bus or train via Redruth or Penzance | About 1 h 30 min–2 h |
| St Just in Penwith | Bus U4 to Penzance, then a local bus | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Town centre (Coinagehall Street and Meneage Street)
- Walk to the museum, church and bus stops; small hotels and pubs with rooms. Best for a car-free night.
- Porthleven Road and Penrose side
- Closer to the Penrose car park and the Loe Pool walk; quieter, needs a car or a 20–30 min walk into town.
- Mullion and the Lizard villages
- Cliff hotels and coves instead of a town; use Helston only for buses and shopping.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Please | Please |
| Where is the bus stop? | Where is the bus stop? |
| One pasty, please | One pasty, please |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Is the tide coming in? | Is the tide coming in? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- Do not swim at Loe Bar: strong currents and a record of drownings.
- No swimming or boating in Loe Pool.
- Kynance Cove beach is covered at high tide; check tide times before you go.
- Flora Day closes the museum and packs the town: book beds and tables weeks ahead.
- Bus 37 and U4 run roughly hourly, much less on Sundays and public holidays.
A quiet, low-crime town; the real risks are the sea at Loe Bar, cliff edges on the coast path, and unlit lanes after dark if you walk back from Porthleven.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Helston yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Flora Day and the Furry Dance
- Penrose Estate, Loe Pool and Loe Bar
- Gateway to the Lizard Peninsula
- Blue Anchor Inn and Spingo ale
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- National Trust — Penrose: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/penrose
- National Trust — Kynance Cove: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/kynance-cove
- National Trust — Gunwalloe: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/gunwalloe
- National Trust — Poldhu Cove: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/poldhu-cove
- National Trust — Mullion Cove: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mullion-cove
- National Trust — Godolphin: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/godolphin
- Helston Railway: www.helstonrailway.co.uk/
- Cornwall Airport Newquay: www.cornwallairportnewquay.com/
- South West Coast Path: www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk/
- Wikivoyage: Helston, revision 5313812 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5313812
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
HelstonHellys
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Cornwall; the US, Canadian, Australian and Irish embassies are in London. Consular help for most countries is handled from London.
999 works from any phone, including mobiles with no signal from your own network.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/helston). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.