8 magical things to do in Cornwall over the festive season

Summer in Cornwall is beautiful. There is so much to love, from sunny beach days and coastal hikes to sea, surf and stopping for a drink with an incredible sea view.

However, there is something so special about the winter here. First of all, the crowds have largely dissipated so everything is a bit more relaxed.

But more than that, the darker evenings lead to cosy winter walks and twinkling lights at every turn, especially over the festive period. If you need a little inspiration, then you're in the right place.

Here are eight magical things to do in Cornwall over the festive season

1. Mousehole Harbour Lights

Location: Mousehole

Price: Free (but donations welcome)

The Mousehole Harbour light display has been going on since 1963 and is organised and funded every year by volunteers and donations, which in itself is incredible!

The display also runs for around a month, between December and January and includes some small festive events during this time; the most enjoyable is the carol singing service from local groups.

The light display itself is simple but effective, the beautiful giant illuminations include colourful lanterns, boats, candles, twinkling lights and even a giant serpent in the water. You can visit the harbour as soon as the sun sets, but the display is perhaps most incredible at high tide when all the lights dance off the walls and the water.

While you're there, you can also take a walk through the village where there are even more lights shining. You can stop and enjoy a drink in the cosy pub or simply take in the festive cheer as you stroll down the gorgeous cobbled streets, and enjoy the nostalgic charm of this wonderful Cornish village.

Just be aware that the village is very small and the roads are tight! Plus, they are usually filled with people heading down to see the lights so it’s best not to drive down into the town. Being a small place, parking can be a little bit tricky, but if you park up on the hill or slightly further out of the village, you can walk down for a much more relaxing start to your evening out.

2. Christmas at Eden

Location: Bodelva (near St Austell)

Price: Starts from £33

The Eden Project has so much going on throughout the year but at Christmas, it truly comes alive with an enchanting festival of lights.

The world-famous biomes play host to a beautiful display of twinkling lights that fill every tree and every corner.

However, it’s not just lights that make Eden special at this time of year, walking around the biomes you will get to experience the incredible canopies, rainforests and enchanted worlds in all their glory.

And, as it’s Christmas time, you can also enjoy ice skating, Father Christmas, carols and festive treats alongside the incredible light display.

3. Truro Christmas Market

Location: Truro Town Centre

Price: Free

The award-winning farmers market from Truro has recently expanded to become the Big Christmas Market, taking place from late November through December at Lemon Quays. With wooden huts and twinkling Christmas lights everywhere, as well as the smell of bratwurst and mulled wine, this event very much mimics the traditional Bavarian market we Brits love so much.

Including a food court area and a huge range of stalls from local traders, you can enjoy local food, drink, arts and crafts, all while enjoying the festive music, live local radio and festive activities that are going on throughout the city centre.

They even offer late-night shopping on a Wednesday for those who want to pop along after work.

4. Lost Gardens of Heligan

Location: Saint Austell

Price: Roughly £18.50 per adult

The Lost Gardens of Heligan is an incredible place to visit no matter the month, but from November you can attend the Heligan Night Gardens to see an incredible array of flora and fauna lit up at night.

This event offers a trail of lights and traditional paraffin lanterns, as well as whimsical illuminations that lead you around the glittering woodlands and beautifully sculpted gardens. Along the way, you can enjoy all sorts of festive treats, from Christmas shopping at the gift shop to toasting marshmallows and drinking mulled cider.

Basically, they have everything you need to be festive and get in the Christmas spirit.

5. Healeys Cornish Cyder Farm

Location: Penhallow

Price: Starting from £13.60 (but this includes a year’s free pass)

You’ve probably heard of Cornwall’s famous rattler cider, but have you visited the farm where it’s made?

Healeys Cornish Cyder Farm runs a variety of events throughout the year, including music festivals, and on-site, there is a shop, tasting bar, cafe and farm are perfect entertainment all year round.

But through the month of December, they also run a cute little Christmas market full of gifts and crafts from creative locals, and of course, a range of cider products are also available for you to buy.

It’s a great family day out that includes Christmas story time, cookie decorating workshops for the parents, mulled cider and great local food in the cosy cafe.

6. Enjoy a festive wild swim

Location: The beach

Price: Free

During the festive season, you will see a lot of local people embracing the Cornish tradition of wild swimming and some cold water therapy in a very festive fashion.

Most days over Christmas, but Boxing Day in particular see hardy locals go running into the sea, wearing nothing more than a swimsuit and a Santa hat (sometimes boots and gloves if they’re feeling the chill).

So why not join in?

There are loads of groups that you can sign up to or you could simply just chuck on your swimsuit and go for a wild dip with your friends and family, no matter where you are in this beautiful county.

7. Winter Lights Project

Location: St Ives

Price: Free

The winter lights project in Saint Ives is one of the earliest to start across Cornwall, with some displays going up as early as October. Although the big switch-on is not until December. They boast some of the most energy-efficient lights in the whole of Europe, making these not just cost-effective, but also far better for the planet - which I personally think is great!

As you walk on through, you’ll notice canopies of lights cloak the cobbled streets and festive cheer can be heard from every pub in the village. This year, the official light switch-on was even conducted by Santa who, in proper Cornish style, arrived by lifeboat.

As well as enjoying the light displays throughout the town, December also offers several festive evenings, full of local bands, carol singers, choirs and of course, mulled wine and hot chocolate to keep you warm.

It’s a truly beautiful place at any time of year, but certainly worth a visit at Christmas.

8. Go for a cosy Christmas drink in Cornwall

Location: Anywhere

Price: Your drink of choice

A bit like wild swimming, there are so many great places to go for a cosy Christmas drink across Cornwall throughout December. Most places are lit up with beautiful twinkling displays and offering festive tipples, as well as local favourites.

Sure, I know this item might seem a little vague, so that's why I'm also going to share some of my personal favourite places to go for a drink during December (and let's face it, any other time of year), these are:

• The Blackflag Brewery - Perranporth

• The Tapyard Riverside - Truro

• Blue Bar - Porthtowan

• The Tap House - St Agnes

• The Sloop Inn - St Ives

• Concho Lounge - Newquay

• Finn McCouls - Falmouth

If you don't get a chance to experience these places at Christmas, I implore you to go any other time of year because they are always wonderful.

But, of course, whatever you do, I hope you have an incredible time this festive season.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Tash

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What is a freelancer?

If you've landed on this article, it’s probably because you’re thinking about becoming a freelancer, but you’re not quite sure what this means for your career. 

If so, yay! This can be a very exciting time for anyone. 

But there’s no denying that it’s also a big decision and knowing as much as you can about being a freelancer can help you to make the right choice. 

I’ll admit, I was quite fortunate when I chose to start my freelance life. 

I started my life of content as a copywriter and transitioned into a PR and communications role. But I was still in the very early stages of my career, so although I was giving up a guaranteed paycheck, I was young, and had very few commitments. 

Basically, what I’m saying is I was not leaving a sturdy £60,000 salary behind me. 

It’s a little different if you’ve got a mortgage to pay, kids to feed or any other monthly expenses and commitments that might be at risk. 

All that being said, I have now been a freelancer for six years, supporting myself and always making sure I can pay the rent. Sure, although I don’t have kids or a mortgage, I do have a husband and a very needy little whippet. 

But enough of that, I guess what I’m trying to say is I’ve managed to make a continuous and liveable wage as a freelancer - and you can too. 

But what is a freelancer and what do they do? 

What is freelancing? 

Freelancing is a type of self-employment in which most professionals will lend their skills to several different clients rather than having just one employer. 

Freelancers typically work on a project or contract basis and as they aren’t committed to long-term contracts (unless they want to be) this is a much more flexible way of working. 

Some freelancers may have their own office, they may use shared workspaces and many, like me, will work from home. 

Who hires freelancers? 

Any company or even an individual can hire a freelancer to help them with their business needs. 

From small startups to Fortune 500s, even individuals who just need a hand, they will hire freelancers to help them with specific tasks or to fill specific skills gaps. 

For businesses, this is usually a more cost-effective solution as it means they don’t have to hire a full-time employee. 

So basically, it doesn't matter what industry or niche you want to work in, there tends to be freelance opportunities in every sector. 

From web design to cybersecurity, marketing to dog walking, you can be a freelancer in any industry provided you have the right skills and the drive to make it happen. 

How does freelancing work?

In the early stages, setting up a freelance business is the same as setting up any other business. 

You need to create an online presence, whether that’s a website, social media accounts, newsletters or a mixture of digital platforms. This is important for getting your name out there. 

As a freelancer, you will also have to think about: 

• Whether you will be a sole trader or a limited company 

• Invoicing and tracking expenses 

• Completing your tax returns each year

• Getting freelance insurance 

• Opening a business account and buying any assets you require 

• Where you’ll work from 

• Drafting relevant freelance contracts 

Where freelancing really differs from a regular job is that you have to build your own client list. You have to be proactive at putting yourself out there, looking for work and attracting potential clients. 

So, as you can see, there’s a lot to think about in the early stages and becoming a trusted freelancer takes time. 

But everyone has to start somewhere, so if you’re thinking about taking the leap, don’t let that put you off. 

The advantages and disadvantages of being a freelancer 

There are lots of reasons you might be thinking about starting a freelance career and I can tell you, it certainly has its perks. For example:

• You get to be your own boss

• You get extra flexibility and the chance to work hours that better suit you

• You can pick and choose the projects you do and don’t want to do 

• You can work remotely, from home or from your chosen office location 

• You keep all your profits (apart from those that you owe the tax man, of course) 

Let me give a great example. Yesterday, I took two to three hours over lunch to go for a beautiful coastal walk with my husband and dog. I wouldn’t get way with that if I worked for someone else! 

But, of course, as with everything in life, there are also some disadvantages to choosing the freelance lifestyle and you need to think about these carefully too. These might include: 

• Having to work hard to pull in clients 

• Keeping work coming in on a regular basis 

• Dealing with irregular payments and clients settling invoices late

• Tackling all issues, invoices, complaints and any other setbacks you may face

And if I’m being honest, it can also be a lonely world, especially if you work from home and don’t talk to anyone throughout the day. So it really depends on your lifestyle and network outside of your freelancing and whether or not you’ll work with others in person as part of your job. 

If you’ve been thinking about the freelance life and asking yourself, but really, what is a freelancer, here is a brief overview of what it means to manage your work and career in this way. 

Sure, every individual is different and your experience is unlikely to be the same as someone else, but the more knowledge you have going in, the more you can prepare yourself for the freelance life. 

That, or you might decide that perhaps it’s not the career move for you. 

Either way, I wish you the best of luck! 

Need a lift? Here are 28 stand-up comedies to make you smile

Many, many moons ago, my dad was driving me back down to uni as he did at the start of each new term and I was talking his ear off about how I needed to start a blog to work on my writing.

Knowing how much I loved it, he suggested I write a blog about stand-up comedy.

Sadly, I did not take this advice.

And more fool me!

Had I got my butt in gear and started writing about comedy way back then, maybe I could be a serious critic or comedy journalist by now; getting invited to gigs and meeting some of my favourite stand-ups.

But alas, I was busy being a student and back then my affections were largely directed towards disco pants, crop tops, dancing the night away with my housemates and my first big city love, Brighton.

But I thought, perhaps for just one blog post, I’d take my dad's advice and write a little something about the stand-up comedy world I love so much.

It's going to be pretty straightforward, but if it can spread a little joy, then I've done my job.

So, this one’s for your Papa Sweets.

Here are 28 of my favourite comedians and their subsequent stand-ups, along with some of the best TV shows and podcasts out there that are sure to make you smile.

Some of my favourite stand-up comedy shows

Let me start by clarifying, as this will quickly become apparent, Sean Lock is by far one of my favourite comics and his sad passing makes his work even more special to me.

So as you can see, I have a lot of love and appreciation for this man and I implore you to watch all of his shows if you get the chance.

The same applies to Dylan Moran.

Some of my favourite shows include:

Sean Lock:

Purple Van Man

Keep it Light

Lockipedia

Greg Davies:

You Magnificent Beast

The Back of My Mum’s Head

Paul Chowdhry:

Live Innit

James Acaster:

Repertoire

Romesh Ranganathan:

The Cynic

Dylan Moran:

What It Is

Monster

Yeah, Yeah

Donald Glover:

Weirdo

Taylor Tomlinson:

Quarter-Life Crisis

Sets from the top comedy venues

There is an incredible series on Amazon Prime called Soho Theatre Live and some of the sets on there are just wonderful to watch. If you've got the time, I suggest you go through and watch them all but if you would like to know where to start, I recommend:

• Dane Baptiste: D.A.N.E

• Suzi Ruffell: Dance Like Everyone's Watching

• Felicity Ward: Busting a Nut

• Olga Koch: Homecoming

• Jen Brister: Meaningless

• Nish Kumar: Ruminations on the Nature of Subjectivity

• Sindhu Vee: Sandhog

• Catherine Bohart: Immaculate

• Sarah Keyworth: Dark Horse

• Jessica Fostekew: Hench

Huge, huge, huge shout out to the last one on this list, Jessica Fostekew. I cannot recommend her show, Hench enough.

Her brutal honesty about childbirth, parenting, eating disorders and having thick thighs is so raw and refreshing.

I laughed so hard I cried and had to turn the TV off while I ate my lunch because I couldn’t eat whilst laughing that much.

Watch Live at The Apollo

Perhaps one of the best-known stand-up shows on TV is Live at the Apollo. There have been hundreds of shows so far, but based on their sets, I highly recommend:

• Henning Wehn

• Doc Brown

• Nina Conti

• Ivo Graham

• Guz Khan

• Chris McCausland

• Kerry Godliman

• Rosie Jones

• Fern Brady

• Alex Edelman

And if you can’t find their stand-up sets from Live at the Apollo, there is plenty of their other content online, so keep these names in mind.

Best comedy podcasts

If you prefer podcasts or you like to have something to listen to in the car or on a walk, there are also loads of great stand-up comedies on Spotify (or whatever music platform you choose).

For one thing, you can listen to lots of stand-up sets on there, you just can't watch the comedian on stage, which is perhaps only best if you've already seen them.

But there are also some amazing podcasts out there and a few of my favourites are:

• Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster

• Where There’s a Will There’s a Wake with Kathy Burke

• The Wolf and Owl with Romesh Ranganathan and Tom Davis

• The Paul Chowdhry Pudcast with, you guessed it, Paul Chowdhry

The top TV shows

If you want something easy-watching that you can relax to in the evening or that you can have on in the background, some of the best TV shows out there include:

• 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown

• Taskmaster

• Outsiders

• Hypothetical

• Would I lie to You

• Backstage with Katherine Ryan

The year of comedy

I am SO excited for next year as I have a couple of stand-up gigs booked already. To go and see obviously... I’m not going to be performing.

I’m hoping to get a couple more booked in as we have some pretty good acts playing down here in Cornwall, and if not, my sister lives near The Anvil in Basingstoke, another great venue with some huge names.

This year is going to be a big stand-up comedy year for me and I cannot wait.

Here's an old photo of us a few years back at a Dylan Moran show to finish with. And if you do take my advice and watch any of the shows or sets listed above, please do let me know what you think!