Clown Coaster

There's a giant fibreglass clown head looming over the A389 near Little Petherick, and yes, it's exactly as wonderfully bonkers as it sounds. The Clown Coaster was built in the 1970s as a theme park ride turned roadside oddity, and it's the sort of thing you either find utterly charming or deeply unsettling - probably both. The oversized clown face with its gaping mouth serves as the entrance to what was once a proper theme park; these days it's more of a curiosity stop for road trippers heading to Padstow. Kids absolutely lose their minds when they spot it from the car, which is half the appeal. Adults get a laugh out of the sheer vintage weirdness of it all.

It's genuinely free to have a look and snap photos - you're just pulling over on the roadside, really. Ten minutes maximum unless you're the type who wants to document every angle and contemplate the passage of time. The thing's faded and weathered, which somehow makes it better. It's not trying to be slick or Instagram-perfect; it's just been there for fifty years, doing its thing.

If you're staying at Padstow Holiday Village nearby, this is a daft little detour on the drive in or out - the sort of thing that becomes a family running joke for years afterwards. Don't go expecting a full day out, but don't miss it either. It's proper Cornwall eccentricity.