...me and Mrs H were there 2 years ago and had a nice time pottering about and, yes, enjoying the odd pasty. The touristy stuff we did was organised by our friend Sarah, who lives near Lands End, so - alas - I can recall none of the where's/how-tos about those places! But I would certainly recommend the Minack theatre - open theatre like a greek semi amphitheatre, created on a cliff by the sea. Open to visitors, with exhibition/history etc, whether there's a play or concert happening or not (and chances are there will be).

But the thing about the Lost Gardens of Heligan is... will you be able to find them?!

I live in Cornwall and we tend to pull up the drawbridge at Jazzjet Towers during the tourist season. However, some suggestions :

Flambards theme park ( near Helston ) is pretty highly regarded.

Best beaches ( a highly personal view ) - Sennen Cove, Porthtowan, Holywell Bay. Perranporth is a bit popular for my liking but has the advantage of having the UK's only pub on a beach - The Watering Hole. Porthtowan also has a nice beach-side restaurant, The Blue Bar.

Lanhydrock is a nice country house to visit. Not too far from Bodmin.

Loads of gardens - Trebah, Trevarno, Trelissick ( unwritten rule that all Cornish gardens have to start with Tre )

If your 2 year old is cycle friendly ( ie transportable ) then there's a good cycle trail from Portreath to Devoran. There's a good pub at the end of the trail in Devoran, the Old Quay Inn.

As far as beer goes, try and find some Betty Stogs by Skinners Brewery and you won't be sorry. Doom Bar by Sharps is OK as well.

And Colin H is right about the Minack theatre. The nearby Portcurno beach is nice too and the Telegraph museum there is interesting, but maybe not for a 2 year old.

Have a great time.

If you head west for a day then try Anne's Pasties at the Lizard, Kennack Sands is beautiful, The National Seal Sanctuary at Gweek, the Ferryboat Inn on the Helford, and Trebah Gardens is wonderful.

...Doc Martin's village in a pleasant cove (ie unlike the Doc). It's on the north coast and I'm sure Jazzjet or someone else will recall its real name...

as for Heligan: maybe that's why its gardens were lost - they didn't begin with Tre- so no one could find them in the 19th century phone directory...

Fowey is probably my favourite spot, but you have to park outside and walk down into the town. There's a small beach at Readymooney Cove with its own car park.

Depending on where your cottage is, you might find that the nearest beach is Par Sands. It's not the prettiest location because the harbour is nearby, but it's a decent beach and worth a try if you're passing.

If you're a National Trust member then there's plenty of places including Lanhydrock and Trelissick. They invariably have very kiddie-friendly cafes for lunching.

Eden is good but very expensive. You can buy your tickets elsewhere (e.g. Fowey) beforehand to save queueing when you get there.

Don't go to the Pandora Inn in Mylor - it was fab but it pretty much burned down in March. Sounds like they're planning to rebuild it though.

If you can bear the travelling, the aquarium in Plymouth is great. if not, there's also one in Newquay by the beach which is on a smaller scale but worthwhile.

If you're going to Heligan then Mevagissey is nearby and worth a look.

... Given that you may need indoor activities for the littl'un (this is Wimbledon fortnight after all!) then we found that the indoor soft-play on the outskirts of St Austell (next to Market World or something from memory) helped kill an afternoon...
Also, a good leisure pool with slides etc at Newquay.
Enjoy!

...I'm told they're filming a new series at the moment, so may or may not be a good time to visit, depending on your point of view.

Other things (ups all round for suggestions so far): can take or leave Tate St Ives (though crab sandwiches are good) but Barbara Hepworth's studio is essential. Kids love it too.

Wandering round the Lizard; a day in Penzance; a trip on the King Harry Ferry to or from Falmouth/the Roseland; Daymer Bay near Rock and then the ferry across the Camel to Padstow for fish & chips (Rick Stein's if budget allows); alternatively cycle ride from Wadebridge to Padstow and back, 5 easy miles each way; NT house at Cotehele plus Morwellham Quay on the Tamar; all favourites. Plus Tresco on the Scillies by chopper from Penzance, though obviously expensive and if it's raining you're screwed.

Avoid Land's End.

they garduns at 'eligans awright, but oi much prefer these yer:

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-glendurgangarden

There are several mining museums, and they are all worth visiting, especially given that it used to be said that if you found a hole in the ground anywhere on the planet, there would be a Cornishman digging at the bottom of it:

http://www.kingedwardmine.co.uk/

And if you find yourselves in Truro, the Cathedral is magnificent:

http://www.trurocathedral.org.uk/

would be a Cornishman digging at the bottom of it"

No wonder they're all so pasty faced... :-D

Just up the road from Land's End is St Just, with the terrific Star Inn right in the middle in the square. A pint of St.Austell's HSD can't fail to please, and when I went there (OK, years ago) they had a terrific proper jukebox.

Oh, and Polperro is splendid for a day out.

-Newquay zoo - not too big, but you get really close to some of the critters.

Near St Austell.....excellent if you/the nipper are into proper old sailing ships and shipwrecks.

Hope the weather improves for you. It's been p*****g down here all day and most of the last week off and on. Waterproofs advised, although our postman wears shorts all year round, even in December.

in Boscastle is fascinating. Maybe not so great for the two year old but if you need a new scrying mirror...

you drive through Saltash (no reason to stop) you may well see my birthplace. I believe the blue plaque is due up any day now.

In SE Cornwall Mount Edgcumbe park is worth a visit, but it's bit of a trek from St Austell - if you get kicked out early on the last day and don't have too long a drive home it could be a decent place to break a journey after an hour or so. If you do make the trip into Plymouth for the aquarium, which is indeed very good, you'll be right in the heart of the Barbican, which is some lovely old cobbled streets round the quayside, notable for being the only part of the town not levelled by the Luftwaffe.

Beerwise, I second the vote for Doom Bar, and would also suggest a good pint of Tribute, from the St Austell brewery, who do a pretty decent range of beers.

You've got some good ideas already but this is worth an afternoon out...

Callestock Cider Farm near Truro. Lots of stuff to do and lots of cider to try out in the shop. That's the day to make sure that Mrs S is doing the driving!

http://www.thecornishcyderfarm.co.uk/

Here's a hint with the Eden project. Plan to go there early in the week and when you pay your entrance do it as a Gift Aid. Then instead of getting tickets for that day you'll get a year pass for no extra charge. It also means you can go back later in the week again if you want to or try a pretty good way of avoiding the worst of the crowds. Instead of doing a whole day do two afternoons (when the crowds have died down a bit). You're at St Austell so that's easily doable.

Also while St Ives is VERY touristy it's very lovely. Just make sure that you have some of the ice cream at Hart's Ice Cream Parlour on the harbour. http://www.stivestrust.co.uk/html/hart_s_ices.html Best ice cream ANYWHERE! Yum!

Finally, Tintagel Castle is a magical place to wander around.
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/tintagel-castle/

Oh, and St Michael's Mount is worth a visit too. Time it right and you can walk over to the mount on the causeway and then get the boat back as the tide comes in - or vice versa depending on the tide times.

http://www.stmichaelsmount.co.uk/

Good to see you've got the Lost Gardens of Heligan on the list - they're great. Look out for the grass sculptures scattered around the woodland paths and the jungle area is great, particularly if Jr is into dinosaurs at all. Very prehistoric looking.

Lovely place, (if a bit small), very critter friendly.

On the A30 just by the Newquay turn is Indian Queens, as in the Nick Lowe song. Although when I saw NL he said he wrote the song after regularly driving past the sign for it, thinking what a lovely name it is...but he then said he'd visited there and "it makes Perivale look like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon".

One for completists possibly...

I knew I could rely on you good folk.

Lots of ideas.
Let's just hope we get some good weather...but we have "indoor" options as a back-up.

Thanks again
David