Cornwall  this  summer. (2017)

Farming, fishing and tourism, was pretty much it after the mines closed and the dockyard was privatised.

Things have changed in a big way, Cornwall's economy has been turning inside out in a largely unnoticed transformation.

We now farm the wind and the Sun, and already generate more power at peak times than the County can cope with. Changes from central government and planning law have covered prime agricultural land in Cornwall with composite glass panels. The theory is that stock can graze under and in between the arrays. Next time you drive past one, ask yourself have you ever seen a farm animal inside a solar park?

The wind turbines have brought their own controversy with NIMBYs crawling out of the woodwork and disclaiming the windmills from the comfort of their hybrid four by fours. Then we have the wave plug, an underwater extension lead that allows the testing and ultimately full-scale use of marine renewable Energy generators. These range from conventional turbines right through to Gwave's 32,000 ton Power generation vessel designed to rock with the swell and generate energy from weights that move within it as the vessel pitches with the waves.

The overall plan is to regenerate and tap into the high-tech expertise in the Redruth and Camborne areas that have been effectively in dry storage since deep rock mining stopped in Cornwall.

Then we have a lithium............... the next big thing for the county. Mind-boggling amounts of money to be made according to the press and another high-tech industry to be developed/revived from our mining heritage.  All this adds up to loads of quality support infrastructure that makes Cornwall a better visit: roads, restaurants, hotels, Ziplines, venues, even decent coffee!

All well and good, and the future is bright.

What we do have is an incredible tourism industry that has embraced the changes in modern tastes, and has reinvented itself to appeal to every new sector of the market. We still have the world's best budget holiday parks,  One stop shops that give great value and epic holidays. This has long been the mainstay of Cornish tourism and long may it remain so.

Cornwall has now adopted and embraced the sophisticated, moneyed market that could holiday anywhere but chooses Cornwall for its beaches, beauty and service. We now have fast roads to get you here, world-class restaurants, and an incredibly exciting and diverse activity sector. From climbing to surfing, coasteering, cycling, walking, sailing, Heritage tours and skydiving we rival New Zealand for the thrills and anywhere on the planet for almost everything else. Our demographic has widened from Butlins to Royals, caravans to super yachts and they're all loving it.

Get searching and get down here, we're ready!