Month by month
Cornwall in May 2027: daylight, weather, holidays and dog rules
Photograph to come Cornwall in May.
What to expect in Cornwall in May 2027: sunrise and sunset, long-term average weather, bank and school holidays, and which beach rules apply.
Daylight
Sunrise and sunset in Truro (UK local time), from our own calculation using NOAA solar equations. Expect them to be within a minute or two.
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 May 2027 | 05:56 | 20:38 | 14h 42m |
| 15 May 2027 | 05:34 | 20:59 | 15h 26m |
| 31 May 2027 | 05:16 | 21:20 | 16h 04m |
Average weather in May
Averages for May over 1991–2020 at the Met Office weather station at Camborne. We calculated them from Met Office historic station data. They are long-term averages, not a forecast.
- Average daily high
- 14.5°C
- Average nightly low
- 8.8°C
- Average rainfall
- 61 mm
- Average sunshine
- 208 hours
- Average days of air frost
- 0.0
Bank and school holidays
- Early May bank holiday: Monday 3 May 2027
- Spring bank holiday: Monday 31 May 2027
Bank holidays from GOV.UK.
- Summer term continues. Half term runs from Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027.
School dates for Cornwall’s Community and Voluntary-Controlled schools, from Cornwall Council. Academies and other schools may differ.
Beaches in May
Dogs: from 15 May, dogs are banned between 10am and 6pm on 11 beaches, and from 21 May dogs must be on a lead between 10am and 6pm at Summerleaze, Bude. The 34 beaches with a 1 July – 31 August ban are open to dogs in May. Three places have an all-year, 24-hour ban: Carnsew Pool, Copperhouse Pool and Hayle Estuary. Privately owned beaches can set their own rules, and the council’s other dog orders (such as picking up after your dog) apply all year.
Beaches with a 10am–6pm dog ban from 15 May:
- Carbis Bay Beach, Carbis Bay
- Crackington Haven, Bude
- Crooklets Beach, Bude
- Gyllyngvase Beach, Falmouth
- Polzeath Beach, Polzeath
- Porthmeor Beach, St Ives
- Porthminster Beach, St Ives
- Porthtowan Beach, Porthtowan
- Sennen Beach, Sennen
- Trevone Beach, Padstow
- Widemouth Beach, Bude
These are the restrictions in Cornwall Council’s current orders (council page last updated 23 October 2026). Councils review orders, so check the full list and the council page before you travel.
Water quality: the Environment Agency’s bathing season ran from 15 May to 30 September in 2026; check the EA site to confirm the 2027 dates. During the season the EA samples each bathing water regularly and publishes pollution risk forecasts for some beaches. Sampling starts mid-month, so early May has no official results yet. Check the Environment Agency bathing water site on the day.
Lifeguards: Cornwall Council says the RNLI’s main lifeguard season runs from May to September and varies by beach, so not every beach has lifeguards in May or September. Check the RNLI lifeguarded beach finder before you swim.
Tides: check BBC tide tables, as the council advises, and allow time to get off the beach before dark.
Browse all 87 beaches in our guide.
What’s on in May
Events, markets and live music across Cornwall are listed on our sister site: Share Cornwall’s events calendar.
Sources and checks
- Met Office: Camborne historic station data – 1991–2020, our calculation, Open Government Licence v3.0
- GOV.UK: bank holidays
- GOV.UK: when do the clocks change
- Cornwall Council: school term dates – 2026/27 and 2027/28
- Cornwall Council: dogs on beaches – last updated 23 October 2026
- Cornwall Council: beach safety – last updated 1 April 2026
Last checked: . Published by Oaknest Media. How we check: editorial policy.