Coworking culture is on the rise in Cornwall, transforming one of the UK’s most beautiful regions into a vibrant hub for remote working. Communal working spaces have sprung up across the county in its seaside towns and historic centres like flowers from freshly watered earth. Want to make the most of your remote working freedom in the post-pandemic world? To help you find your ideal coworking space in Cornwall, we paid a visit to a whole spectrum of options, and we compile our favourites in this guide.
Coworking spaces in Cornwall: an introduction
Working from home, despite all the perks it brings, can be lonely at times… sound familiar? We love the freedom, but often find ourselves seeking a change of scenery. Coworking can help to bring back that sense of community you’ve been yearning for.
Remote working culture was already rising before it was exploded by the pandemic, and Cornwall is a place that has leapt to the forefront. A wide selection of vibrant coworking spaces have appeared here over the last few years, offering a great choice of environments for any remote worker.
This is great news for us, as Cornwall has always been like our home away from home. Now it can be our remote office as well! This flexibility has meant we’ve been able to come back to Cornwall in winter and spend more time here.
All of the coworking spaces in Cornwall we feature in this compilation offer day or week rates in addition to longer-term arrangements such as memberships.
As occasional visitors to Cornwall, these flexible options are a deal-breaker for us. The county makes a fantastic base for a workation, as you can combine your working days with water adventures, exploring the coastline or journeying deeper into the county. Our ultimate guide to taking a workation in Cornwall gives a complete overview to piece together your itinerary.
So, where can you find Cornwall’s best coworking spaces? Let’s get started with the county’s most famous surfing town…
Coworking spaces in Newquay
Newquay, perched midway along the north coast of Cornwall, has built a reputation as a world-class destination for surfing and watersports. In recent years, this lively seaside town has also become a hub for coworking spaces.
These two cultures make excellent companions. What could be better than sneaking away from your desk for a cheeky half hour break in the sea?
Whether or not you are a watersports enthusiast, the wealth of activities in Newquay make it a convenient and highly enjoyable base for remote working and exploration. The town has more coworking spaces than anywhere else in Cornwall!
With a range of styles and different creative environments, you are spoiled for choice…
DeskHop HQ
DeskHop HQ has reimagined one of Newquay’s oldest pubs by transforming it into a cool, laid-back coworking space.
Ye Olde Dolphin was a favourite among locals and tourists alike, famous for its Sunday roasts. But after it closed its doors permanently, the building sadly began falling into disrepair.
The DeskHop startup team identified it as the perfect location to building a working community, and after a careful restoration, the space opened in Sepember 2020. Jonty, the general manager, showed me around.
What struck me instantly about the space at DeskHop is that many of the elements of the pub have been kept intact and integrated into the working environment.
The old bar is still in place as a private hangout area, with a pool table and comfy sofas bringing the chilled-out vibe. It’s almost like having your own pub lock-in with colleagues right next to your workspace.
In a touch of genius, the former booth-style pub seating has been repurposed into private working desk booths, which works an absolute treat.
To the rear of the building, the main working area at DeskHop provides a more open setting for workers who prefer a sociable atmosphere. This room faces out onto the ocean, with natural light streaming in through the windows.
Up on the top floor is a space for workshops and meetings, as well as a communal kitchen area.
With a day pass available for £20, or a dedicated desk for £165 a month, DeskHop HQ rates as one of the most charaterful options to base yourself for a working visit to Newquay.
Pentire House
Workationers with pets alert, because Pentire House is a coworking space in Newquay that allows you to bring your dogs to work!
I could barely believe it when I walked into the neat top floor space and saw a big cuddly dog sprawled out lazily on the floor. Needless to say, Lisa and I will be bringing our boy Regan here for a working day on our next visit to Cornwall.
For many visitors, though, the standout feature of Pentire house will be its incredible sea views. This is best from the top of the building, but each of the nautically-named floors (Sink Inn, Gun Deck, Main Deck, Crows Nest) has its own special view. Emma, the group manager at Pentire House, gave me a tour.
The very top floor (the Crows Nest) has an amazing outdoor terrace with panoramic sea views that can be enjoyed from its long refectory table. When the sun is out, this makes a gorgeous spot to get away from the desk for a coffee and chat with collagues.
The multi-floor setting allows for a range of fun and quirky facilities in Pentire House, with nooks and crannies for storage, bookshelves, event spaces for networking and yoga sessions, and – importantly – shower rooms for post-surfing.
As Emma explained to me, it’s a particularly popular coworking spot among the surfing community, and the handy facilities mean you can get from the waves back to the desk in a matter of minutes. Towan Beach, just below, is an excellent spot for the swell, and after leaving the building I stopped by to see some surfers in action.
While the majority of desks at Pentire House are rented out monthly, day passes are available for £20 on an ad-hoc basis whenever there is availability.
Mor Workspace
Located in a quieter area outside Newquay town centre, sandwiched between residential and industrial estates, Mor Workspace is a bright and modern hub for coworking.
The building has been transformed into a vibrant, colourful workspace while retaining some subtle callbacks to its origins as an old transport depot.
At the site I met Grace, Mor’s business hub coordinator, who told me a little more about the building’s back-story. For example, one of the working areas is named the Sprayroom in reference to its previous usage. Old features are still visible, such as an old industrial spray compressor by the kitchen and the original fire shutter doors fused into the outer structure.
Mor Workspace has been around since 2015, which actually makes it one of the longest-running coworking spaces in Newquay. The team has established various community links, including a partnership with Newquay Activity Centre, a local watersports and adventure company.
The surfing spirit feels intrinsic throughout the building, with boards doubling up as decoration, and pictures of team outings plastered on the walls. Mor is the Cornish word for sea, after all!
Most importantly, it feels like a highly creative and productive environment, with the expansive high-ceiling rooms filled with light and a sense of optimism. Coworkers at Mor can utilise a dedicated phone room when needing a bit of privacy to make a call, which has proved to be very popular in the Zoom era.
You can choose from a flexible range of packages, including a day rate of £35, or a week rate of £95.
Newquay Orchard
Set among a beautifully cultivated urban green space, Newquay Orchard is one of the town’s freshest coworking environments, opened in March 2021.
The entrance to the Orchard complex is next to the lower car park at Newquay Sports Centre. You will find the community building hidden away towards the far end of the grounds; to reach it you need to walk through the fruit orchards, wild woods, forest gardens and greeneries. This arrival alone is enough to calm the mind for a productive session at work!
Jaimie, the marketing and memberships officer, introduced me to the building – named Kowel Gwenen, which is Cornish for ‘beehive’ – and told me a bit more about the concept.
The Orchard is underpinned by sustainable values and supports a range of charitable and community initiatives. It’s not just a coworking space, but also a place thriving with activity among nature and creativity. You might find yourself working in the morning and taking part in gardening or outdoor cooking sessions in the afternoon.
The working environment at the Orchard exudes mindfulness and relaxation. Green terraces surround the community centre, where you can site outside for lunch, catch an outdoor performance or take part in regular yoga classes with the resident teacher.
The coworking space is located upstairs in a large and airy room that admits lots of natural light through its windows. Networking lunches are held regularly downstairs in the canteen, where I couldn’t help but notice the fabulous artwork on the walls.
Altogether, this feels like a really positive space to work and find community, whether you are on a passing visit or you live locally. It is especially well geared towards self-employed people, with the centre offering free support to startup business owners through its ‘Taking Root’ and ‘Branching Out’ programmes.
Flexible coworking arrangements are available, including day rates from £20, and a really cool flexi package that allows 100 hours access per month for £120.
Coworking spaces in Penzance and Truro
Penzance is a town that has always held a special significance for me, as my family have lived around this part of Cornwall for centuries. I’ve always seen it as a gateway to authentic Cornwall – the sparse and beautiful Penwith Peninsula, which extends to Land’s End at the extreme south-west of the UK.
The town itself is friendly, charming and quietly busy, without being inundated with tourists as you sometimes find in other seaside towns. It’s a place where you can intersperse your working hours with walks along the promenade, discovering independent shops and galleries, and some local fish and chips for lunch.
Our guides to things to do in Penzance and the best hotels in Penzance will help you piece together an itinerary for your remote working adventure in the town.
As my mother lives in Penzance, I spend more time there than anywhere else in Cornwall. Therefore, I was thrilled to discover that the town has a great coworking space…
Workbox Penzance
The Workbox in Penzance has a fantastic location, facing directly onto the waterfront and harbour. A couple of minutes’ walk in one direction takes you to the centre of town, and in the other leads you to the coastal path towards Long Rock beach.
This workspace – along with its counterpart in Truro (more on that below) – is owned by a charity, Norda Trust, and operated as a not-for-profit community interest company. Tim, director of the Workbox, told me about the background over a fresh coffee at the Penzance site.
Collaboration is at the heart of the Workbox’s values, and its vision is to provide an affordable workspace for anyone who wants to set up base in Cornwall, whether permanently, on a week’s holiday, or anything in between.
The workspace on the Penzance waterfront is filled with natural light that streams in through its tall front windows, augmented by the bright internal decor.
The interior provides a spacious, open-plan setting that is highly conducive to collaboration. Private booth spaces for making calls are also planned to be integrated soon.
The sense of community at Workbox is exemplified by how the organisation navigated the challenges of the pandemic, a time of great uncertainty and transition for coworking businesses.
While taking the steps needed to adapt its setup and operating model, Workbox also helped its members to access Covid grants, which enabled almost all of them to stay afloat.
A creative array of freelancers and small businesses are part of the community at Workbox. You will meet tech startups, photographers and sustainability initiatives among the longer-term users, while short-term workationers come and go.
The Workbox team really understand the needs of remote workers on workation, and cater for this type of visitor throughout the year. Short-term desks were made available once Covid rule changes allowed, and you can now use the space at a day rate of £25, or a week rate of £70.
Workbox Truro
Truro, Cornwall’s administrative centre and only city, doesn’t get too much attention as a tourist destination when compared to the likes of Newquay and St Ives. Despite coming to Cornwall every year of my life, I hadn’t visited Truro myself until very recently, and I was captivated by what I found.
Truro is an attractive place with a relaxed pace of life. There is plenty to see and do, but it’s not a melee of activity by any means. This makes it a great setting for the remote worker who is curious and wants to be connected, but also seeks a calm environment.
The Workbox in Truro upholds the same values as its sister site in Penzance; it’s all about creating a space where collaboration can happen, and creativity can thrive. Ellie, who is the reception manager at the Truro site, showed me around.
The space is different to the Penzance site in that it’s not quite as open-plan, and there are a few more nooks, crannies and smaller rooms to access.
Set in a repurposed three-story townhouse, each level provides a different setting. On the ground floor you are greeted by a stylish kitchen and a bright open working space. Downstairs there are further office desks as well as a boardroom, smaller breakout rooms, wall hotdesks and an outdoor seating area.
Location-wise, it couldn’t be more convenient. Perched on the edge of the city centre, handily on the train station side, you can enjoy quick access to the shops or explore further afield.
The lush Victoria Gardens and River Kenwyn are close at hand for a lunchtime picnic. Right across the road, you can sit down for a light lunch or buy some local produce at The Old Cheese Shop, where I was given a friendly welcome.
All considered, this workspace is a great alternative option for coworking in Cornwall. The day and week rates are £25/£70 in line with the Penzance site, although ongoing membership in Truro is slightly more expensive. See the Workbox website for the full details.
Coworking spaces in Falmouth
The buzzing seaside town of Falmouth is Cornwall’s largest settlement, and offers a little bit of everything to the fleeting remote worker.
With an array of sandy beaches, a lively surfing scene and plentiful nightlife, combined with a rich artistic tradition and colourful history, Falmouth is a place of contrasts and diversity. And, as a university town known for its creative student programmes, it is brimming with youth, art and exuberance. You’ll get a good sense of this in our guide to things to do in Falmouth.
Many of Falmouth’s students decide to stick around in the town after graduating, so captivated are they by the town’s community spirit and positive vibes. My own nephew is studying music in Falmouth and has already talked about staying long term.
Falmouth is not far behind Newquay when it comes the the emergence of a range of coworking spaces. Between the town and neighbouring Penryn, there are plenty of remote office settings to choose from.
The following two in particular caught my eye…
Rosya Space, Falmouth
Rosya Space in Falmouth is one of Cornwall’s newest coworking spaces. And at just £16 per day or £65 for a five-day week for a desk, you probably won’t find anywhere cheaper across the country!
With rates like that, you’d expect to be situated somewhere in the distant outskirts of town, right? In fact, Rosya Space couldn’t be more centrally positioned in Falmouth. It’s located above the Freeriders Surf shop on the Moor, which is essentially the main town square.
The surfing vibes continue through the building. Bella, who manages the space at Rosya, met me on a fresh morning in Falmouth and showed me upstairs, past a stack of surfboards by the workspace entrance.
‘Rosya’ is a Cornish word that means to surf the internet, which is doubly fitting! True to the city’s creative traditions, it also functions as a gallery and event space.
The idea behind Rosya is to create a friendly, flexible space where local creatives or visiting travellers can get some work done in a relaxed environment. Stepping inside you get the sense of a community room rather than a formal office.
The space is roomy with a high beamed ceiling, big wooden floorboards and an old fireplace feature. White wall-paint brings out the natural light, complementing the warm and homely feel of the building.
Workdesks are dotted spaciously around the lower section, while stairs lead up to more desks and a communal kitchen on a mezzanine floor above.
Opening hours for coworking at Rosya Space are 10am–5:30pm Monday to Friday. I quite like this model as it would help me keep a lid on my working hours! Morning calls at home, catch some surf, head to the desk for some project work, and knock off in time for a seafront walk and dinner. That sounds like my kind of working day.
Fastnet House, Falmouth
Situated on a business park a couple of miles outside town, Fastnet House is a slick and stylish coworking space. It’s set in a large and super-secure industrial building with ample parking space outside.
Fastnet House was originally the workspace of Fastnet Agency, which specialises in marketing for the marine sector. The team has grown the space into a modern hub for coworking.
The marine theme is sprinkled into the building’s design. Look out for the circular nautical windows as you enter, boat-steering-wheel-esque clocks on the walls, and a large boat-shaped meeting table upstairs.
I was welcomed by the agency team, who lit up the roaring fire by the plush leather sofas. This setting is lovely for those quick coffee breaks, reading the morning papers or catching up with coworkers.
The facilities are superb and pristinely clean. The whole building has a feeling of professionalism and quiet respect, where you can get your head down on that vital project or welcome clients with pride. Desks are spacious and well-kept.
In this way, Fastnet House lends itself really well for longer-term coworking. But short-term hotdesking is available too. You can hire a desk for £25 per day, £75 per week or £150 per month.
Coworking space in Cornwall: map
The map below shows the locations of the coworking spaces in Cornwall we have featured in this article
Interested to learn more about the concept of a workation, and why it’s a great idea? See our ultimate guide to workations.
Do you have a favourite coworking space in Cornwall? Let us know about your experiences in the comments below.
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