Trenannick Cottages, near Crackington Haven

One of the first things that many of our new guests say when they arrive is how quiet and remote the cottages feel, which is probably due to the last few miles drive along quiet country lanes, surrounded by open countryside, with on a clear day views of Lundy and a few farms which can be seen in the distance. The cottages are located at the end of a tree lined drive with nothing to see but distant views towards Dartmoor, the fields leading to Warbstow Bury Iron Age hill fort and the cottage gardens, so they are right in that respect, it is quiet. The cottages may feel remote initially, but our guests soon get to know that we are less than two miles from the A39 Atlantic Highway, which opens up the north Cornish and Devon coasts.

Crackington Haven is our nearest beach, five miles and about ten minutes away by car. This is our and many of our guest’s favourite place, whether it be a days sunbathing, surfing, rock pooling or walking, Crackington Haven is laid back and relaxed. With only two car parks the beach doesn’t get as busy as many of the larger beaches along the coast. Knowing the tide times is quite important when planning your day out. At low tide there is a sizeable sandy beach together with enough rock pools to keep young and the young at heart happy for many a long hour. The best time to surf is at mid tide and with the surf being lower than at Widemouth (just along the coast) this is an ideal place for beginners to perfect their skills. At high tide only a small pebbly beach remains, so walking along the coastal path or taking it easy in the pub or one of the two cafes and enjoying the scenery is the order of the day.

Walking south along the coastal footpath takes in Cambeak and a little further to Little Strand and The Strangles, two beaches which due to the effort needed to get to them are always quiet. Those of an energetic disposition can continue passed the beaches to the aptly named High Cliff, which at 735 feet is the highest sheer drop cliff in England.

Walking north takes you to the top of Pencarrow Point which at 430 feet gives you a fantastic view over the beach when looking south with dramatic rugged scenery when looking north towards Dizzard and Millook. For a good circular walk carry on to St. Gennys church.

North of Crackington Haven and on the way to Widemouth Bay is Millook. The lack of all but limited roadside parking at Millook makes this pebbly beach very quiet throughout the year, but it is worth the effort even if it just to see the superb geological formation of the cliff face. The descent by road into Millook is very steep, so I wouldn’t recommend it on an icy winters’ morning. If you can manage to park, there is a good walk into the woods which can bring you out near the coastal path for the descent back into Millook.

From Millook continue along the road towards Widemouth Bay. It is worth stopping at the viewpoint car park of Penhair Cliff where you get fantastic views along Widemouth Bay and further along to Bude. Widemouth Bay itself is a long sandy beach with rock pools, which is ideal for a family day out, building sandcastles, looking for fish, shrimps and crabs in the rock pools, honing those surfing skills or simple swimming or body boarding in the surf. There are a number of cafes on the edge of the beach, along with great fish and chips and a pub on the roadside overlooking the bay.

Just along the coast from Widemouth Bay and about 10 miles from our cottages stands Bude, which is the largest coastal town in this area and as such has a relatively large amount of shops, recreational facilities, a number of good beaches and the Bude Canal all of which provides a number of options for a varied day or couple of days out. The town itself has shops ranging from large supermarkets to the small gift shops, with a large range of restaurants from Indian and oriental to fish and chips. Near the supermarket can be found ‘Splash’ swimming pool which has a wave machine and water slide, which is next door to Harlequins with its climbing area for the younger members of the family and indoor go karts and ten pin bowling for the slightly older. Sometimes it may rain in North Cornwall so this is the perfect place to entertain the family whilst you wait for the sun to reappear. When the sun is out, there is a pitch and putt course for the novice golfer, Bude and North Cornwall Golf Club, a challenging links course (you may need your handicap certificate) for the more experienced, and a skateboarding park for the highly energetic.

The largest beach in Bude is Summerleaze which connect to Crooklets at low tide. Summerleaze is a very large sandy beach, with a sea pool, bordered by the canal one side and sand dunes on the other. With surfing being possible at all tides and being suitable for beginners through to experts, the beach is perfect for this sport. Body boarding is also enjoyed by young and old alike. At anything but high tide there is plenty of room for the children to run around, play football, cricket or simply dig moats around their mum and dad. When you have had enough sun, swimming, surfing etc a few steps takes you to a great café where you can enjoy a cooling drink whilst overlooking all the activities on the beach below.

The Bude Canal which today is great for fishing, boating or taking a leisurely walk, was built in the early 1820’s to take calcium rich sea sand to the inland farmers who needed to improve their soil. Walking along the Canal to the sea lock at Summerleaze Beach gives you a totally different viewpoint of Bude. Continue along the breakwater at low tide and you get a great view of the beach and the coast looking northwards.

Going south from Crackington Haven you will arrive at Boscastle, now famous following the floods of August 2004. Boscastle was founded in the medieval period based around the narrow natural harbour which now forms the basis of any day trip. From the main car park it is a short walk passed a pub, pottery, gift shops, cafes and restaurants which forms the hub of the village to the river leading down to the harbour. An easy walk takes you to the Witchcraft Museum and then over the new bridge to the quayside and then up to the Lookout from where you can sit down and marvel at the view. Walks north towards Crackington Haven and south towards Bossiney and Tintagel along the coastal footpath are dramatic. With planning boat trips can be organised for wreck fishing or down the coast to Long Island. Evening entertainment is based around the local pubs which have both good food and live music, making for an enjoyable evening out.

Continuing south out of Boscastle towards Tintagel can be found Rocky Valley, where you can park by the side of the road. A walk through the woods leads to the ruins of Trewethet Mill where you can see bronze age/Victorian (who knows) maze carvings and a small shrine. From the mill keep heading towards the coast where the views are well worth the effort. If you have plenty of time you can continue south to Bossiney, a sandy cove at low tide and on to Tintagel.

Tintagel has the usual range of shops, cafes and pubs but the walk down to the castle is the main reason for visiting the village. Castle Island can be found at the end of the track and is the legendary birthplace of King Arthur. A new footbridge takes you to the island and the imaginative amongst you can take yourselves back to those times. Merlins cave sits at the foot of the castle and can be entered at low tide; here too your imagination can take you back to the anything but legendary smugglers, who were known to have used the cave. Once back in the village a visit to The Old Post Office, a 600 year old Cornish longhouse owned by The National Trust is well worth a visit.

Just before you get to Camelford on the A39 you can take a left turn signposted Rough Tor which after a couple of miles takes you to the car park at the foot of Rough Tor on Bodmin Moor. The path to Rough Tor summit standing at 1312 feet is clearly marked and from the top you get fantastic views of the unspoilt moorland with the remains of Bronze Age settlement clearly visible. In the distance stands Brown Willy which at 1375 feet is the highest point in Cornwall. If the weather is fine Brown Willy is a relatively easy walk, but if the mist comes down be prepared with a map and compass.

Twenty minutes in the opposite direction takes you to Launceston the ancient capital of Cornwall, which is dominated by the 11th Century castle built by Brian de Bretagne, a walk to the top of which gives fantastic views over the town. The town itself has a range of shops which caters for your day to day needs and is a relaxing shopping experience for an hour or two. Launceston steam railway takes you a couple of miles out of town to Newmills, the train being hauled by Quarry Hunslet locomotives dating back to as early as 1883. Entertainment for the children can be found between Launceston and the cottages at Trethorne Leisure Farm where there is an indoor/outdoor play area, animals and ten pin bowling all of which is located next to an 18 hole parkland golf course. Hidden Valley just along the road has an old mining town with a railway as the backdrop, with a treasure hunt of cryptic clues taking you all around the site. From personal experience you start off taking the children for a day out and then you take over, it’s addictive.

Overlooking the cottages and an easy walk along a quiet country lane and across fields takes you to Warbstow Bury Iron Age hill fort, which is the second largest and best preserved hill fort in Cornwall. The ditches and ramparts are impressive and the views from the top are stunning from Dartmoor in the south to Lundy in the north and everything in between. If the walk up the hill is too daunting you can park your car at the top.

Amazingly all the above can be found within 20 -25 minutes of the cottages, so we may be quiet but we certainly are not remote!