North Cornwall
This huge, white sandy beach is the best on this side of the estuary, so unsurprisingly it's packed in midsummer – but it's large enough that you can usually find a patch of sand for yourself, even on the prime days. It's a good location for water sports, and a starting point for several pleasant cliff walks.
Note that high tide reduces the sand acreage quite substantially.
15.96 MILES
Looking like a cross between a lunar landing station and a James Bond villain's lair, the gigantic hemispherical greenhouses of the Eden Project have…
13.1 MILES
This magnificent manor, 2.5 miles southeast of Bodmin, offers a fascinating insight into Upstairs, Downstairs life in Victorian England. The house was…
10.69 MILES
Famous as the supposed birthplace of King Arthur, Tintagel's epic clifftop castle has been occupied since Roman times and once served as a residence for…
19.69 MILES
This is Cornwall's real-life secret garden. Formerly the family estate of the Tremaynes, Heligan's magnificent 19th-century gardens fell into disrepair…
24.07 MILES
Grandly located at the head of the Fal estuary, 4 miles south of Truro, Trelissick is one of Cornwall's most beautiful aristocratic estates, with a formal…
22.32 MILES
Two miles from St Agnes is one of Cornwall's most beautiful coves, Chapel Porth, a wild, rocky beach framed by steep, gorse-covered cliffs, owned by the…
11.89 MILES
Hidden away in a secret valley, this little glen feels like something from a fairy tale. Fringed by climbing ivy and shrubs, a 60ft waterfall tumbles…
28.17 MILES
Strategically sited to command an uninterrupted field of fire over the entrance to Falmouth Bay in tandem with Pendennis Castle, on the opposite side of…
0.4 MILES
Up on the dunes above Daymer Bay so adored by John Betjeman, this seaside chapel is where the poet was buried on a drizzly Cornish day in May 1984. It…
0.7 MILES
Given how close it is to Padstow, this grand beach stays surprisingly quiet most of the year. It looks out over the mouth of the Camel Estuary and, thanks…
1.27 MILES
Much favoured by directors of costume dramas and period films, this stately Grade I–listed manor was built by the Prideaux-Brune family, purportedly…
1.39 MILES
In an effort to combat falling lobster stocks, this harbourside hatchery rears baby lobsters in tanks before returning them to the wild. Displays detail…
2.23 MILES
The nearest beach to Padstow is this small bay sheltered from the wind by Roundhole Point. It's a good place for swimming, and has a lifeguard in summer.
3.21 MILES
For a proper surf, this wide, sandy beach is the best option within easy reach of Padstow. There's a surf school based here, and summer-long lifeguarding…
3.49 MILES
With its cluster of rocks and a lonely seaside cottage, the small cove of Port Quin makes a perfect picture. Local folklore maintains that it was once a…
3.87 MILES
Backed by a large caravan park and accessed from the coast path, this small beach is a little off the beaten track, and mainly used by campers and…