The Atlantic Highway

This grandly named stretch of road (known more prosaically as the A39) stretches all the way from the Devon border into Cornwall's northeastern corner. It's an area that feels a little cut off from the rest of Cornwall, but it gives access to some of the county's prettiest fishing villages – there's a good reason that the hit TV series Doc Martin was filmed here. Elsewhere, there's a string of impressive beaches to explore around Bude, and a stunning clifftop castle at Tintagel that's rife with Arthurian connections.