Compass House, St Ives
Not many places combine coast and culture
with the aplomb of St Ives. The best thing about staying here is that, after
ticking off sights such as the Tate, you have time to enjoy the town’s other
charms- eating freshly caught crab, exploring artists’ studios among the
cobbled streets- when the day- tripper have gone. The beaches are among the
UK’s best, and on a sunny day the turquoise water can look like the Caribbean.
Compass
House, St Ives
Compass House in the only property actually
on Porthminster beach. The Edwardinan weatherboard villa is pristine and light-
filled, with a veranda encased in glass so you can play lord of the manor
whatever the weather. All the usual amenities are here, but the views are the
star attraction. Being situated directly above the famous Porthminster Beach
Café means you can people- watch from your garden and run down for sustenance
as soon as you spot a free table on its terrace. You cannot park outside the
house (parking is up the road in the station car park), but that is a small
price to pay for being able to step from the front gate straight onto the sand.
Porthminster
Beach Cafe, St Ives
Sleeps six
in three bedrooms
Price from
$1,370 a week
Contact 0844
800 2813; www.cornishgems.com
Little Ship, Coverack
Little
Ship, Coverack
This picturesque thatched cottage was once
used as a chapel for worshippers deemed too lowly for the local Methodist church,
and an old pew sits in the beamed kitchen. The two- bedroom thatched house
scores highly on quaint charm, with floral sofas, toile de Jouy curtains and
pretty quilts. The garden leads to the coastal path those winds through the
village of Coverack. It is set on the Lizard Peninsula, one of Cornwall’s least
developed areas and a place with a much stronger edge- of- the- country vibe
than Land’s End.
The beautiful Helford River
On the beach, which is small enough to be
almost covered at high tide, the salt- sprayed Harbour Lights café is a great
spot for a fresh crab sandwich after serious rock- pool exploration. Further
afield, the Helford River is Swallows and Amazons come to life. You must spend
at least a day there. Either hires a dinghy explorer or diver to Helford, six
miles away, and take the tiny boat across the water to the Ferrbot Inn for
Lunch.
Sleeps four
and a baby in two bedrooms
Price from
$603 a week
Contact 01326
331331; www.lizardholidaycottages.co.uk
Farthings, Readymoney Cove
Farthings,
Readymoney Cove
You cannot find anywhere around Fowey that
does not claim some kind of Daphne du Maurier connection. But Readymoney Cove’s
link to the author is stronger than most: du Maurier moved here in 1942, and
wrote Hungry Hill while living in Readymoney Cottage, one of only eight houses
in this tiny hamlet. Just opposite it, and overlooking its garden from the
kitchen, is Farthings, a slightly higgledy- pigged, 200- year- old former
pilchard store, which has been converted with families in mind. There’s a bunk
room and a small cabin room, and the open- plan kitchen’ living room upstairs
is stylish but unfussy enough to be child- friendly. The tiny balcony is great
place for admiring the views over breakfast, contemplating the history of
smuggling that gave this pretty, shelters cove its name (smuggled goods would
be sold for ‘ready money’). Nowadays, the only activity on the water is at the
swimming platform about 200 metres off shore. It can be dominated by shrieking
kids- perhaps yours, if you are staying at Farthings- but take a solitary swim
through the mist first thing in the morning and it is easy to see why du
Maurier fell in love with the place.
Sleeps six
in four bedrooms
Price from
$1,157 a week
Contact 0844
704 4987; www.bluechipholidays.co.uk
Getting to Cornwall
Flybe (www.flybe.com) files to Nequay from
Edinburgh, Gatwick and Manchester, BMIbaby (www.bmibay.com) from East Midlands.
First Great Western (www.first greatwestern.com.uk) and Cross Counrty
(www.crosscountrytrains.co.ik) pffer train services.
Journey time flights to Mewquay take
between 1hr 5mins and 1hr 45mins; the train from London Paddington to Penzance
takes 5 hrs 30 mins
