OTHER CORNWALL GEMS
THE NARE
This hidden gem of a hotel, in a quintessentially English country house, boasts spectacular views over Carne Beach, near Truro. It’s an independent, family-owned slice of boutique luxury with cosy-chic rooms, a gorgeous outdoor pool, a beautiful spa and its own croquet pitch. The hotel also has its own yacht that guests can hire. Double-view family room £178 per adult per night and £89 per child per night, including breakfast, morning tea, afternoon cream tea and dinner. www.narehotel.co.uk
THE CORNWALL
Opened earlier this year, The Cornwall Estate lies amid rolling fields near St Austell, and includes a luxury hotel, a spa, and rustic, eco-friendly holiday home lodges. You can rent those, but they’re also available to buy (owners can then lease them back to the hotel). There are some truly spectacular rooms in The White House – the old manor house and hotel focal point. There’s also a complex of contemporary rooms, a couple of restaurants and a great spa. From £74.50 per night. www.thecornwall.com
ST AUBYN ESTATE
The St Aubyn family, whose home is the famous island fortress St Michael’s Mount, owns eight self-catering holiday homes in their 5,000 acre estate (which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). Each with its own rugged Cornish garden, fabulous sea views and, of course, names like Faraway Cottage and Three Chimneys, they’re the essence of glorious isolation. www.staubynestates.co.uk
WATERGATE BAY
The Hotel at Watergate Bay overlooks three miles of golden sand on Cornwall’s north coast. You can pad about and relax on the beach, or you can do something a bit more adrenaline-packed – the hotel also calls itself an “Extreme Academy”. You can try surfing, kite-surfing, wave skiing, traction kiting (whatever that may be) or any number of other activities. In September the hotel’s hosting a day of polo on the beach. Rooms from £180 during high season. Book a minimum three nights and get two days of surfing at the Extreme Academy for £40 per person, or £30 for under 16s, including two two-hour surf lessons. www.watergatebay.co.uk
CORNWALL: WHAT TO DO
If you’re looking for beautiful beaches away from the crowds, one of the loveliest is Whitesands Beach at Sennen Cove near Land’s End, where the waves create perfect surfing, dolphins can be often be spotted and the atmosphere of the old fishing village still remains. The remote Kynance Cove and beautifully-named Porth Joke beaches are also worth discovering.
Cornwall offers arguably the finest coastal walking in the UK. Rugged cliffs, ancient history – including the picturesque cliff-top ruins of Tintagel Castle – and remote beauty make for ideal hiking. Inland, it’s also worth hiking via the mysterious Stone Age and Bronze Age monuments that punctuate the moorlands, including the Men-an-tol holed stone and the Nine Maidens Stone Circle.
Cornwall’s most famous tourist destination remains the Eden Project (www.edenproject.com), the glass-domed conservation project that’s also managed to become a rather notable music venue. Also worth a visit are the Lost Gardens of Heligan (www.heligan.com), the marvellous botanical gardens with origins dating back to the 18th century, and the sub-tropical beauty of Trebah Garden (www.trebah garden.co.uk). If surfing doesn’t provide you with enough of an extreme thrill, Adrenalin Quarry (www.adrenalinquarry.co.uk) has the UK’s biggest zip wire, and can also get you jumping off cliffs, swimming wild and driving hovercrafts.
Cornwall has a rich cultural history – the early 20th century art scene in St Ives drew the likes of Ben Nicholson, DH Lawrence and Barbara Hepworth. The latter’s house is now a terrific museum filled with her sculptures, while the Tate St Ives is one of the foremost art galleries in the country (for both, visit www.tate.org). Perhaps the most extraordinary cultural venue is the Minack Theatre (www.minack.com), an open-air theatre carved out of the cliff face just four miles from Land’s End. Plays run here throughout the summer.
Timothy Barber