Reverse-level accommodation
Ground floor:
Bedroom with super-king-size bed (zip/link, can be twin on request) and en-suite walk-in shower, heated towel rail, basin, and WC
First floor:
Open-plan living space with kitchen, dining area, and sitting area with balcony
Cloakroom with basin and WC
Nestled amongst the rolling countryside of Cornwall, above the valley of the River Exe and between Bickleigh and Cadbury, rests the charming pint-sized village of Cadeleigh. Home to a church dedicated to St Bartholomew the Apostle, along with an elegant gastropub serving fresh produce sourced from the South West, Cadeleigh makes an idyllic base for an escape from reality. A host of local amenities can be found in the town of Tiverton, along with a golf club, a castle and a fascinating museum, whilst avid historians will delight with the close proximity to the Iron Age hillfort of Cadbury Castle, once occupied by the Durotriges tribe from which the county of Dorset took their name. Cadeleigh makes an excellent base from which to explore the delights of Devon.
With its sweeping beaches, rugged moorlands, hidden woodlands, and rolling countryside estates, Cornwall is a superb destination if you want to spend some time bird watching on holiday.
One of the best spots is Hayle Estuary Nature Reserve, managed by the RSPB. This rich wetland habitat attracts a variety of birdlife, including teals, wigeons, and goosanders. While winter offers the highest numbers, spring and early summer also bring migrant waders such as oystercatchers, dunlins, and whimbrels to the tidal pools and marshes.
Marazion Marsh, also managed by the RSPB and overlooking the iconic St Michael’s Mount near Penzance, boasts Cornwall’s largest reedbed. It’s a haven for species like chiffchaffs, Cetti’s warblers, little egrets, and grey herons. Bitterns are regularly recorded here, and birds of prey, including sparrowhawks and buzzards, are often spotted too.
For a variety of songbirds and raptors, head to the Rame Peninsula near Cawsand. This beautiful area of tidal creeks, sandy beaches, and peaceful farmland attracts goldcrests, firecrests, warblers, and buntings. You may also glimpse birds of prey such as hobbies, merlins, peregrine falcons, and, if you’re lucky, the rare hen harrier.
At Stithians Lake, a large reservoir, breeding birds like little grebes, coots, and moorhens are common. Waders such as greenshanks, ruffs, and curlew sandpipers can also be seen foraging along the muddy banks.
Not far from St Ives, St Ives Island, actually a headland between Porthmeor and Porthgwidden beaches, is a top spot for seabird watching, especially in autumn. Huge flocks of skuas, terns, gannets, fulmars, and auks pass by, alongside waders like purple sandpipers, whimbrels, and turnstones.
Finally, no trip to Cornwall would be complete without exploring Bodmin Moor. This dramatic granite moorland, scattered with ancient ruins and rich in wildlife, is especially rewarding in spring and summer, when skylarks, stonechats, wheatears, and sedge warblers arrive to breed. In autumn and winter, the moor plays host to thousands of golden plovers, along with snipes and the more elusive jack snipe.
