First-floor apartment. Two bedrooms: 1 x double, 1 x single. Bathroom with bath, shower over, basin and WC. Kitchen/living room
Sitting peacefully in the beautiful county of Cornwall just a mile from the south coast with its numerous sheltered, sandy, beaches, you will find the historic market town of St Austell. Filled with a range of pubs and bars, and scrumptious local eateries, St Austell has a train station on the mainline connecting you easily to Truro and on down to Penzance. Newquay can also be reached by train via a quick change at nearby Par. St Austell’s central location in Cornwall provides the perfect setting for your next holiday to the Southwest. Spend your days on exciting outings to such attractions as The Eden Project or the nearby historical port of Charlestown, where you can see artefacts recovered from local shipwrecks at the Shipwreck Treasure Museum. Head to Porthpean Beach for a tranquil walk along the soft sands or hire a kayak for a paddle in the calm, crystal clear waters, before pampering yourself at The Clearing Spa or enjoying a quick nine holes at St Austell Golf Club. Grab some fresh ingredients from the local supermarket on your way back to your holiday home for an evening of wining and dining indoors. St Austell is the ultimate setting for a fabulous coastal getaway.
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.
