The Lodge is a cosy retreat for couples wishing to spend time together exploring and discovering the delights of Cornwall.
Ground Floor:
Open plan living space.
Living area: Freeview TV, DVD Player, Electric Woodburner
Dining area.
Kitchen area: Electric Oven, Electric Hob, Microwave, Fridge/Freezer
Bedroom: Kingsize (5ft) Bed Ensuite: Bath With Shower Over, Heated Towel Rail, Toilet
Bathroom: Bath With Shower Over, Heated Towel Rail, Toilet
Oil central heating, electricity, bed linen and Wi-Fi included. Towel hire £4per person. Travel cot, highchair and stairgate available on request. Welcome pack. Sitting-out area with garden furniture. 3½-acre fields and children’s play area (shared with other properties on-site). Barbecue hut (shared with other properties on-site). Private parking for 1 car. No smoking. Visit England 4 Star.
Approached down a quiet country lane, Talehay is a Grade II listed Cornish farmhouse which dates back some 300 years. The farmhouse and the detached stone cottages retain much of their original character and beauty, whilst providing tastefully furnished accommodation around a central courtyard. During the warmer summer months, the lawned areas and spacious communal gardens that encompass the properties are ideal for picnics and barbecues. All cottages are supplied with their own seating area, and to the rear of the main house is a further 3½ acres of fully enclosed meadowland, so youngsters and their 4-legged friends can get a good run around.
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.
