In association with Trinity House, we are proud to present Argus Cottage at Pendeen Lighthouse.
Argus is one of two holiday cottages available at the lighthouse and has a dramatic location on a granite headland on the North Cornwall Coast within a Site of Special Scientific Interest and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The South West Coast path passes round the headland, passing through part of Cornwall's oldest mining areas. The lighthouse lies six miles north of Land's End and two miles from St Just. The lighthouse was established in 1900, electrified in 1926 and automated in 1994.
You may be lucky enough to spot seals on the rocks below the lighthouse headland, as well as a variety of seabirds. With banks of seasonal pink thrift and golden gorse, the headland is a perfect location to watch the sun setting over the Atlantic.
All Ground Floor Accommodation: Sitting room With an electric wood burning effect stove and television. Kitchen With a gas hob and electric oven, microwave, fridge/freezer and dishwasher. Utility room With a washer/dryer. Dining room With dining table seating four guests. Bedroom one With a 5′ king-size bed. Bedroom two With a single 3′ bed. Bathroom With bath and shower over and wash basin. Separate WC With a wash basin and WC.
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.
