First Floor
Lounge
Kitchen
Dining area
Cloakroom with WC and small wash basin.
Stairs to:
Ground Floor
Bedroom 1 with 4ft 6in double size bed, large wardrobe and door to en-suite shower room with shower cubicle, WC and wash basin.
Bedroom 2 with 5ft king size bed, wardrobe, and small wall mounted TV.
Bedroom 3 with 3ft bunk beds and wardrobe.
Bathroom with WC, wash basin, and bath with shower over.
Lying in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Talland Bay sits on the unspoilt coastline between Looe and Polperro. There are two small sheltered beaches here: Talland Sand to the west and Rotterdam Beach to the east. Just a few hundred yards from one another, they are both excellent spots for swimming and fishing, and at low tide are particularly good for rock-pooling. If you fancy being a little more adventurous you can take to the water in a kayak, which can be hired from the Talland Bay Beach Café.
The South West Coast Path runs right through Talland Bay, so there are plenty of opportunities to explore the spectacular scenery. It’s just 1.5 miles along the coast path to the quaint fishing village of Polperro, which is pedestrianised, so is best accessed on foot anyway. If you want to travel a little further afield, how about a day out at the Eden Project, the Lost Gardens of Heligan or simply spend time relaxing on one of the bigger nearby beaches such as Seaton, Downderry or Lansallos.
Talland Bay is small but classically Cornish with its own long history of smuggling and shipwrecks. You also might notice the two large towers on the eastern side of the bay. These are “measured mile markers” used by ships to calculate their speed. If you walk the coast path to Looe you’ll find two more on the hillside above Hannahfore. Along the way keep your eye out for the array of wildlife, from skylarks hovering and buzzards soaring in the skies overhead to butterflies visiting the wildflowers which surround the cliff paths.
Talland Bay is a great base from which to get out and explore the rest of Cornwall, but if you’re in need of some quality relaxation time, the local beach is the perfect place to enjoy a few lazy days unwinding in a naturally beautiful setting.
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.
