Four bedrooms: 1 x super-king-size with en-suite walk-in shower, basin, and WC, 2 x King-size, 1 x twin. Bathroom with bath, shower over, basin, and WC. Cloakroom with basin and WC. Kitchen/diner. Lounge. Utility
Nestled between Newquay and Padstow on the beautiful north Cornish coast, Mawgan Porth is a sheltered cove with golden sandy beach, great surf and plenty of caves and coastal footpath to explore. With little distraction from its golden sands, life here revolves around the beach. Laze in the summer sun, learn to ride the waves, or watch over stormy seas on a refreshing cliff top stroll. Mawgan Porth is also home to the fabulous adults-only Scarlet Hotel, which offers Spa treatments and facilities to non-residents – and nearby there is a wealth of fine dining restaurants such as Paul Ainsworth’s No 6 and Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant. Mawgan Porth has a handful of shops, including a village store and deli, and a farm shop selling locally sourced meat, eggs, vegetables, bread and pasties, as well as tennis courts, a pitch and putt, and an 18-hole golf course overlooking the Atlantic.
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.
