Two bedrooms: 1 x super-king-size with Smart TV, 1 x single with Smart TV, extra bed available. Bathroom with bath, shower over, basin, WC. Ground-floor shower room with walk-in shower, basin, WC. Kitchen/diner. Utility. Dining room. Sitting room with wood burning stove. Sun room
Kilkhampton is an historic Cornish village, 4 miles from the popular Victorian seaside resort of Bude, one of Cornwall’s premier holiday locations. With its old church, village shops and atmospheric village pubs, Kilkhampton is a lovely place to relax after a hard day exploring the stunning beaches and spectacular coastal scenery for which the area is famous. Bude’s beaches attract surfers from all over the country and when conditions are right you’d be hard pushed to find better surf. When the tide is out, miles of golden sand and hundreds of rock pools keep visitors occupied for hours. The South West Coast Path, and many other rights-of-way winding over the clifftops and through lush green fields looking out over the sea, make this area a haven for walkers and lovers of the open countryside. For those who prefer staying closer to home, a good shopping centre and a selection of pubs, two clubs and restaurants are on offer. Bude canal, a registered nature reserve, passes through the town, and rowing a boat along its calm waters or walking the towpath among the beautiful (and friendly) water fowl that live among the reeds is a great way to spend an hour or two. Within the area there are also 2 golf courses, an indoor swimming pool, bowling alley at the leisure centre. A perfect location for all that North Cornwall has to offer.
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.
