Single-storey. One super-king-size bedroom. Shower room with walk-in shower, basin, heated towel rail and WC. Open-plan living space with kitchen, dining area and sitting area. Utility
Saltash is dominated by the magnificent Tamar Bridge, Brunel’s masterpiece of engineering taking people from Devon to Cornwall across the Tamar River, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Saltash retains much of its old Cornish charm with narrow streets rising steeply from the banks of the river, and plenty of shops and interesting inns. From the old quayside there are river trips up stream to Calstock, a pretty village with white cottages on a steep hillside. Here, the 120 foot giant 11-arched Calstock Railway Viaduct towers above the River Tamar and carries one of Britain’s most picturesque branch lines down to the coast. Saltash offers some beautiful walks along the Tamar, and is only a five minute drive from Plymouth, with a plenty to occupy visitors including the historic Barbican quayside area with cafes, shops and bistros, the National Marine Aquarium and several theatres. A perfect base for exploring the area along the beautiful River Tamar.
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.
