Over three floors. Five bedrooms: 2 x ground-floor king-size (zip/link, can be twin on request), 2 x king-size (zip/link, can be twin on request) with with balcony, 1 x adult bunk bed. Shower room with walk-in shower, basin. Shower room with walk-in shower, basin, heated towel rail, and WC. Cloakroom with basin and WC. First-floor kitchen/diner. First-floor utility. Second-floor sitting room
St Blazey is a small town situated three miles east of St Austell and was formerly an important engineering centre for the local mining and railway industries. The town is nowadays best known for being the closest to the Eden Project. Nearby Charlestown is a delightful and much sought after coastal village of stone cottages and regency houses. It is famous for its collection of tall ships riding at anchor in the harbour, the shipwreck museum, excellent pubs and restaurants and easy access to the coastal path. The old market town of St. Austell lies just a few miles from the south coast, and is famous for its China Clay mining history. Today, home to numerous beaches, (including dog-friendly Par Sands) and sub tropical gardens, it is a popular place for tourists, with plenty to see and do. A short drive will take you to fashionable Fowey or the fishing port of Mevagissey, and with lots to do, this is a great year round location.
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.
