Single-storey. Four bedrooms: 1 x double-size with TV and en-suite walk-in shower, basin, and WC, 2 x double with TV, 1 x 4ft double with TV. Bathroom with bath, shower over, basin, WC. Kitchen. Living/dining room with woodburning stove. Utility
Just a short drive from iconic St Ives, the seaside village of Carbis Bay is best-known for its beautiful stretch of pure white sand. With turquoise waters and sheltered conditions, the beach feels almost subtropical and is the perfect spot for a good old-fashioned day by the sea. The beach is also home to the Ocean Sports Centre, so if sunbathing is not really your thing, why not hire a kayak or SUP and get out on the water instead. Or why not treat yourself to a Spa day at the delightful hotel which overlooks the beach and has a fabulous terrace where cocktails can be enjoyed in the Cornish sunshine? Carbis Bay has a small range of local shops and restaurants as well as a fish & chip takeaway and railway branch line. The train journey from Carbis Bay into St Ives is perhaps one of the most beautiful in the country; St Ives additionally makes for a great day out, with plenty of galleries to explore. The quayside town of Hayle also isn’t far and is home to activities for the all the family, including a golf and a wildlife sanctuary. The Godrevy Nature Reserve and Penwith Heritage Coast are also within easy reach from Carbis Bay, providing outdoors and watersports plans with even more activities to partake in, including coasteering and birdwatching. Carbis Bay is truly a wonderful holiday location for those wanting to experience Cornwall’s breathtaking coastline.
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.
