Reverse-level. Four bedrooms: 1 x super-king-size (zip/link, can be twin on request) with en-suite walk-in shower, basin, heated towel rail, and WC, 1 x king-size with en-suite basin and WC, 1 x king-size with en-suite shower, basin, heated towel rail, and WC, 1 x twin. Family bathroom with bath, walk-in shower, basin, heated towel rail, and WC. Cloakroom with basin and WC. Kitchen with TV and balcony. Dining room. Large sitting room with TV. Utility with back door. Snug with TV, books, and games.
Downderry is a small quiet coastal village situated in south east Cornwall. Downderry has a sheltered beach, deli, and a cliff top pub and an excellent restaurant, serving quality local food. At low tide it is possible to walk along the beach from Downderry to Seaton, where you will find a family friendly south facing beach and the nearby Seaton Valley Countryside Park and Nature reserve is home to wildlife, including otters and kingfishers and also offers great cycling and walking opportunities. The picturesque working harbours at Looe and Polperro are within an easy driving distance away, and the wonderful stretches of the South West Coast Path in this part of Cornwall take you to rocky coves, dramatic headlands and tales of shipwrecks and smugglers. Further afield is Plymouth, where you will find plenty to see and do, including a marine aquarium, a theatre, large shopping centres and the historic Barbican waterside area.
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.
