Kitchen/diner
Lounge with open fire
2 bedrooms – 1 king-size, 1 twin
1 bathroom – bath with shower and WC. Separate WC downstairs
Shared utility room
Shared games room
Looe is Cornwall’s second largest fishing port and hence there is always a lively maritime bustle around the quay area of East Looe, which is connected to the quieter West Looe by a seven arched 19th century bridge over the River Looe. You can also catch the river taxi between East and West Looe. East Looe has narrow cobbled streets, twisting alleyways and plenty of tourist shops, whilst West Looe has a lovely outlook across the harbour. Looe’s viewpoint, Banjo Pier, can be reached from the quay and is a great spot to watch the returning fishing trawlers and look across the bay to Looe Island, which can be walked to occasionally at very low tides. The sandy Looe beach adjoins the pier and is very popular with families because of its safe shallow swimming and vast expanse of sand. There is also a great rock pool area at Hannafore that children will love. West Looe has a Heritage Centre that recently opened in the Old Sardine Factory with a climbing wall and a cafe and the delightful Kilminorth Woods have way marked walks through the majestic oak wood, rich in plant, insect and bird life. Apart from beach activities in this part of south east Cornwall, there are many mining remains on Bodmin Moor and in the Tamar Valley and much of the mining landscape has World Heritage status. This area of Cornwall has inspired writers, such as Daphne du Maurier and much of Bodmin Moor has inspired legends linked with King Arthur. There is much to explore in this beautiful part of Cornwall.
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.
