The Highwood Hut is a stylish, single-storey retreat located near the edge of Dartmoor National Park. Perfect for couples, it is surrounded by stunning countryside and offers beautiful, far-reaching views.
Accommodation
Outside, you’ll find a private garden with a patio, outdoor furniture, a wood-fired hot tub for a well-earned soak, and a barbecue for al fresco dining. The garden is ideal for wildlife watching, with plenty of visitors to spot. Nearby attractions include waterfalls, underground caverns, and the thrills of Adrenalin Quarry.
The historic market town of Liskeard is located in South East Cornwall at the head of the Looe Valley. The town is home to a number of shops, pubs and restaurants. The beaches and harbour of the quaint fishing port of Looe is a mere 9 miles away. In-between there’s fishing at nearby Siblyback Lake, the Donkey Sanctuary at St Ann’s Chapel, Cotehele House (NT) and gardens, and the championship golf course at St Mellion International Resort. Head to the world-famous Eden Project for a superb day out with the children. Even the maritime city of Plymouth with its historic Barbican docks area, outstanding shops, theatres and restaurants and the National Maritime Museum is only 30 minutes by car.
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.
