Mr & Mrs Smith

The dunes on Rock Beach are as good as anywhere, especially at sunset.

It's a 10- or 15-minute walk across the fields to Porthilly Beach in Rock, a sandy cove that's ideal for building sandcastles and flying kites. If the tide is out you can walk across the beach and up the slipway by the sailing house into Rock, then it's another 10-minute walk to the main dunes of Rock beach. Sandy dunes, long stretches of sand and gentle, shallow water make this beach perfect for picnics, beach crickets, swimming and small children. The short walk to get there and the small carpark in Rock means it never gets too crowded, so it's worth the small hike. Rock itself is ideal for sailing in the estuary, waterskiing and wakeboarding. The next beach along, still in sheltered waters at the mouth of the estuary is Daymer Bay, a protected sandy cove with rolling dunes amid which nestles the picturesque church where Betjeman is buried. Just around the next headline and out on the open coast is the large expanse of Polzeath beach, renowned for its surf, but also with wide expanses of sand and lots of rock pools at low tide. There are two big carparks, and it's well supervised, with lifeguards, cafés and fun things for children, and two excellent surf school.

From the cottage you can climb over the fence into the field and find footpaths down to Porthilly beach or to into Rock to collect the morning paper (each around 10 or minutes). From Rock you can walk along the coast to Daymer Bay (about a mile and half) or all the way to Polzeath (about three miles): a gentle walk with beautiful views. From Polzeath the coastal path gives dramatic views all along the open coast to Tintagel. You can walk from Polzeath to Port Quin, or drive to Port Quin and start a walk from there to Port Isaac, a picturesque fishing village (about one and a half hours). If you want a change from coastal scenery, you can drive 20 minutes or so inland and walk up Cornwall's two highest peaks, Rough Tor and Brown Willy.

Padstow is full of gift shoppes peddling fudge, shells, lilos and inflatable whales, also some browsable art galleries. There are surf shops in Padstow, Rock and Polzeath. Dennis Knight, the fishmonger in Port Isaac (+44 (0)1208 880498), does good freshly cooked lobster and there is a well-stocked Tesco at Wadebridge. Rick Stein has an excellent bakery and deli in Padstow (www.rickstein.com), selling great bread, cakes and Cornish pasties.