Holiday cottages

The South West region is probably England's most well-known holiday hotspot, being home to some of the most famous seaside resorts. Pretty villages and harbours in Cornwall, many with sweeping sandy beaches, such as St Ives, Polzeath and Port Isaac to name but a few, give way to sophisticated seaside resorts in Devon and Dorset which include Bournemouth, Torquay and Ilfracombe. The history of this region is unrivalled; Wiltshire's spectacular downland and the stone circles at Avebury and Stonehenge, through Hardy's Dorset, dramatic Dartmoor and gentler Exmoor, to the mining landscapes of Cornwall and West Devon, which are now recognised as being of international significance, having been awarded World Heritage Site status in 2006. The Trust protects 370 miles of the coastline in Devon and Cornwall and, wherever you are in the two far western counties, you're never more than 25 miles from the sea. As well as this peninsula, the Trust also cares for much of the countryside in Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset and a wide array of fascinating properties to visit and explore. Not surprisingly, perhaps, this area is also home to the widest selection of National Trust holiday cottages.

In places rugged and remote, in others tranquil and picturesque, much of the south Cornwall coast is still surprisingly unspoilt, as many parts can only be reached along narrow lanes winding through lush farmland and woodland towards the sea. Either climbing down on foot or drifting along in a small boat, visitors can explore and enjoy the cliffs, coves, beaches and quaint fishing villages that are Daphne du Maurier Country. The Trust has a host of holiday cottages in this area that are wonderful away-from-it-all hideaways for families and friends. For instance, there is Bosloe; an imposing country house set in extensive grounds above the Helford River, divided into three spacious holiday homes and with a former gardener’s cottage, The Bothy, hidden in the gardens. Further on around the coast is the glorious Trelissick Garden with five delightful holiday homes on the estate and former officers’ quarters on St Anthony Head now converted for holiday use.