Dream Pods at Bobby's Lodge

With the coast so close, you’ll want to get down there as soon as you can. It’s a 10-minute drive to Pentewan for canoeing, kayaking, surfing and other sea-based sporting stuff; you can also hire bikes here to explore the coast or join up with the 630-mile South West Coast Path. If you haven’t got a few weeks spare to do the whole lot, try the stretch heading east around the wild and windswept Polperro Heritage Coast, finishing up with a swim on the sheltered beach at Readymoney Cove and a wander round the ruins of 16th-century St. Catherine’s Castle (half an hour from the site). And if fishing’s your thing, your nets runneth over round here with well-stocked lakes at Hewas Water and sea charters from Mevagissey, 10 and 20 minutes away. Mevagissey makes a mighty fine day-trip destination, with a model railway, aquarium, museum and ferry boat rides round the coast to Fowey. There’s more maritime history to be had in Charlestown (five minutes) with its old harbour and a spread of salvaged curios in its Shipwreck and Heritage Centre. It’s 15 minutes to the indoor rainforest biomes of the Eden Project and the outdoor magic of the Lost Gardens of Heligan, major attractions so close to the site you could visit them twice… or more.