Whitsand Bay Fort

First on any agenda should be the five miles of unspoiled Cornish coast at Whitsand Bay Beach, whether you want to surf, fish or dive deep; the bay is home of the first artificial reef in Europe, growing on the seabed's former Royal Navy frigate HMS Scylla (the Second World War ship the SS James Egan Layne is also sunk at Whitsand). For staying on dry land, Whitsand Bay Fort is on the Devon/Cornwall border, with a head-spinning array of stuff to see and do in both counties: there’s the award-winning Eden Project, the Lost Gardens of Heligan and being hurled off a cliff at Adrenalin Quarry, just to start you off, as well as moors, gardens and an array of other attractions… The historic city of Plymouth is a few miles to the east for sailing, kayaking or abseiling at the Mount Batten Watersports & Activities Centre, then taking a water taxi to the Barbican and strolling to the city centre for sightseeing, shopping and tours. There are boat trips from the Barbican around the Plymouth Sound, along the River Tamar and to the villages of Kingsands and Cawsands. Also a few miles away – go west this time – is Looe, for harbour wandering, boating to Looe Island and setting out on the South West Coast Path towards Fowey with some of the best coastal scenery in the country en route. The Looe-Fowey walk is 14 miles; if this is a bit too far for your feet, Looe-Talland is a doable six to eight miles, with around three and a half miles of that covering the coast – and a beach café and licensed restaurant in Talland to feel virtuous at afterwards. Animal enthusiasts can take their pick from a range of zoos and aquariums in either country: there’s Paignton Zoo; going ape at The Monkey Sanctuary; the coastal zoo at Torquay Living Coasts and shoals of fish nibbling around a sunken World War II sea plane at the National Aquarium in Plymouth.