Bovisand Lodge Estate

The safe and clean beach on the edge of Bovisand Lodge Estate overlooks the Plymouth Breakwater and the Cornish coast for miles of walks along the South West Coast Path. For views of both without the walking, Staddons Heights Golf Club is a mile away and welcomes non-residents; horse-riding can be had at Wembury five miles away (where there are also 24 walks in the parish to get around). Within five minutes’ drive adventurous sorts will find the Mount Batten Centre for watery and landlubber activities; from here hail the water taxi to the Barbican in Plymouth to arrange boat trips around the Sound, to the villages of Kingsands and Cawsands, or along the River Tamar to Royal William Yard and Naval Dockyards. Plymouth is worth spending at least a day or two in: have your fill of seafood at the Barbican restaurants and take a factory tour of the Plymouth Gin factory, then weave your way the short distance to the city centre and university. The musts here are too many to mention, but we’d particularly recommend historical the Hoe, the heart of Plymouth and where Sir Francis Drake calmly played bowls while the Spanish Armada approached (there’s a statue of the confident chap on the green). There are sublime views from here across the Sound: climb the steps of the famous red and white Smeaton's Tower lighthouse to see them properly. Also on our Plymouth wish list would be the National Maritime Museum, exhibitions at the university’s Portland Square campus and a night or two out at the popular Theatre Royal Plymouth, where West End shows often get their first airing. And if you’re finding the weather just a bit too warm or you want to do something a bit different, skate along to Plymouth Ski and Snowboard Centre, with three slopes and a 650-metre toboggan run. In Plymouth during August? Lucky you – go along to the famed fireworks at the annual British Firework Championships.