Cotna Eco Retreat

Among the three main zones at The Lost Gardens of Heligan (10 minutes’ drive) is the Jungle, a lush area of tropical and exotic plants, including banana trees, bamboo tunnels and giant rhubarb. You can sample the heritage fruit and vegetables grown in the Productive Garden area at the on-site café. You might recognise the imposing harbour at Charlestown (25 minutes) from several films and TV shows, such as ‘Poldark’. Continue the maritime theme at the Shipwreck Treasure Museum, which displays coins, cannon balls and other artefacts from famous (and not-so-famous) shipwrecks, as well as holding temporary exhibitions on famed explorers. Head to the north coast of Cornwall and spend a day in Newquay (50 minutes), watching the surfers riding the waves at Fistal Beach, admiring the sharks, turtles and other marine creatures at the Blue Reef Aquarium Newquay, and hiking up the Headland to catch the sunset.