Wildish Cornwall

A legacy of Cornwall’s slate-mining industry, Carnglaze Caverns (10 minutes’ drive) have passages and steps carved into the rock leading to an underground lake with remarkably clear waters. Keep an eye on the site’s event calendar, because a musical concert in these surroundings is a pretty unforgettable experience. For the archaeologist in your party, there are multiple Neolithic stone circles on Bodmin Moor – including the ones at Trippet (15 minutes), Hurlers (25 minutes) and Stannon (half an hour) – plus unusual rock formations like The Cheesewring (25 minutes). On the estuary of the river of the same name, the village of Fowey (35 minutes) has pretty narrow streets lined with stone cottages. Take a dip at Readymoney Cove, a sandy beach sheltered by tall cliffs covered in vegetation, or check out the ruins of St Catherine’s Castle, a coastal fortress built by Henry VIII in the 1530s.