Old Ivy Farm Camping

You can head to the beach at Hayle (15 minutes’ drive), which extends for three miles between Hayle Estuary and Godrevy Point, incorporating long walks along the dunes, rock pools full of sea life and surfing when wind and wave conditions are right. Turn south and you can be on Long Rock Beach in 20 minutes by car, with calm waves for watersports and views over to the tiny island of St Michael’s Mount and its abbey (15 minutes), which is accessible on foot when the tide is out. The artistic among you will probably want to spend an afternoon perusing great art in the galleries of St Ives (15 minutes), which includes the Cornish branch of the Tate and The Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. You can also pop into the Porthminster Gallery to check out outstanding work by up-and-coming contemporary artists. If you’re into ancient history, then the Penwith Heritage Coast (half an hour) down on Cornwall’s toe is the place for you – it’s knee-deep in neolithic and Bronze Age monuments like The Merry Maidens and Tregeseal stone circles (both 35 minutes) set on untamed heathland, and Lanyon Quoit burial chamber (half an hour), reached by a short walk from the road.