Boscastle Harbour

The car park sits above the village, so you descend on foot into what feels like stepping back three centuries. Boscastle Harbour is genuinely tiny - a perfect horseshoe of stone quays tucked into a narrow gorge where the River Valency meets the sea. Fishing boats still work here, and on a calm day the water reflects the cliffs so cleanly you'd think it was photoshopped.

What you actually do is walk around the harbour, poke into the few shops and galleries, grab a coffee, and soak in the landscape. The real draw is the setting itself - those massive granite cliffs rising sheer on either side, the contrast between the working harbour and the quiet drama of the geology. Most people spend an hour here, maybe two if the light's good and you fancy sitting on a bench with a book.

It works brilliantly for families with older kids who'll manage the steep downhill walk without complaint, and for walkers - the South West Coast Path runs straight through. History types will appreciate that this place has barely changed in centuries, though it took a battering in the 2004 flood. The village rebuilt itself properly.

Staying nearby, Pencuke Farm Holiday Cottages sits just 4.6 miles away and makes a proper base for exploring this corner of North Cornwall. Bude itself is only 5 miles off if you want a bigger town for supplies or an evening out. Boscastle Harbour isn't a destination in itself, but it's exactly the sort of place that makes a coastal holiday stick in your memory.