Pen Rocks

The walk down to Pen Rocks from Looe takes about twenty minutes if you know where you're going, though the footpaths aren't always obvious. Once you arrive, you're standing on a proper granite outcrop jutting into the sea with views across Looe Bay that justify the scramble down. On a clear day, the light hits the water differently every few minutes - sometimes grey-blue, sometimes almost silver. The rocks themselves are impressive enough: weathered, textured stuff that looks like it's been battling the Atlantic for millennia. Kids will have a field day clambering about if the tide's out, though it comes in quickly here, so timing matters.

It's a no-fuss spot - free to visit, no facilities, just you and the coastline. Most people allow an hour or so, maybe longer if you're the type who sits and stares at the horizon. The scramble back up is steeper than you'd think on the way down, so worth mentioning if you're with older relatives or anyone with dodgy knees.

If you're based at Tencreek Holiday Park or the rather swish Lydcott Glamping, Pen Rocks makes a decent morning walk before heading into Looe proper for lunch. It's the sort of place that doesn't photograph as dramatically as it looks in person, which is genuinely rare. Brings home why people bother with the Cornish coast at all.