Porthbean

The walk down to Porthbean is properly steep - properly. Your calves will know about it on the way back up, but that's the price you pay for one of the quieter coves along the Roseland Peninsula. It's a small beach, the kind that fills up quickly on a summer weekend but feels almost yours alone on a grey Tuesday morning in May.

The sand is decent, the rocks are manageable, and the water's that proper Atlantic cold even in July. What makes it worth the trek from Truro is the sense of being away from it all. No seafront cafes, no ice cream vans, no fairground arcade. Just beach, cliffs, and the sound of gulls doing their thing.

Families with young kids might find it limiting - there's not loads of space, and the car park is tiny so you'll want an early start. Walkers will love it though, especially if you're exploring the coastal path. The surrounding Roseland is absolutely worth a day, and if you're staying at Veryan Camping and Caravanning Club Site just four miles away, you're perfectly positioned for a proper seaside break.

Free to visit, obviously. Allow an hour or so on the beach itself, longer if you're combining it with a clifftop walk. Go when the tide's out and you get more sand to work with. Summer weekends: avoid.