St Juliot's

The churchyard at St Juliot's sits tucked away near Bude, a small grey stone building that barely registers on most visitors' radar. But if you're into Thomas Hardy or simply appreciate the quieter corners of Cornwall's coast, it's worth the detour. Hardy came here as a young architect in the 1870s, fell for his client's sister, and the place clearly lodged itself in his imagination - he used it as the setting for "A Pair of Blue Eyes". The church itself is straightforward Victorian restoration work, nothing showy, but the churchyard has that proper sense of peace that doesn't come from much effort. You're looking at a visit of maybe twenty minutes unless you're the type to linger over graves and read the stones. It's free to wander around, though opening times for the church proper aren't widely advertised so you might find yourself peering through windows rather than stepping inside. The village of St Juliot itself is barely a village - a couple of farms and a few cottages - so don't expect shops or tea rooms. That said, you're only a few miles from Bude, which has everything you'd need. If you're staying at Pencuke Farm Holiday Cottages nearby, it's a pleasant ramble through quiet lanes to reach here. Walkers and literature types will appreciate the stop; families with restless kids might find it underwhelming. Go early morning if you want solitude and decent light for photographs.