Stepper Point

The walk out to Stepper Point is the main event here, frankly. This headland juts into the Camel Estuary near Crugmeer, and you're rewarded with proper 360-degree views - the estuary sprawling behind you, open sea ahead, and on a clear day you can pick out Trevose Head in the distance. The actual point itself is fairly modest - rocky, windswept, the sort of place where you understand why they needed a lighthouse. There's a navigation beacon up there now rather than the old structure, but the bones of the old light tower remain if you know where to look.

This works best for walkers who don't mind a decent coastal tramp. The path from Padstow side takes a good hour round trip, and it's not flat - there's real up and down through the dunes and along the cliff edge. Families with younger kids might find it a bit much, though teenagers who like being outside will get a kick from it. The estuary itself is tidal, which adds another dimension - come at low tide and you see the mudflats and channels properly. Come at high tide and it's a proper waterway.

Free to access, obviously. Go in late afternoon when the light softens everything and you've got better odds of having the headland mostly to yourself. If you're based at Porthilly Beach Holiday Park or Padstow Holiday Village, this is genuinely worth the drive over. It's the kind of spot that justifies a coastal holiday - nothing fancy, just good sea air and views that cost you nothing but shoe leather.