tumuli

Bronze Age burial mounds dot the Cornish landscape near Bude like earth-bound secrets, and these tumuli are proper worth seeking out if you're the sort who gets a kick from standing where ancient people once gathered to remember their dead. They're scattered across the moorland, unassuming grassy bumps that don't announce themselves, which is rather the point - they've sat quietly here for four thousand years without fuss.

What you're looking at are communal graves from around 2000 BC, some containing pottery, flint tools, and human remains that archaeologists have picked over. There's no visitor centre or interpretation boards, just the mounds themselves and whatever story your imagination conjures. That's either brilliant or a bit underwhelming depending on your tolerance for unmarked sites.

This isn't a quick tick-box attraction. You'll need decent footwear, a map or decent sense of direction, and ideally some background reading beforehand - otherwise you're just wandering moorland looking for bumps. History enthusiasts and landscape walkers will find it rewarding. Families with young children might struggle with the location and lack of facilities.

Pencuke Farm Holiday Cottages sits just two miles away, making it a sensible base for exploring these Bronze Age sites alongside Bude's beaches and coastal walks. The nearest town of Bude itself offers somewhere to grab coffee and supplies before heading out to the moors. Allow half a day if you're determined to find multiple tumuli and actually absorb what you're seeing.