Warren Gutter Beach

The stretch of sand at Warren Gutter, just outside Bude, isn't flashy. There's no promenade, no ice cream vans, no ranked rows of deckchairs. What you get instead is proper Cornish coastline - a sandy beach backed by low cliffs, with decent waves when the Atlantic's in the mood and rock pools to rummage through when the tide's out. It's the kind of place where you actually feel like you've escaped.

This is a working beach rather than a show-off one. Surfers come here regularly, families with small kids find it manageable, and dog walkers treat it like their own private stretch. The sand's firm enough for a decent walk, and the cliffs behind don't tower over you the way they do at some Cornish beaches - which means it actually gets the sun for most of the day. Bit of a scramble down to the beach itself, so it's not ideal for buggies, but nothing that'll finish you off.

Working from nearby Wooda Farm Holiday Park or Atlantic Horizons makes real sense. You're close enough to pop down between breakfast and lunch, or stay until the light goes soft. Allow an hour or two depending on what you're after. It's not the sort of beach where you'll run out of things to do, but it won't hold you for a full day if you're just standing around. Kids generally find it engaging enough - the rock pools keep them busy, and the waves are playful rather than threatening.