Bowhousehay

Bowhousehay is a modern 3-bedroom house near Albaston in the Tamar Valley, sleeping 5 across 2 doubles and 1 single. The building has a reversed layout with the sitting room and balcony on the upper floor, looking out over a large private garden - an unusual configuration that makes the most of the wooded valley views. EV charging and a wood burner put it ahead of most properties in this inland part of east Cornwall.

The interior is modern throughout: an open-plan kitchen and living area upstairs, 2 double bedrooms and 1 single below, with 2 bathrooms across the house. WiFi, dishwasher, and washing machine are all included. The garden is dog-friendly, with space for 1 dog. Parking is on site.

Gunnislake village is 0.5 miles away, with the Tamar Valley Line railway station giving a direct train connection to Plymouth. Cotehele House (National Trust, adults £13.50), a medieval manor house with one of the largest collections of original furniture in any NT property, is 2.5 miles south. The Tamar Valley AONB has waymarked walking routes through the mining landscape from the village. The nearest beaches - Whitsand Bay and Downderry - are 12 miles south, so this is better suited to walkers and cyclists than beach-first families.

Good for: couples or small families who want a quiet, rural base for walking the Tamar Valley, cycling the estuary routes, and day-tripping by train to Plymouth. Less good for: beach holidays - the coast is a 30-minute drive.