Oakdene

A three-bedroom cottage sleeping six in Marhamchurch, an inland village 3 miles south of Bude along the canal. Two bathrooms and an enclosed garden make it a workable group base without the higher prices of a town-centre cottage.

The ground floor has a sitting room flowing into a kitchen with breakfast bar, a separate dining room, and step-free access throughout - one of the few cottages in this area set up for accessibility. Three bedrooms sit upstairs. Wifi, dishwasher and washing machine are included; off-road parking is on site. The cottage holds a 9.5/10 rating from 24 reviews.

Marhamchurch sits at the southern end of the 19th-century Bude Canal, one of the last surviving tub-boat canals in Britain - the towpath gives a flat 3-mile walk into Bude with no road. From the cottage, Summerleaze and Crooklets beaches are 3 miles by road, Widemouth Bay (the longest surf beach south of Bude) is 4 miles, and the South West Coast Path runs the clifftops in both directions. Stratton's 16th-century Tree Inn - the Royalist HQ before the 1643 Battle of Stamford Hill - is 4 miles north.

Best for families or two couples wanting an inland village base with beach access by car or canal-side walk. Less good for guests who want sea views or to step out the door onto sand - this is a quiet village location, not a coastal one.