The Hayloft

The Hayloft is a two-bedroom, dog-friendly cottage at Hopsland on the southern edge of Bodmin Moor, sleeping four. The property uses a reverse-level layout: two bedrooms - a double and a twin - sit on the lower ground floor, while the open-plan kitchen and sitting area with electric fire occupy the upper level.

Outside there's a garden with patio and BBQ and off-road parking for two cars. Dogs are welcome. Changeovers are Saturdays.

The nearest beaches require a drive: Plaidy Beach is 15.7 km, East Looe Beach 16.4 km, and Downderry Beach 17.2 km. The draw here is the moorland rather than the coast. Trethevy Quoit - a Neolithic portal dolmen with a massive capstone, among the best-preserved megalithic tombs in Cornwall - is roughly 2 miles east of the village. The Hurlers stone circles are about 4 miles north near Minions, the highest village in Cornwall at over 1,000 feet. Liskeard, 3 miles south, has supermarkets and rail connections to Plymouth and Penzance.

Best for: walkers and dog owners who want moorland access and don't need a beach on the doorstep. Less good for: families with young children after easy beach days - the coast is 20-plus minutes away.