The Watermill

The Watermill is a two-bedroom cottage in Lanivet, with one bathroom and space for four guests. It sits inland, with Daymer Bay Beach 8.5 miles away and Carlyon Bay 8.9 miles off, so it suits driving days around Cornwall more than a week built around one beach.

The cottage has a wood burner, a dishwasher and a private garden, but there is no WiFi, parking, dog-friendly terms or washing machine, so this is a simpler self-catering base than most. The appeal is straightforward: garden space, a proper wood-burner-warmed sitting room and a position that keeps both coasts within reach by car.

Lanivet sits about 3 miles southwest of Bodmin at a crossroads, on the Saints Way walking route between Padstow and Fowey, with a 15th-century church and the Lanivet Inn pub. Daymer Bay is the nearest named beach, a sheltered estuary beach with calm, shallow water near Trebetherick. Carlyon Bay is a long sandy stretch near St Austell with a gently sloping seabed, good for families, and Greenaway Beach, also 8.9 miles away, is a quiet cove reached only on foot with rock pools rich in marine life. Lanhydrock, the National Trust country house, is roughly 3 miles east for a change of pace.

**Best for:** couples or small families who want an inland cottage with a garden and wood burner as a base for exploring by car.

**Less good for:** guests who want sea views, dog-friendly terms, on-site parking, or a beach within walking distance.