The Well House Trevisquite

Two-bedroom cottage on a working farm in Trevisquite, a mile from St Mabyn village in inland north Cornwall. Sleeps four (double + twin). Genuinely rural - the nearest coast is a 15-minute drive. Dogs are not accepted.

Open-plan ground floor: kitchen, lounge, and dining in one room. TV/DVD, dishwasher, BBQ outside. Both bedrooms upstairs with TVs and storage, sharing a bathroom. WiFi included.

The west-facing patio takes the evening sun with table, chairs, and BBQ. The lawn is enclosed, and the farm setting means no neighbours overlooking. St Mabyn village (1 mile) has a shop, the St Mabyn Inn gastropub, and a parish church with 14th-century origins.

For the coast: Polzeath (10 miles) is the closest proper beach - wide, sandy, lifeguarded surf scene. Daymer Bay sits next to it, sheltered and shallow. Port Isaac and Port Gaverne (7-8 miles) give you Doc Martin filming locations and Outlaw's New Road for fish. Tregardock (9 miles) is the wild card - footpath across fields, often empty in August. Padstow is 12 miles via the Camel Estuary.

Bodmin Moor (13 miles east) is the inland counterpart. The Trippet Stones (Bronze Age circle on Manor Common) and King Arthur's Hall (Neolithic rectangular enclosure on King Arthur's Downs) are on the same network of moorland paths - worth the OS map. Brown Willy and Rough Tor are the two highest points in Cornwall. Jamaica Inn at Bolventor for the smugglers' museum if it's raining.

Best for: families with young kids, retirees wanting a working-farm base for coastal day trips. Less good for: anyone without a car (no useful public transport), beach-first travellers, or guests hoping to bring a dog - dogs are not accepted.