Postcards a thing of the past? Not when you go somewhere as pretty as Flushing…

Flushing, a pristine Cornish village beside the Penryn River estuary, is a picture-perfect location you’ll want to write home about.

This is the ideal place for settling down in front of the view and penning some postcards as you watch boats sail past. The local events scene will give you plenty of inspiration too, not to mention vibrant Falmouth just across the water and nearby Trebah and Glendurgan gardens.

Flushing Carnival takes place on 28th July this year while Falmouth holds its inaugural arts festival from 7th to 16th September. SPLASH will play host to artists and writers including Michael Morpurgo, the award-winning author of War Horse and former Children's Laureate, and the renowned illustrator and author Michael Foreman.

Seafood lovers will want to make a trip in October for the Falmouth Oyster Festival from 11th to 14th October. This event marks the start of the oyster dredging season at one of the last remaining traditional oyster fisheries. It is followed shortly after by the Fal River Autumn Walking Festival from 19th October to 4th November – a great chance to explore and learn about this beautiful corner of Cornwall on a guided or self-guided walk.

Clottage (pictured above and right), a much loved holiday cottage by the water in Flushing, is a favourite with return visitors. Its peaceful location and estuary views, as well as the good pubs and friendly locals, add to its charm. Clottage is within easy reach of the sheltered sandy and rock pool beaches at Falmouth, which is also home to the National Maritime Museum.

Take a look at our other holiday cottages in Flushing and discover this hidden gem of a place to stay. 

Happy holidays, come rain or shine...

All-weather attractions are great to have on your holiday itinerary. Add these to your to-do list and be ready for rain or shine this summer.

EWEtopia

The Big Sheep in Bideford has one of the best indoor play centres you will find. EWEtopia is even suitable for any age, so mums, dads and grandparents can indulge their childish side too. Plenty of fun outdoors too, including quirky events like duck trials and sheep racing. Stonehaven Cottage at Horwood, north Devon, is the wing of a handsome detached house converted from 16th century barns: a fitting place to rest your head after exhausting the family in the play barn.

Lanhydrock House

Lanhydrock House and Pencarrow House and Gardens make two fantastic day trips just a short drive from stylishly renovated, ancient Dunn Cottage in Boscastle. Lanhydrock’s servants quarters and luxurious family areas give the Victorian house a sense of social history while largely Georgian mansion Pencarrow is still owned and occupied by descendants of the family who settled there in the 1500s. After touring these intriguing houses, enjoy the fresh air and panoramic vistas while exploring their extensive grounds and woodland walks.

Carnglaze Caverns

An underground tour of Carnglaze Caverns, St Neot, can’t be ruined by the weather. The three caverns and subterranean lake make a unique concert venue and self-guided tours are a daily event. Retreat to contemporary Christmas Cottage, set in 24 acres of private woods and paddocks – a haven for nature lovers and perfect base for walking and pony trekking.

The shared indoor swimming pool and games room add an entertaining dimension to a stay in one of four attractive cottages on this farm in Lustleigh, on the eastern edge of Dartmoor. While the swimming costumes are drying off, there’s more than enough to do indoors: table tennis, snooker and plenty of children’s games. On fine days, enjoy walks on the owners’ 35 acre farm or perhaps riding, fishing and golf, all nearby.

Of course, when the sun does comes out, you’re never far away from a beautiful beach in the West Country, so have your buckets and spades at the ready!

Take a look at the superb holiday cottages still available in July and August for a last minute break.

Happy holidays!

It’s all happening in Chagford!

Chagstock

The Fun Lovin’ Criminals and KT Tunstall are on their way to Devon and you can join them!

They are playing the Chagstock Festival – the ‘biggest little festival in the South West’, in aid of Devon Air Ambulance Trust and Water Aid.

The event takes place just outside the pretty Dartmoor town of Chagford – our home town – and originated as a private party for around one hundred people, back in 2003. The two-day festival takes place 20th and 21st July and there are a few tickets left if you want to head along.

Take your pick of Dartmoor cottages available the week of the festival.

Chagford Show

Devon Air Ambulance is also supported by a more traditional Chagford event: Chagford Show. Taking place on 16th August, this is an opportunity to see the area’s farming industry take centre stage. Livestock, produce and equestrian displays make for a grand day out in the Devon countryside.

Take your pick of Dartmoor cottages available the week of the show.

Holiday cottages near sandy beaches…

What do the shimmering sands of West Country beaches say to you? Sandcastling? A horse ride along the shore? Surf’s up? Whatever your reason for loving the beach, take a look at this selection of holiday cottages near sandy beaches – all with availability this July and August.

Newquay has five magnificent beaches and at least one is always sheltered. Famous for surfing, new and seasoned surfers gather here all year round, with classes and wet suits at the ready for anyone who needs them. Spindrift overlooks Whipsiderry beach, voted one of the ten finest beaches in Europe by Sunday Times Travel, and is positioned perfectly for a coastal path walk out to Porth Island.

The coastal village of Charmouth in Dorset offers dramatic Jurassic Coast views. The sandy and pebbly beach is popular with fossil hunters and is about 7 minutes' walk from the The Old Manor House, a beautifully and carefully refurbished 16th century Grade II listed building.

There’s a great sense of history down at St Mawes in Cornwall, where two beaches would have once been watched over by royalty at Henry VIII’s castle. Coppers is within easy walking distance of St Mawes beaches and village centre, with a beautiful south-westerly view over St Mawes River and Falmouth Bay. See the coastline from a different angle by catching the pedestrian ferry across to Falmouth.

Kellaton in the South Hams is ideal for those looking for a sandy stretch of beach to stroll along. The sleepy, tranquil hamlet with occasional vehicle and horse-rider passing through is a mile from the lovely, unspoilt sandy beach at Lannacombe and coast path to Start Point. Enjoy the peace and quiet at Orchard View.

For more West Country holiday cottages close to sandy beaches with availability this summer, click here.