Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside!

Whether you like to stroll along the prom, lounge on the beach or have fun in the water, few of us can resist the draw of the coast. Here’s a selection of seaside sanctuaries for you to dip your toe into...

Marigold Cottage near Crantock is a devilishly good place to start. Legend has it the town was buried by sand for its sinfulness. With its pretty village setting including thatched houses, tea room, pub and splendid sandy beach plus Newquay’s surfing beaches nearby, this semi-detached converted barn is a charming Cornish temptation.

Exquisite Cawsand is a popular watersports and fishing destination. Use Trevarna as your base and you’ll have stunning views out to sea over Plymouth Sound from nearly all rooms of this impressive, Grade II listed, four-storey house. Recently renovated, it’s a thoroughly modern and comfortable holiday retreat, just a stone’s throw away from the beach and a mile from Whitsand Bay.

Salcombe is a yacht haven with creeks, sandy bays and waterside pubs. Stumbledown is at its heart, off a donkey-width lane; a neat studio apartment just right for two and a good value base in this popular town. Watch estuary life float by from the shore or hire a boat and find a secluded cove.

Keen to get away soon? Quirky Peelers Cottage – which had a former life as a police station and gaol – has June availability. Positioned in central Appledore, known for its boat building and fishing community, you can enjoy an ice cream and the pretty estuary views from the quayside or pop across the water to the beach at Instow for watersports.

For more ideas, take a look at our holiday homes within 5 miles of the coast in Devon and in Cornwall.  

Top photo credit: Podknox

A room with a view…

There are many writers, artists and musicians who have been inspired by sea views - spy thriller writer John le Carre, for instance, lives in a rambling house at the top of a cliff near Penzance. Virginia Woolf wrote To the Lighthouse inspired by views of a beach near St Ives. 

The best coastal holiday cottages have uninterrupted views across blue waters and golden sand that will have you champing at the bit to get out for a barefoot walk in the morning. These two apartments were made for their coastal panorama and are both fantastic chill-out places to stay.

Fort Picklecombe was built in 1848 to protect Plymouth, so a clear line of sight over the waves was vital. The fort is now converted into excellent apartments but you still may see warships passing by the window as Plymouth is home to the largest Naval base in Western Europe. Not that you'd know it from the calm rock pool beach below Lighthouse View - a neat and stylish apartment, perfect for a breakfast on the balcony to soak up the stunning seascape. Beautifully kept shared gardens are an added bonus. Sleeps two.

Pentire, Newquay, enjoys the quieter side of the Cornish town famed for its beaches. Smart and sunny Pentire Heights Apartment is ideally located - it has no less than five sandy shores nearby. Its lovely long views are of Fistral beach, which is very popular with surfers and other watersports enthusiasts. Proximity to the coastal path makes this a great base for walkers, too. Sleeps five.

Take inspiration from our selection of West Country holiday cottages with sea views.

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