Hillsborough

As you make your way along the country road that leads to Hillsborough, you get tantalising glimpses of the sea. Some are so spectacular that it’s tempting to pull over, lean against a Cornish slate wall, and gawp at the view. But we recommend holding off – for if you’ve booked a stay at Hillsborough, the best is yet to come. This little enclave of hillside holiday cottages offers the most breathtaking view of them all. In one direction it’s 180 degrees of sea, in the other, it’s all green, with Cornish countryside rolling away into the horizon. The cottages aside, the only other building in sight is the handy farm shop and café next door.

The Old Farmhouse, The Hayloft and The Boatshed are your options at Hillsborough. Each is a well-converted farm building that totally looks the part for your holiday on the North Cornwall Coast. Choose the stone-walled Old Farmhouse, with its four bedrooms, or the three-bedroomed Hayloft for a family stay; or opt for the studio-style Boatshed if you want a cosy romantic bolthole for two. And if you’re looking to take a break with a larger group of family and friends, you can book all three to sleep up to 15.

The Old Farmhouse is perhaps the most traditional of the two cottages, with flagstone floors, bricks and beams. But it’s not all old school, with stylish furniture and contemporary features too. The kitchen is well equipped, there’s WiFi and flatscreen TVs and a lovely modern bathroom. The same pleasing mix of old and new, comfort and charm is found in the other accommodations, but in The Hayloft it’s upside down, and in The Boatshed, it’s open plan and glass-fronted. It’s all designed to make the most of that view towards the sea and the setting sun.

These features alone win most people over, but other factors play a part too. The handy farm shop, serving Cornish-only produce next door, is one; the fact that the South West Coast path is only 200 yards away is another. It means you can walk into Boscastle for a cream tea almost as easily as you can get there in the car. Tintagel, with its legendary castle, is five miles to the south, while the beach at Crackington Haven is about the same distance away.