Notes from the host
Seawards Near Seaton Beach
Breathtaking views of the coast and with open countryside of the SW Coast Path and the beaches of SE Cornwall both just a 10 minute walk from the house. Views of the coast span out from every room.
Please note, from July and August and during national school holidays (Easter and February, May and October half terms) we have to keep to only Saturday arrivals and departures, unless arranged with me directly in advance of making the booking. Other times any day of the week can be booked.
Completely modernised, fully equipped and heated by an air source pump with underfloor heating, it is warm and welcoming in every season.
Sleeps 4+2 (one king and one double bed and a comfortable double bed settee is available in the sitting room if needed). There is also a single air bed stored on the eaves cupboard in bedroom two, so three youngsters can sleep in the same room if this is preferred to using the bed settee in the living area. The linen and duvets for the single air bed and for the double bed settee, is stored right in front of the entrance to the eaves cupboard in bedroom two (the one closest to the bathroom). The air bed has its own integral electric pump which not only inflates but deflated it effortlessly, allowing you to put it back in the same place under the eaves.
The terrace is as large as the ground floor onto which it opens with sliding glass doors spanning the entire frontage.
A family bathroom upstairs with walk in shower and separate bath, and a downstairs shower and toilet.
The kitchen and house are fully equipped, with washer/ dryer, dishwasher two fridges and freezers, microwave, electric oven and hob, slow cooker, steamer, soup maker etc.
Outside furniture and useful beach equipment stored in the shed (chairs, parasol with plastic screw attachment for the beach, 4 body boards, triple inflatable canoe and a double paddle board with hand pump, rock pooling nets, and crab lines, 1 adult and 1 childs wet suit, beach badminton and plastic tennis, catch-ball, beach mats x 4, a metal beach screw to attach your dog to a lead etc, none is expensive or new but just provided to try to lessen the inevitable “beach clobber” that needs to be packed into your car). If things break, (which inevitably happens) no worries, but please let me know so I can replace them.
PARKING. For up to 5 cars at the property. Please note. It can cost £30 each time an electric car is charged, if you have an electric vehicle and need to use the mains for this, please let me know.
You can hear the sound of waves breaking on the shore from the house, and it is set on a quiet road (which is also the SW coast path) with only vehicles allowed for access to properties.
NEARBY. A few ideas.
GROCERIES
The best place to shop is on the way down on the A38 at Saltash (Lidl, Waitrose and many other shops) only 20 minutes from the house, so ok if frozen food bought (great idea to bring a freezer bag with you- also handy for the beach on hot days). There are two fridges and two freezers in the kitchen, specifically to accommodate for a big initial shop. Otherwise, after you’ve arrived, Liskeard (Morrison’s, B&M, and Aldi) also takes 20 minutes, but closer than Saltash.
If it’s a daytime trip, Liskeard is a rather nice little country town to look over at the same time as doing your shop.
Eggs and honey are available a few doors down the access road “Treglisson” produced by my neighbours, Petra and Shaun.
Deliveries may be made from:
Morrison’s
Sainsbury’s
Tesco
Waitrose
M&S (Plymth & St. Columb Major)
EATING OUT
Seaton Beach Cafe (5 mins walk)
The Smugglers Pub (10 mins walk)
The Beach House (10 mins walk)
Downderry:
1 mile away (but a lovely 20 minute coast and beach walk away):
The Inn on the Shore
Summink Different (Café opposite the Inn)PL11 3LX.
Bewshea’s. More formal restaurant. PL11 3LD (01503 250308).
Looe (5 miles)
Has a huge range of places to eat. The Sail Loft is one I’ve been to. Looe is great for sea food.
The Coddy Shack is great for fish n chips, and easy parking as it’s on a farm on the road to Looe, just 4.4 miles away (Great Tree Farm, St Martin’s PL13 1NX).
WALKS
E and W along coast path. See pictures.
Seaton valley countryside park. (10 mins walk from the house ) 2.5 mile trail through a beautiful nature reserve, following the river to Hessenford.
Kingsand to Rame head, emerges from an idyllic dense woodland onto the exhilarating hills and cliffs toward the tiny ruined chapel at Rame.
BEACHES
Kept in the shed for the use of guests, are a parasol (with a detachable end which screws into the sand), windbreaks, crab lines, rock pooling nets, 3 body boards and an inflatable three person canoe with paddles (and hand pump), and an inflatable paddle board. (Please brush off sand and dry and pack all back as you find them for the next guests).
Seaton beach. All to use with appropriate adult supervision, of course. Lifeguard station is manned during the summer peak times.
Not a bad idea to use the car to drop off the family, equipment and packed lunch etc in the car, then park in the pull in space on Looe Hill, and walk the few minutes down to join everyone on the beach, then at the end of the day, walk back up the hill and use the car to collect everything and park at the rear, by the shed.
See pictures: shingle and also fine grey sand, Body boarding, great fun and even I can do it, so it requires no skill. Surfing is also popular, even see them at it in January and February, which seems quite mad, but in wet suits they stay in for hours on end. I love watching them from the veranda, in windy weather, huge waves, but I’m a devoted coward, even in a wet suit.
Downderry beach .
Long beach contiguous with Seaton beach at low tide. Coastal path takes you there even at high tide.
Secluded beach at far end (30 minutes walk) cut off at high tide (when access is via the SW coast path) beloved of naturists and those just seeking a blissfully quiet beach, even at the height of summer. Gets cut off at high tide for a few hours but you can walk up or down the steep hillside through a beautiful holm oak wood, which adjoins the SW coast path back into Downderry. But this climb or descent is not for the elderly.
Whitsand bay. Vast beach at low tide. Exhilarating place. (10-15 mins by car). Fantastic for big dogs to let rip.
DAYS OUT FOR ALL AGES.
Whitsand bay Golf course. Fantastic views, set on the cliff top, so a bad slice or a hook might be the last you see of your ball.
Adrenaline Quarry (20 min drive)
Go-Karting. (Watch yourself get overtaken by 10 year olds). Zip wire (my favourite). Swing boat (an opportunity to get a second look at your lunch). Wild swimming, Axe- throwing (best avoided during or immediately after any recent marital disharmony).
Polperro, (park and walk some way) but idyllic Cornish fishing village.
Cawsand and Kingsand, fishing villages. Just magic. Note from Kingsand the walk to Rame head and eat at the tiny Devonport Inn (book, it’s tiny) for good food in a lovely setting by the little beach. In summer, if you can do a six mile round walk, parking the car near Rame church is free, and avoids the difficulty parking in Cawsand in peak season. Walk to the ruined chapel first, then follow the SW coast path down into Kingsand.
Looe, closest sizable town. Rather spectacular steep sided natural riverside estuarine setting and beaches.
Monkey World. Walkable from the house (15 -20 mins walk). Fantastic cliff top setting, and a chance to meet some distant relations. Reviews on trip advisor seem rather mixed.
Plymouth (40 minutes by car)
National aquarium, fascinating any time but especially good for brightening up a wet day, (all inside). A short walk to both the Barbican, the Hoe and the Lido. Cinemas nearby, and the Theatre Royal, The Box is a wonderful arts centre with fantastic displays of the history and biology of the area. Don’t miss the life size woolly mammoth.
The Eden project. (30-40 mins by car) I defy anyone not to be impressed.
Mount Edgcombe, (20-30 mins by car. Free entry, subtropical gardens, walks, views, and Segway, which is great fun. And if I can stay upright on it anyone can.
Please write up your experience of eating places, walks, activities etc in the book provided as it’s so useful for others to read.
