The Roundhouse

Why you'll love staying here

The Roundhouse is a 16th-century former farm building that has been lovingly converted into a charming holiday cottage with stunning sea views. Set in the idyllic North Cornwall countryside, the cottage retains many of its original features while offering a comfortable retreat for a family or group of friends.

The open-plan living area has exposed timber beams and a stone fireplace housing a cosy wood-burning stove. With plenty of comfortable seating, the lounge is the perfect place to snuggle up in the evening with a good book. The country-style oak kitchen offers ample storage and is well equipped with a range of modern appliances, along with a traditional Belfast sink. Beside it stands a farmhouse-style dining table with room for everyone to gather and enjoy delicious home-cooked meals, perhaps making use of the local produce thoughtfully provided in the welcome hamper, including homemade marmalade and bottled milk.

Two king-size bedrooms are located on the ground floor, both dressed with crisp linen and pretty quilts to ensure a restful night’s sleep. A family bathroom completes the downstairs accommodation. Upstairs, an attic bedroom tucked under the eaves has twin beds, making it an ideal hideaway for children.

Doors from the kitchen open onto a patio that catches the morning sun, the perfect spot for a leisurely breakfast to start the day. Beyond this, the garden is laid to lawn with pretty flower beds, where you may see the farm’s chickens wandering about. The farm also has a small mixed flock of sheep and a few cattle, which are joined in summer by Gloucester Old Spot pigs, often spotted snuffling through the woodland. The owners produce their own lamb, pork, home-cured ham, beef, sausages, and bacon, as well as freshly laid eggs from their hens – simply ask if you’d like to buy any. There’s also a kitchen garden and a couple of friendly horses that children will love meeting.

The nearest beach to The Roundhouse is Crackington Haven, an unspoilt sand and shingle cove nestled between dramatic cliffs. The sea is safe for bathing and, as the tide retreats, dozens of rock pools appear, brimming with marine life. The beach is also popular with surfers thanks to the shelter provided by the cliffs, so even if you don’t fancy a go yourself, it’s great fun watching seasoned surfers ride the waves.

A little further north is Bude, a picturesque coastal town with a choice of excellent beaches. Summerleaze Beach is especially popular with families, with a large expanse of golden sand, an outdoor saltwater swimming pool, beach huts for hire, and RNLI lifeguards during the summer. Be sure to visit The Castle, situated in the dunes overlooking the beach. It’s an elegant Grade II listed building completed in 1830, now home to a heritage centre, art galleries, exhibitions, a gift shop, and a café with wonderful views towards the sea and the infamous Barrel Rock.

A short drive inland brings you to Bodmin Moor, with its rugged landscape, ancient monuments, and wooded valleys. Visit Jamaica Inn, the iconic 18th-century coaching inn immortalised in Daphne du Maurier’s novel of the same name. It welcomes guests with low oak beams, cosy fires, and the scent of peat smoke. Attached to the inn is the Cornish Smuggling Museum, home to a fascinating collection of artefacts. The inn is said to be haunted, so keep an eye out for shadowy Victorian figures and listen for the sound of phantom horses’ hooves.

Wildlife enthusiasts will find plenty to enjoy on Bodmin Moor, including upland bird species such as skylarks, stonechats, and curlews, as well as deer, weasels, and the wild ponies, sheep, and cattle that graze its open landscape. And you might even spot signs - real or imagined - of the legendary Beast of Bodmin Moor, the mysterious large cat said to roam its most remote areas.