Inspiration

The best seaside towns in England

The essential summer-holiday guide to England's best seaside towns – what to do, where to eat and the best places to stay
beach in Salcombe
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In the early 18th century, the English regarded their shoreline with distaste. The seaside towns in England were exposed to the tides and prone to landslides and gales, it was the domain of fishermen, smugglers and those relegated to society’s margins. In the decades that followed, a dramatic reimagining recast the English seaside as a place for health, pleasure and rest. A triumphant rebranding job, the seaside resort has proved one of England’s most successful and widely exported inventions.

Spurred on by the rise of rail travel in the Victorian era, by the 20th century, millions were visiting seaside towns in England. Resorts proliferated along every English coastline, offering a cornucopia of architectural highlights – from the fantasy of Brighton’s Pavilion to the spectacular Blackpool Tower, built to rival the Eiffel Tower and the magnificent modernism of Morecambe’s Midland Hotel in the 1930s. Piers, promenades, arcades, pleasure parks, beach huts and elaborate shelters were designed to delight and entertain. The seaside exerted a gravitational pull on the English imagination, inspiring painters, writers and filmmakers. Sand, ice creams, chilly seas, wind breaks and donkey rides became part of the cultural imagination – even after cheap flights brought the Mediterranean Sea within reach, which meant neglected late-20th-century seaside towns. Today, nostalgia and the depth of affection are powering a new wave of reinvention. Prime examples include Margate’s Turner Contemporary, Folkestone’s beautiful redevelopment and unparalleled collection of public art, Lowestoft’s South Beach, and the recently agreed £100 million outpost of the Eden Project on Morecambe’s seafront.

Sam Mendes’ beautiful Margate-set film, Empire of Light, reminds us that the seaside resort taps into England’s most tender dreams of redemption and hope. This is the place for second chances and last chances. I lost count of the number of piers whose elaborate Victorian ironwork was festooned with padlocks, mementos, artificial flowers and framed photos, marking rites of passage of love, death and birth. The seaside is a place designed to allow and forgive the sentimental. It is quintessentially part of being English. Madeleine Bunting

The Seaside: England’s Love Affair, by Madeleine Bunting, is out now.

  • Shingle House by Living Architecture Dungeness
    Living Architecture

    Dungeness, Kent

    “Dungeness is not ‘bleak’,” reads the canvas at the open studios towards the tip of this windswept, wonderfully peculiar peninsula – a testament to its contested charm. Over the steam railway tracks from Romney Marsh, this untamed expanse, sitting in the lee of a nuclear power station and with its skyline marked by a succession of lighthouses, may not emit traditional postcard beauty, but Europe’s largest shingle beach has poetic value, historic intrigue and hard-to-beat sunsets. Its desolate mass is scattered with skeletons of boats, weather-boarded cottages and the spoils of high tide, while rare flora battles to colonise the shingle – a unique view that late artist Derek Jarman called “modern nature”. His tar-black Prospect Cottage makes Dungeness a pilgrimage for aesthetes, while abundant birdlife on the RSPB’s first-ever reserve draws bird-watchers to the community’s eclectic mix.

    Where to stay

    A low-slung scattering of rustic fisherman huts and right-angled architectural passion projects across the shingle offer an insight into this coastal community. Popular rental options include the Shingle House and Wi Wurri. Down the road, behind the dunes at Camber Sands, The Gallivant has seaside-smart rooms with roll-top baths, a Bamford spa cabin and an excellent locavore restaurant; The Gallivant Littlestone Beach opens nearby this summer with 12 bedrooms and a design that references the breezy beachiness of East Coast America in the late 1920s.

    Where to eat

    With two boats working daily, seafood doesn’t get fresher than at the Dungeness Snack Shack, a matt-black cabin that, depending on the season, serves scallop baps, lobster, crab, sole and plaice with fried potatoes and homemade tartare and chilli jam. Some of Britain’s best wineries – Tillingham, Gusbourne and Charles Palmer – are a 20-minute drive away. Ben Olsen

  • Emma Croman

    Margate, Kent

    It’s hard to talk about Margate without descending into cliche: about Shoreditch-on-Sea, Dreamland et al, or the existential whiff of T.S. Eliot’s Waste Land captured by Sam Mendes’s Empire Of Light. But what I love is its diversity: that the LGBTQ+ crowd, the Gormley-watchers, the Medway teenagers, the three-legged greyhounds and the ageing ravers on the Harbour Arm all have a space. I also love that, while the Margate Main Sands looks like a Where’s Wally? illustration on a warm summer’s day, there are quieter bays in either direction, with rare chalk reefs and stacks at Botany Bay and Kingsgate, and jolly seafront cycle cruises to Whitstable or Ramsgate.

    Where to stay

    Margate is upping its game: graduating from pubs and restaurants with rooms (Angela’s, The George and Heart) and impressive B&Bs (The Reading Rooms, Libertines-owned The Albion Rooms) to fully-fledged hotels. The Fort Road Hotel, a local icon elegantly reworked by a creative trio including Frieze magazine founder Matthew Slotover, has been a local hit, especially with the Tracey Emin-led art crowd – for overnights with views over the Turner Contemporary, or Montgomery cheddar souffles by ex-River Cafe chef Daisy Cecil in the ground floor bistro. Now, it's joined by No.42 Margate, a revamp of the tired Sands Hotel, by the GuestHouse Hotels group behind smart boutiques in Bath and York.

    Where to eat

    If there’s not a seafront table at Dory’s, the small-plates offshoot of local seafood pioneer Angela’s, locals tend to head for the unbookable outside tables at Bottega Caruso, where even the Cantabrian greens and beans are sublime. Sargasso, on the Harbour Arm, has a whiff of Hackney, but there’s no arguing with airy parmesan fritters and Sbagliatos as the tide shifts over the rippled Main Sands. Up the hill, Cliftonville is having a moment in the sun with smart wine bar Sete and Indian street food spot Streets new on the same block on Northdown Road. Toby Skinner

  • Emli Bendixen

    Falmouth, Cornwall

    Neither in thrall to celebrity chefs, nor reliant on pastel pink-clad summer crowds, this charismatic harbour town has sparkling beaches right in town and a subtropical climate – not to mention a year-round buzz. Paddleboarders setting off at dawn from Gyllyngvase Beach mingle with workers knocking off from shifts at the dock. For itinerant hipsters, there are single-origin roasts at Beacon Coffee or craft beers from the Verdant Brewing Co. The quantity of art students in Penryn means that this is a town where people make art: see it at the new grass-roots space, The Cornish Bank. Falmouth has a railway station, so there is no need to drive – with a short ferry to St Mawes and wildflower-lined paths to Pendennis Castle or the Helford River.

    Where to stay

    There is a cluster of smart hotels between Gylly Beach and the centre of town. The reimagined 84-room St Michaels Resort now has an expansive spa and hydrotherapy centre. Nearby, the cosier Merchants Manor has added hot tubs to its sub-tropical gardens. In town, gastropub The Star & Garter has three smart suites overlooking the harbour.

    Where to eat

    While Falmouth swerves the foodie hype associated with Newlyn, Padstow or Porthleven, its stock is rising. Spilling out onto the cobbles on The Old Brewery Yard, Mine serves a clever, concise menu informed by local ingredients – Cornish sole, crab fritters and baked celeriac. Having added three AA Rosettes to Merchant Manor’s Rastella, South African chef Hylton Espey branched out last summer to launch Culture at Custom House Quay. In a Nordic-inspired setting, seven-course tasting menus make a meal of foraged, preserved and fermented ingredients alongside braai-grilled local lamb and venison. Ben Olsen

  • Sophie Knight

    Suffolk Heritage Coast

    The Suffolk coast in the summer isn’t just about Aldeburgh or Southwold. And despite its soulful villages, heathland-edged coast and bounteous foodie scene, there are still parts of the coastline that remain happily under the radar – deserted rivers, forests and even beaches, including Covehithe, with its powder sand shoreline stretching as far as the eye can see, and the rugged shingle stretches of Dunwich and Thorpeness.

    Where to stay

    The latest luxe bolthole at The Wilderness Reserve is the cute-as-a-button Stump cottage with a private spa, sauna and lake. Just down the coast, the newly opened The Suffolk has six soothing rooms, some with sea views, along with a buzzy bar and restaurant. Room five at the dog-friendly Five Acre Barn – a cedar-clad, RIBA award-winning B&B just outside Aldeburgh – has triple-aspect views out onto stunning gardens packed with ornamental grasses.

    Where to eat

    Pump Street Bakery in Orford serves the county’s best breakfast pastries, and great sourdough and sea salt bars at their sister chocolate shop across the square. After a soothing walk around the quay and along the River Ore, the Butley Orford Oysterage is a no-fuss lunch spot for a dozen of the outstanding Butley Creek bivalves. Just outside Saxmundham at Maple Farm, Alice Norman’s cooling St Jude & blackcurrant ripple gelato is served with homemade cones using the farm’s own grains. A front-row table at the Ramsholt Arm overlooks the best sunsets over the River Deben. At the Greyhound Inn in Pettistree, River Café alumnus Harry McKenzie is wowing locals with cow’s curd ravioli or lamb sweetbreads, broad beans, crème fraîche and sorrel. Clare Coulson

  • Andy Hopkinson

    Scarborough, Yorkshire

    Scarborough has a good claim to being the most beautiful seaside resort in England – although I may be biased, given that I grew up in North Yorkshire and often visited as a child. The dramatic castle occupies the headland which separates the two main bays – steep cliffs stretching away in both directions. The old town ascends the slope to the castle in a maze of crooked streets, with buildings dating back to Tudor times. The town is a showcase of every stage of seaside architecture over the last two centuries – from Georgian crescents to Victorian hotels, with an Art Nouveau spa and an Art Deco theatre. Scarborough was built to entertain the wealth of West Yorkshire textile owners with museums, galleries and theatres, and everywhere their ambition and flamboyance is evident. Meanwhile, still hovering over the town is the glamour and eccentricity of the Sitwell family and the sibling writers, Edith, Osbert and Sacheverell, who spent summers there in its Edwardian heyday.

    Where to stay

    Foremost among the new breed of local hotels is the au courant Bike and Boot Hotel, housed in a handsome Victorian terrace in the centre of town, with dog grooming and an onsite film club.

    Where to eat

    Scarborough still isn’t a culinary hotspot to rival Margate or Whitstable, but Cafe Fish is a must-visit for local crab and lobster, and serious Yorkshire steak among the seafood. The Love Brew Café is a beloved local institution for great coffee and hearty vegan food, while the Steampuss Cat Lounge has become a cult local attraction with its 15 in-house felines. Madeleine Bunting

  • James Bedford

    Salcombe, Devon

    The narrow A-road winding towards the southern edge of Devon promises access to an enchanted world. Wild fuchsias grow in the hedgerows; seagulls strike picturesque poses; dolphins frequent the sheltered bays. Salcombe is a pretty cluster of stone and pastel-coloured houses built along terraces on a steep slope. They overlook wonderfully blue waters that are studded with white boats. Most of the sheltered, golden beaches of the estuary can be reached by car, but it is quicker and more fun to take a ferry from the centre of Salcombe. The South Sands Ferry serves the western shore; beaches on the eastern shore are reached from the village of East Portlemouth, a ferry ride across the estuary from Salcombe. Head to Whitestrand Quay and catch the foot ferry to South Sands, a journey of 10 minutes on a tubby, blue-and-yellow vessel that looks as though it could have sailed out of a children's picture book. Take a cruise around the estuary with Whitestrand Boat Hire at Strand Court, where you can also rent rods and self-drive boats.

    Where to stay

    A minor revolution has been taking place in Salcombe's hotels. South Sands is a boutique property with a New England look. Set on a glorious sweep of sandy beach about a mile from Salcombe, it has 22 spacious bedrooms reached via a spiral staircase and 5 beach suites. In town, the Salcombe Harbour Hotel on Cliff Road has a spa, pool and extensive terrace.

    Where to eat

    In town, Dickandwills on Fore Street is a sleek brasserie with a stunning waterside terrace. It serves dishes including carpaccio of Devon beef and slow-cooked, spiced local lamb, and has a loyal following thanks to its reasonable prices, cheerful ambience and excellent seafood. Slightly further afield is Sea View Restaurant at South Sands Hotel, which has fabulous views from its terrace and through a curving wall of windows. The menu has seasonal dishes such as chilli crab linguine and Salcombe Gin salmon gravlax. For relaxed family dining, go to The Winking Prawn on North Sands, less than a mile from the heart of Salcombe: an extended beach café, it serves crab-mayonnaise lunches and a bistro-style dinner menu which includes monkfish wrapped in bacon.

  • James Bedford

    Eastbourne and beyond

    Its pier presents a chimerical silhouette above the water; its seafront promenade is punctuated by a much-loved bandstand; its streets are lined with grand, Victorian buildings. Eastbourne in East Sussex is the quintessential, old-fashioned seaside resort. But it provides easy access to the glorious new South Downs National Park, and to intriguing and little-known art trails. Eastbourne is fronted by three miles of shingle, plus sand at low tide. There are deckchairs and cafés in the Grand Parade section. Beyond the town are stunning and relatively secluded beaches beneath the cliffs of the South Downs. Falling Sands Beach, accessed from a footpath and via steep steps, is an attractive (and sandy) stretch. Stroll the seafront promenade, which is lined with beds of bright flowers. For great views back over the town's Italianate architecture, walk the 1,000-foot-long pier. Visit Towner Gallery for its contemporary art exhibitions. Eastbourne's hinterland has informal art routes that are also well worth following. About 10 miles away is Charleston, which was the home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant and retains their murals and art collection (including works by Picasso and Renoir).

    Where to stay

    The recently opened Port Hotel is the smartest stay in Eastbourne – a gamechanger, set right on the seafront. Well-positioned on the seafront, on King Edward's Parade, the boldly decorated Citrus Eastbourne is furnished with faux-fur curtains and Seventies-style designer wallpaper. The 50 bedrooms are spacious and keenly priced, and most offer good views.

    On the steep, white cliffs of nearby Beachy Head is the Belle Tout Lighthouse, now a quirky and stylish B&B. Built in 1832 and a working lighthouse until 1902, it was picked up and moved away from the eroding cliff edge in 1999. The refurbished property has six bedrooms and offers gourmet breakfasts and complimentary evening drinks in the lounge.

    Where to eat and drink

    Go to breezy Company for brunch or Skylark for candle-lit suppers. For something a little edgier, Cru is a subterranean restaurant and wine bar.

  • Alamy

    Blakeney and the north Norfolk coast

    Between Blakeney and its neighbour Cley, the north Norfolk coast is a 'seaside' only in the broadest sense; although the latter's full name is Cley Next The Sea, both it and Blakeney now have marshland where the sea used to be. But Holkham, to the west, has a superb beach, and Wells (also Next-The-Sea) has a bucket and-spade strip selling shrimp nets and 'kiss me quick' hats. The main appeal of the coast, however, is that it fell asleep a couple of centuries ago and is just beginning to wake up. As for beaches, Cley and Salthouse have gaunt, pebble 'dunes' stretching miles in each direction. But the crescent of sand at Wells, with its long line of beach huts, joins the vast strand of Holkham to create one of the UK's finest beaches. If you get there at low tide, be patient; the sea will be with you eventually. Go on one of Beans Boat Trips from Morston Quay through the marshes to see the seals at Blakeney Point. Call into the Cley Marshes Visitor Centre, a wing-like building where you can learn about the nature reserve and admire it through the wide-screen viewing window. Eagle-eyed visitors will spot a crooked wooden ladder sticking out of the marsh across the coast road: this is part of an otherwise elusive sculpture trail.

    Where to stay

    The flintwork front wall of the Blakeney Hotel lies directly opposite the village's little quay. It's a placid location: unlike a sandy beach, a narrow creek doesn't tend to draw a crowd. The family-owned hotel, opened in 1923, is a traditional place where the style stays within the comfort zone of Farrow & Ball colours and floral fabrics. But the 60 bedrooms are well fitted and furnished, there's a 15-metre indoor pool, and the tasty restaurant food is served by staff who dress formally but behave informally - a winning combination. The smart place to stay is Morston Hall, just two miles west of Blakeney: it's a 13-room, country-house hotel whose focus is its Michelin-starred restaurant. About the same distance in the other direction is Cley Windmill, an 18th-century structure which - sails still intact - is a delightful eight-room guest house with a holiday cottage attached. Couples looking for somewhere to cosy up should consider The Wiveton Bell, a Fulham-style pub just inland, which has six well-designed rooms and one cottage.

    Where to eat and drink

    The Holkham Estate has played a big part in the gentrification of the north Norfolk coast as a place to stay and eat. The food and wines are certainly good at the well-regarded Victoria at Holkham, but the prices are up at London levels, and the place feels as if it might be rolled out as a 'Café Norfolk' chain. There is no fear of that happening with the splendid Wiveton Farm Café, although Britain would be a happier and more rosy-cheeked place if it did. The premises are a cabin in the middle of a fruit farm, with a pine-shaded terrace on three sides; inside, it's all pastel colours, printed oilcloths and charming staff. There are home-baked goods in the morning and afternoon, hearty dishes at lunch and sell-out tapas evenings (Friday and Saturday, May-September). Fish and chips are a staple in these parts. French's Fish Shop in Wells has a loyal following, and there are good chippies in Holt and at Salthouse on the coast.

  • James Bedford

    Mawgan Porth, Cornwall

    The natural drama is compelling. Atlantic waves pound the shores of a deep, sandy bay; steep cliffs on each side provide great vantage points for views over the strikingly azure sea. Mawgan Porth in Cornwall is a small village that has gained a big reputation for its surf scene and trailblazing, eco-friendly accommodation. It is becoming a gentler alternative to Watergate Bay, which is about three miles south. Both areas have big beaches – some of the best in Cornwall – and big tides, but which is better: Mawgan Porth or Watergate Bay? The former is generally less crowded; the latter has a longer stretch of golden sand. For a haven of quiet, head to Bedruthan Steps Beach, just north of Mawgan Porth. The 'steps' are sea-stack rock formations along a sandy shore accessed via a vertiginous footpath. (The currents here make it dangerous to swim, and you should always make yourself aware of the tides: consult tidal times in the Newquay area at easytide.ukho.gov.uk).

    Where to stay

    The Scarlet Hotel is a salty-aired, eco-friendly spa-slash-hotel – all seaweed-infused hot tubs, yoga sessions in the garden and swinging pods in the dark relaxation room. It earns its green credentials, using solar panels and biomass boilers, and harvests and recycles rainwater – plus has some of the best views on this rugged slice of coast.

    Where to eat and drink

    Book The Living Space at the Watergate Bay Hotel for a cream tea, or Catch Seafood, Bar and Grill for brunch.

  • Getty Images

    St Ives, Cornwall

    The bustling fishing port of St Ives is classic Cornwall lined with fishermen's cottages and cobbled streets. Located in the west of the county, it has a splendid harbour that's full of life and a shoreline of sandy Blue Flag beaches, while it's also brimming with art and culture, and has a wonderful selection of local shops and cafés. This is a beautiful place to escape everyday life and immerse yourself in the holiday vibe, to surf the waves (or attempt to) and soak up some history. The beaches scattered along St Ives’ shoreline are all within walking distance of the town. Porthmeor, perhaps the most popular, is a great family spot for a picnic and midday swim or surf. For a quieter option with a sea breeze, Porthgwidden is a gorgeous stretch of white sand that's lined with beach huts. Porthminster Beach is also popular among sun-seekers, with clear blue waters and views of the Godrevy Lighthouse – inspiration for Virginia Woolf’s novel To The Lighthouse – three miles out to sea.

    Where to stay

    Overlooking Porthminster’s sandy beach, the modern-style St Ives Harbour Hotel & Spa has that true British seaside feel with a little extra luxury. Its spa is equipped with hydrotherapy and heated pools, plus a steam room and sauna, and the HarBar Kitchen, Bar and Terrace draws guests with its fresh seafood, charming alfresco setting and dreamy views. The small, privately run 15-room Boskerris Hotel offers a relaxed, Mediterranean-style experience with panoramic sea views. There are lovely walking paths into the centre of St Ives with its shops and restaurants, or it’s just a simple three-minute train journey into town. Pre-order flowers and Champagne to your room for special occasions.

    Where to eat and drink

    Grab the very best Cornish pasty at Pengenna Pasties, freshly baked using the family’s original recipe since 1985. St Ives Bakery also sells a delicious array of warm pastries to munch on while ambling through town. For a seaside lunch, Porthmeor Beach Café opposite the Tate has a lively atmosphere and a great selection of creative small plates full of intricate flavours.

    The Mermaid is one of the longest-standing restaurants in St Ives, situated in the old fishing quarter and serving amazing seafood in an authentic setting while also delving into the history of the town. Diners are immersed in the past via vintage photographs lining the walls and church pews used as booths. Go for the fish platter, then round things off with the Mermaid Mess (a twist on the Eton Mess). For a fun and quirky dining experience, head to The Rum and Crab Shack along the harbour. Tuck into Cornish crab or lobster (aprons provided) and order a zesty Dark ’n’ Stormy, made with one of the hundred spicy rums from all over the world collected by the owners. Cordelia Aspinall

  • Alamy

    Folkestone, Kent

    As a 90s teenager growing up in Folkestone during its fallow years, I didn’t foresee it becoming one of the UK’s most vibrant seaside towns. It’s a continually surprising – and heartening – revelation that Folkestone’s become such a cultural hub, thanks in no small part to the presence of acclaimed art born of the town’s Triennial – works by Antony Gormley, Tracey Emin, Richard Woods and AK Dolven pepper an area now considered to be the UK’s largest urban outdoor exhibition of contemporary art. Of course, Folkestone always had good bones: the Leas clifftop promenade designed by Decimus Burton, and wide shingle beaches with views of the French coastline on clear days. But the transformation of places that, as teens, we wouldn’t have dreamed of venturing to – from Tontine Street, now awash with galleries and bars, to the Old High Street dotted with boutiques selling boujie pet accessories and vintage fashion – makes it a legitimate metamorphosis.

    Where to stay

    Despite its progressive cultural scene, Folkestone is still playing catch-up when it comes to places to stay. Rocksalt, an excellent seafood restaurant with rooms located on the edge of the pretty fishing harbour, has the nicest rooms – think antique cast iron bedsteads, open brickwork, and balconies overlooking the water. Up on the Leas, The Burlington is a Victorian redbrick mansion that’s pet-friendly and, while a little dated, makes a good base.

    Where to eat

    The harbour arm is, naturally, the prettiest location and has a growing selection of options, from locally-landed seafood at Little Rock to She Sells Seashells, which occupies old clapboard railway carriages and serves hearty bowlfuls of mussels and occasional Southern-style seafood boils. In town, near the top of the Old High Street, The Folkestone Wine Company sees chef David Hart – formerly of the Sportsman at Seasalter – serve French-inspired dishes like halibut in lobster bisque and breaded belly of lamb with boulangère potatoes. It’s tiny, so worth booking. Imogen Rowland

  • Alamy

    Mersea Island, Essex

    I still have the postcards my gran sent from Clacton, Eighties bucket-and-spade seaside snaps in over-saturated colours. Mersea Island lies just around the coast, but I think of it in terms of a woodcut, of black mooring posts stark against a herringbone sky, or the arrowhead tracks of curlew and golden plover on mudflats. There are sands to stretch out on in summer, but this is a shore better for foraging and scrunching across, past marsh grass and drifts of sea lavender. The water here is reluctant to relinquish the land, flooding the causeway at high tide, forming maze patterns of creeks. Time shifts on Mersea, too. Fossils of hippopotamus bones emerge from the rock; out on the estuary, the lantern-red sails of a Thames barge ease by, straight out of a Dickens novel. I love the sense of Victorian Gothic – it’s the English coast at its earthiest and most beguiling.

    Where to stay

    I really want to stay in one of the private houseboats, beached like whales on the creeks of West Mersea, but in lieu of those, there’s the White Hart Inn, which reopened on the high street in 2022 with six bedrooms in bright greens and blues, and a menu that plates up salt-baked celeriac and confit chicken wing alongside oysters from Richard Haward, whose family have farmed the bivalves since the 18th century. For a cosy daytime base, the Little Beach Hut Company has four retro-styled huts on the sands. Haward’s rock oysters can also be shucked at The Company Shed, along with crab sandwiches and grilled mussels.

    Things to do

    The White Hart is also a gallery space for the island’s creative community, which includes abstract painter Beth Holmes and ceramicist Nicola Contreras, who break away from the usual ‘sea and boats’ depictions – their work can also be found at The Oyster Gallery and at their homes during the Mersea Open Studios (26-28 May and 1-3 September). Pick up a bottle of Island Yo Boy session ale at the Mersea Island Brewery – more can be had at this summer’s debut West Mersea Food and Drink Festival in August. Rick Jordan

  • Getty Images

    Portscatho, Cornwall

    So much of the Cornish buzz happens west of Falmouth, and the Roseland Peninsula isn’t as well known as the Lizard Peninsula. But Portscatho, a one-time pilchard port on the peninsula’s eastern edge, is as lovely as anywhere in the county on a summer’s day. Along with Gerrans, the adjoining village up the hill, it’s become a place of salty sea air, boutique galleries and local ice cream, with two gorgeous beaches – Tatum and Porthcurnick – that are sheltered from prevailing winds and join at low tide.

    Where to stay

    The 18th-century Plume of Feathers is a well-loved local pub, with a solid pub menu including a great day boat chowder and serious Sunday roasts, and has five crisp bedrooms upstairs. Just north of town along a coastal path, the Driftwood Hotel is a clapboard boutique with faint echoes of New England, and gorgeous views from the terrace, with a menu geared towards local fish and fowl.

    Where to eat

    Up in Gerrans, the Standard Inn is a serious locavore gastropub in a restored 18th-century fisherman’s pub, which was reopened in middle of last summer’s heatwave by Simon Stallard and Jemma Glass, the husband and wife team behind the cult Hidden Hut beach shack just up the coast. Come summer, expect Stallard to cook local hake, cull yaw mutton, and Creedy Carver duck on a wood-fired outdoor grill. Down by the seaside, Tatams is a picture-perfect coffee house in a waterfront shack, with serious breakfast baps with local back bacon or St Ewe egg and Portobello mushrooms. Just behind it, Tavola does proper stone-baked Romana pizzas and a simple, aperitivo-focused drinks menu, with consumption on the beach – possibly after a salty swim – encouraged. Emily Barr

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