UKC

Hey folks and merry tidings to you!

Its that time of year again when we seek to book our summer holiday. We have decided to stay in the UK next year and want to have 10 to 14 days in Cornwall or Devon. 

The tick list is as follows; dog friendly cottage in a location close to the coast but not necessarily on it as I'll have my car. Chocolate box town/village with good pub or pubs and close enough to a supermarket. Lots of pleasant walks and running options essential.

I dont know the areas very well so would welcome some ideas on where to stay and any places where I could search for cottages to rent. 

Thanks and have a very happy New Year!

Lustleigh springs to mind for Devon. Not that close to the coast, but possibly close enough and ticks all your other boxes. 

Morwenstowe could be good, or Hartland maybe - supermarket a problem though.

Treen down west - though you probably need to have booked up a decade ago - or Mousehole, or St Just.

All of these suggestions are assuming you want some sort of proximity to good climbing too. They all fit that bill. 

There are (so) many places in the peninsula that fit your requirements. The problem will be finding somewhere unbooked  on the days you want within your budget.

Being date fexible and having deep pockets will (obviously) help.

im a croyde fan boy. climbing, surfing, decent walks of varying length and a great little vibe in the village

Thanks Michael and thanks for the replies so far.  I had a look on a website last nigth and it looked like there were lots of options, the only issue I has was a lack of local knowledge.  

The climbing is less of an issue these days as I dont do much any more.  The main focus is around walks with the family and running.

If you go on the north Cornwall coast, then once you go much further north than Polzeath it gets very hilly, so the running gets tougher and the supermarkets get further away. It is beautiful though.

Polzeath, though not itself in any way a chocolate box, is quite a good centre for what you want. A massive beach, walks/runs either side along the coast path, hilly stuff to one side around the Rumps headland, dunes to the other. Just over the river, a short ferry ride away,  you've got Padstow which is full of Rick Stein emporia, another beach at Hawker's Cove  and another peninsular you can run around. Supermarkets 15 min away in Wadebridge.

Further down the north coast is Crantock, just across the Gannel from Newquay, is also nice. Again it's on a kind of headland, with beach/coast path/common walks/runs all around. Supermarkets 10 mins away in Newquay.

Further down still is St Agnes. Fantastic coast path walks/runs in both directions. Lovely beaches at Trevaunance Cove and Chapel Porth. Nice pub at the Driftwood Spars.

Or you could try Portscatho in the Roseland , on the south coast. This is a quieter area than the above. Portscatho itself is beautiful as are the runs/walks around St Anthony's Head. Nice pub, plus the Hidden Hut. Not sure about supermarkets.

Finally, Fowey is an idea, if you like that kind of thing. With Polruan on the other side of the river, you've got splendid walk/run options on both sides.

Just a few ideas in addition to those given above.

Thanks so much for the detail on this!

Some good recommendations already.  Hartland's good - small shop offering the basics, good pubs - same with St Just.  I suspect your main issue may be finding a dog-friendly cottage that hasn't been booked already.

T.

As suggested above, Croyde's very pleasant, and the coastal walking to the east is good, but you'll hate the traffic jams at that time of year if in the school hols, particularly though Braunton/Barnstaple and the Woolacombe area. An OS map and the use of tiny back roads solve the problem, although they can present others, such as blockages by caravans and much reversing.

Lynton, further east along the north Devon coast, is lovely, has the pubs, restaurants etc, and amazing wooded walks up the river valley on the doorstep and moorland walks on Exmoor a few miles away. Not very flat around the town for running, but that might suit. If not, the moor can be flatter. Costcutter/Londis for supermarkets...

You were correct. Village options arent readily available. Whats it like in Bude? Other larger towns? 

Im starting to think that Brecons, or Ross on Wye, or somewhere else interesting but less honeypot would be best.

One other option, quieter, would be the Jurassic Coast of East Devon into Dorset. 

Climbing at Portland if you like, although Dartmoor is within striking distance for one days climbing. Walking is brilliant, both on the coast and inland. The Downlands Landslip is like walking through a lost world and a serious undertaking with few escape options.

The beaches are mostly pebble and not for surfing (exception is Sidmouth) but in good weather the snorkeling is great with loads to see.

IMHO, Bude is ugly, but the Hartland to the north of it is one of the best bits of the whole SWCP.

St Austell is not at all  honey pot but good for the whole of the Roseland area (Mevagissey, Goran Haven, Portscatho). The clay country around it is horrible but is similarly close.

There are many places that are not all pretty, except maybe in parts,  but not far from places that are. St Agnes no good? Try Perranporth or Mount Hawke. Fowey no good? Try Parr. No luck in Penzance? Try Newlyn or, if you want St Ives, try Hayle or Carbis Bay. Helston is good for the whole of the Lizard. etc. Delabole and Camelford are pretty bleak but good for the north coast. Wadebridge is actually really nice and close to Polzeath, Harlyn, Padstow, Bedruthan Steps etc. Pendeen is similarly bleak and good for West Penwith. 

The Camborne-Pool-Redruth conurbation (where I work) is 5 miles or less from the north coast, about 10 from the  south and, being on the A30, a good place from which to get to anywhere in Cornwall. 

You could say the same of Bodmin (where I live). 20 min to north (Polzeath) or south (Fowey) coast, Bosmin Moor and Camel trail nearby. If the the thought of actually being in Bodmin appals, many nearby villages are actually quite pretty. eg Blisland, Lanlivery.

In general, if the honey-pot places are full, try for places nearby with different names.

+1 for Lyme Regis. A lovely place to stay.

Oh blimey don't go telling people about the Roseland and the coast beyond Mevagissey! Its shockingly dull and no one should go there...  

I fear we may be too late in our endeavour.  Thanks for the replies folks but it seems my wishlist seems to be everyone else's and in the cut and thrust world of holiday cottages, with dogs, first come first served.

Just to throw my tuppenyworth in, another vote for the Roseland. We stayed here: https://www.classic.co.uk/cottage-availability-3165.html     last year. At the top of the hill down to Portscatho, dog friendly, lovely run/walk up to St Anthony Head, decent pub within a minutes walk, good shop for supplies down in the village, as previously mentioned Hidden Hut nearby,15 minute drive to St Mawes. Nearest 'proper' supermarket down that way would be St Austell (we normally stock up on the drive in) and that's only half hour or so. We've booked somewhere else this year only because our (tiny) Shorkie struggled on the spiral staircase. As mentioned earlier don't tell everyone though, although it gets busy it's nowhere near as touristy as the other honeypots (at least when we go at Whitsun)

Goonwinnow Farm

UKC does it again. The classiccottages website is excellent, matty, with loads of fantastic options. We may have found a real gem in the heart of Exmoor.  Ill be back later for things to do locally.

Thanks everyone.

Have u looked at   https://www.aspects-holidays.co.uk/  

I hadnt seen that site but will file it for future use.

Thanks

Glad it helped. We've used them a few times now and they've always been really helpful. The cottages have been great in our experience. Hope you enjoy your break