Location description from owner

The England region

Crackington Haven is a delightful unspoilt cove nestling in the dramatic cliffs of the North Cornish Coast. This is an exhilarating stretch of coast with inland paths through fields and woods. The stiff climbs and steep descents are amply rewarded with magnificent views stretching from Lundy to Tintagel.

All Seasons
Crackington Haven is one of the most beautiful coves on the North Cornish coast and is well worth a visit at any time of the year. The scenery is as dramatic in the winter as it is in the summer and the cottage is always warm and friendly.

The Cottage
Unlike many holiday cottages out of season Trevean cottage has been furnished and equipped specifically with the winter months in mind. Traditional 16th century slate flagstones have been sensitively re-laid over an under floor heating system to keep the cottage warm and dry all year round and the log burning stove adds a touch of traditional warmth and romance. The furnishings have been selected to provide a real sense of home from home and the kitchen equipped for the best of home cooking. The lighting throughout has been designed to reflect a variety of moods and to bring out a convincing blend of contemporary and traditional. Upstairs the bedrooms boast high quality designer linen and the beautifully appointed bathroom is a lovely place to laze in plenty of piping hot, soft water. Outside is a lockable barn for surfboards, canoes, bikes and other outdoor equipment that visitors may wish to bring.

Crackington Haven is at the centre of one of the most spectacular stretches of coastline found in Cornwall. Dramatic cliffs rise and fall from the foaming Atlantic providing a truly awesome backdrop to the coastal path as it winds its way through the bracken, heathers and gorse blossoms. This is an area renowned by walkers, revered by naturalists and adored by all those who just simply want to get away from it all. Visitors tend to come back year after year which is not surprising given the sheer splendor of nature at its finest in an area preserved from the demands of modern day life.

Heavenly
Without doubt the summer months at Crackington provide a miniature heaven for families and beach lovers but for those able to visit outside the main holiday season the beauty of this area should not be missed. Due to its southerly aspect and always tempered by the Atlantic the climate in this area of Cornwall tends to be warmer than other parts of the UK outside of the summer months. This is particularly noticeable from September through to December when the warm waters of the Mexican Gulf Stream reach our shores on the North coast of Cornwall. For this reason surfers tend to dominate the uncrowded waves in October but their spectacular efforts can be quite entertaining for the casual observer viewing from the pub terrace which overlooks the beach. The warmer climate also tends to ensure that ornithologists see the last staging post of many migratory birds before their winter exodus.

The Woods
The protected valleys around the coast exhibit their own micro climate with some of the last flourishes of summer and the first flushes of spring and being riddled with footpaths provide a walkers’ paradise. The woods around Crackington are bursting with blackberries rosehips and hazelnuts in the autumn and carpeted with bluebells, daffodils, primroses and violets in the spring. All valleys end at the sea where the land abruptly turns to gorse, heathers, tamarisk and a variety of wild costal flowers and lichens (which only grow in very clean air).

The Cliffs
From February through to April the nutty aroma of fresh gorse blossom mixed with sea air serves a heady cocktail to the senses for those who venture along the cliff paths. After just one day you will be surprised how your skin begins to tingle and glow and pleasantly surprised at how sleep becomes deeper and more satisfying. On the subject of skin visitors should be warned that the light can be particularly strong in this area and sensible precautions need to be observed from February through to the end of October. Those that enjoy a sun tan are likely to find that Cornwall provides a more indelible colour than most Mediterranean countries; one only has to look at the locals to know this.

The Light
For the photographer and artist light is the key. During the summer months the light is very strong. Undoubtedly, the best time of year to photograph the stunning scenery in this area is between September and April. The vast majority of photographs used for our website were shot during the winter months including the cover photo of the sea which was taken on Christmas Day.

Cornish Attractions
Cornwall has an immense array of attractions for visitors throughout the year and being a relatively narrow county, coast to coast, everything lies within easy driving distance. The cottage has an information box dedicated to local attractions for those who wish to venture away from the immediate area. Always worth a mention though are the world famous Eden Project, Jamaica Inn, Rick Stein’s Restaurant, Newquay (World surfing championships), the Lost Gardens of Helligan and the Tate at St Ives. All within 20 – 60 minutes drive. Besides the main attractions a myriad of smaller venues await from obscure museums such as the shipwreck museum at Polpero to working tin mines, aquariums, zoos, National Trust Houses and Gardens, Art galleries, quaint fishing villages and of course the natural granite sculptures of Bodmin Moor.

Tea by the Fire
Guests who prefer to stay within the area have recommended the walk to the pretty local church which was built in Norman times on a pre-Christian site overlooking the sea, or the walk down Lovers Lane to the beach followed by a drink at the pub or even a walk across the cliffs to Boscastle catching the local bus home which drops you outside the cottage. Others like the short trip to Tintagel, a walk around King Arthur’s Castle followed by homemade cakes and tea served on crisp linen tablecloths around an open fire in Lewis’ tea rooms.

Home Cooking
For those who like to cook at home fresh, organic meat can be bought direct from the farm in Crackington and a little further along the coast road to Bude fresh, locally caught fish is available during the week. Alternatively, basic provisions are available 7 days a week at the Post Office next door and a wider choice can be found in Morrison’s supermarket in Bude which is only 15 minutes drive away.

Escape
Visitors to Trevean cottage find it an easy place in which to relax. It is not just a holiday cottage it is truly a home. Some guests rarely venture away from the cottage preferring to sit in the pretty back garden overlooking the sea, the cows in the field and the rookery in the valley. Trevean cottage offers the perfect escape, away from it all where you can return to normal life knowing that you really have had a holiday.

Sidney
Oh, and if you do go, the resident seagull who perches on the chimney top is called Sidney. If you feed him he will tap his beak on the window to wake you up for breakfast!

Crackington Haven

Crackington provides the perfect spot for walking, enjoying beautiful beaches and stunning scenery. As well as a number of interesting walks on your doorstep there are a host of things to do from horse riding to the full amenities and shops at Bude only 20 minutes away. Padstow with its many Rick Stein eateries is only half an hour away and there you can hire a bike and follow the Camel Trail. The moors are a twenty minute drive where you can stop off at the famous Jamaica Inn. The Eden project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan are both just under an hour.
The village of Higher Crackington Haven has a post office stores and down at the cove there are two beach café’s and a pub where you can eat and drink overlooking the sea.