• The location of Trevalgas Cottages, between the seaside town of Bude and historic Stratton, and close to the Devon border, makes it an ideal centre from which to explore both Cornwall and Devon.
    • This page is a summary only and much more detailed information is included on separate Out & About pages on Bude Town, Poughill Village, the Surrounding Area, local beaches, Houses & Gardens to visit, and those interested in Cycling, Golf and for Walkers.
    • And find out more about ‘Things Cornish’ on our Kernewek page!

Bude town

While the seaside and the open countryside have much to offer, there is a lot to see and do in Bude itself and neighbouring Stratton.

    Local attractions include

    • The Bude-Stratton Museum in the Castle (once the home of the Victorian inventor Sir Goldsworthy Gurney); the canal (one of the few in the country that opens into the sea); 15th century churches of St Andrew’s (Stratton) and St Olaf’s (Poughill).
    • The rugged coastline, the natural beauty of the countryside and the superb bathing and surfing beaches of Bude are well known.
    • In May, the re-enactment of the Battle of Stamford Hill takes place.  More details on our Poughill page
    • Bude Jazz Festival is held annually at the end of August.
    • There is an independent cinema – the Rebel – a few miles away in Poundstock
    • The town centre is compact, comprising mostly independent shops, plus a wide selection of cafés and restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets. Read more about Bude Town.
    • Bude has two main beaches – Summerleaze (the largest) and Crooklets – and a third if you count the one in between known as Middle beach.  Together these form one of the best surfing beaches in North Cornwall, but they also include little nooks and rock pools.

Beaches

To the north, there are great beaches – Northcott Mouth, Duckpool and Sandymouth – and Widemouth Bay in the south, another superb beach for surfers. Collectively these beaches will suit all tastes – broad stretches of sand for sunbathing, making sand castles, surfing, exploring the rock pools, etc.   Click for Beaches page

At low tide, it’s possible to walk from Bude to Sandymouth with wonderful views of the craggy rocks and cliff faces.  If the tide isn’t in your favour, it’s a great cliff-top walk along part of the South West Coastal Path.

For swimmers, Bude has it’s well-known and popular sea pool, washed twice daily by the tide, and in the town, there is ‘Splash’ an indoor leisure pool with wave machine and slide – very popular with young children.

For sports enthusiasts the area offers tennis, squash, golfing, canoeing, surfing, windsurfing, rock climbing, abseiling, mountain-biking, sailing, archery, ten pin bowling and fishing. Bude’s 18 hole golf course has one of the finest links in the South West.

Fishermen are well catered for with coarse fishing from the Canal towpath in Bude and sea and game fishing locally. There are riding stables nearby which provide trekking along the cliff tops and beach according to season.

Cycling enthusiasts will find that Bude makes a great base for a cycling holiday – being on National Route 3 (from Bristol to Land’s End). There’s also the Tarka Trail in Barnstaple and the Camel Trail in Camelford both offer cycle rides on flat ground enjoying superb views – a great way to get fit and see the countryside.  Have a look at the Atlantic Trail web site for details of more cycle routes – suitable for both beginners and the more experienced.  Go to Cycling page

Devon. Just over the Devon border is the unique village of Clovelly, and the stunning craggy cliffs at Hartland.

Into Cornwall.  Within about half an hour’s drive are other major attractions – the Arthurian centre and ruins at Tintagel, charming Boscastle, the fishing ports of Padstow and Port Isaac (aka Port Wenn from the Doc Martin TV series) and the home of the shanty singing group Fisherman’s friends.  The historic mediaeval castle at Launceston is worth a visit.  See more on the Surrounding Area page

For garden lovers Cornwall’s mild climate means that there is an abundance of lovely gardens to visit.  The world famous Eden Project at St Austell with it’s amazing tropical biomes is only an hour’s drive away. [Houses/Gardens page]

During April and May, Cornwall plays host to a garden festival with more than 70 mature gardens opening their gates. Then there are all year round gardens – from St. Michael’s Mount in Mount’s Bay, Trebah on the Helford River, the Lost Gardens of Heligan near Mevagissey, Trelissick near Truro, or even  Tresco on the Scilly Isles. You will find it difficult to visit them all in one holiday!