North Cornwall

The north coast faces the full force of the Atlantic, which is why it attracts surfers, walkers, and anyone after a Cornish holiday that feels genuinely wild. The beaches here - Fistral, Watergate Bay, Polzeath, Harlyn Bay, Constantine, Saunton Sands across the Devon border - are bigger and more exposed than their south coast equivalents. Newquay is the surf capital, with more surf schools than anywhere else in the country and a reliable year-round swell. Padstow, 15 miles up the coast, is the food destination: Rick Stein opened his first seafood restaurant here in 1975 and the harbour town has been building a reputation for eating ever since. North of Padstow, the coast path passes through Port Isaac (the filming location for Doc Martin), Boscastle, and eventually Tintagel, where English Heritage manages the ruins of the castle associated with the Arthurian legend. The north coast gets more wind and rain than the south, but also more drama.