These comfortably furnished, well equipped holiday properties, designed and built to a very good standard, boast their own enclosed patio gardens.

All enjoy panoramic countryside views across fields to Trevose Head, the River Camel estuary and the twin peaks of Rough Tor and Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor.

Situated just outside the hamlet of Little Petherick on the road between Wadebridge and Padstow, they make an ideal touring base.

The harbour town of Padstow, 2 miles, with a selection of cafes and restaurants including Rick Steins famous seafood restaurant. There are many lovely sandy beaches and coves to explore along this coastline. From the harbour you can hire a bike and ride along the Camel Trail to Bodmin Moor, take a ferry to Rock or perhaps hire a boat or try your hand at sea fishing.

The medieval town of Wadebridge, 7 miles, offers a range of shops and an indoor leisure centre with swimming pool. Various NT properties and gardens are close at hand, as is the Eden Project. Golf at Trevose, 3 miles. Horse riding, sailing and fishing trips nearby. Shop and pub 1 mile.

Just 8 miles from the fishing village of Padstow with its picturesque harbour, these delightful cottages have been thoughtfully converted from a former barn. They are set close to the owner's fine granite and slate house in 50peaceful acres of farmland grazed by cattle and horses. They have shared landscaped gardens to the rear (The Mill House has its own private garden and patio) and each has a sitting-out area with furniture, enjoying shared use of a barbecue area and hard tennis court.

Padstow offers a wealth of attractions to visitors: boat trips across the estuary to Rock; fishing trips from the harbour; shops and restaurants to explore; as well as cycling down the Camel Trail to Wadebridge and beyond. The golden sands and surf at Mawgan Porth are just 4miles away, whilst one of the most famous surfing beaches in Cornwall can be found within 7miles - Fistral Beach, Newquay - where many surfing competitions are held. Shark fishing, windsurfing and other seaside events can also be found here, as well as the famous zoo and `Leisure' swimming-pool. At Perranporth (12miles), 3miles of sands sweep northwards to Ligger Point where, at low tide, the sands sometimes extend to half a mile in width, with good bathing and surfing (lifeguards in attendance). There are many fine examples of prehistoric remains in the surrounding countryside, including the Nine Maiden Bronze Age standing stones and the nearby well-known, circular Iron Age fort of Castle-an-Dinas, standing 700feet above sea level. Within a half-hour's drive to the south are the picturesque old fishing villages of Fowey, Polperro and Looe - a beautiful stretch of coast where quaint little ports are separated by delightful beaches. The Eden Project is within a short drive; a major attraction, the site promotes the symbiotic relationship between people, plants and natural resources, with three geodesic domes housing plants from around the world. Riding and golf available nearby.

"Cottages in the quiet countryside of a land steeped in legends . . ."
Situated north of Bodmin Moor in the parish of Advent, just two miles from Camelford, is Trethin. Once a working farm, its traditional farm buildings, comprising a mill, granary, stables and various other barns have been converted to offer well-planned and comfortable accommodation in lovely surroundings. The cottages are set close to the main house which is one of the oldest houses in Cornwall and is listed for its historical and architectural interest. There has been a settlement here since Neolithic times and Trethin was a prominent farm through the centuries. The cottages are set in delightful, well-maintained grounds with lawned areas, flowering shrubs and mature trees.

The shared grounds provide plenty of space for relaxation; an adjacent games field offers spacious recreation for children, with a swing, slide and climbing frame. There is also a games room a short distance from the cottages, with table tennis and a pool table. The immediate area is a golfer's paradise - within 15 miles there is a choice of seven courses including St Enodoc, Trevose Country Club, the famous Jack Nicklaus course at St Mellion and a new championship course at Camelford. Horse riding (including instruction) and pony-trekking can be enjoyed nearby, with day-trips available on Bodmin Moor. Good local trout, coarse and sea fishing.

This part of the country is everyone's idea of what Cornwall should be, with a spectacularly wild, wave-lashed coastline and many sandy beaches, often reached across fields or through deep wooded valleys carved by streams. Trethin is only 12 miles from the sailing and water-skiing centre at Rock, where dunes run down to the beach with wide expanses of sand at low tide - and not a rock in sight! There is another excellent beach close by at Daymer Bay, while nearby Polzeath beach offers surfing. From the sands, a ferry service has linked Rock and Padstow since the 14th-century. This little fishing port began as a monastery - but today it is better known as a quaint little village where freshly caught fish can still be bought on the quayside. Its narrow old streets are filled with an assortment of interesting shops, inns and restaurants, and it is home to the Tropical Bird and Butterfly Gardens. Padstow is just one of the many delightful fishing villages which are dotted along this exciting coastline. The little harbour at Boscastle is one of the most beautiful in England - a sheltered inlet with towering headlands at its entrance. Here, and at the fishing village of Port Isaac (8 miles), the buildings run right down to the sea and, at most of these villages, fishing trips and boat hire can be arranged. Above the villages and beaches is Cornwall's most dramatic cliff scenery, and the walking on this part of the coastal path is superb, with large tracts of the cliffs and surrounding land owned by the National Trust. To add to the natural wonders, there is mystery, history and legend to be savoured at Tintagel, where the drama of the jagged cliff-top scenery is enhanced by the castle ruins. Exploration slightly further afield finds a host of interesting places within easy driving distance of the cottages at Trethin. All the traditional seaside attractions can be experienced and enjoyed at Newquay, Cornwall's biggest resort, with indoor and outdoor swimming-pools, a museum, a zoo and an aquarium. There are boats for hire on a boating lake, fishing trips, good beach fishing and excellent surfing on the long sandy beaches. Inland, Bodmin Moor is only a short drive and is the smallest and mildest of the West Country's great moors. The moor boasts beautiful tors, torrents and rock formations, but the real beauty lies in the human imprint, such as the wealth of relics left behind by its Bronze Age population. At Camelford, there is a sports centre with indoor swimming-pool together with excellent shops, as well as the North Cornwall Museum and Gallery where the centrepiece is a late 19th-century moorland cottage.

This is a lovely area for a Cornish holiday - and the cottages at Trethin are peaceful and convenient bases from which to enjoy it. The properties are comfortably equipped and furnished, with electric blankets, heated towel rails and microwave ovens in all properties. A shared laundry room with coin-operated washing machines, tumble dryer and ironing facilities makes holiday living easier, and the grounds are a relaxing haven to enjoy on quieter days.

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