Life’s a beach
DANIELLE MUSTARDE SPENDS A LONG WEEKEND EXPLORING A SMALL CORNER OF ENGLAND’S BEAUTIFUL CORNISH COAST
CORNWALL
PHOTOS SIMON GREEN PHOTOGRAPHY, DANIELLE MUSTARDE
Sitting just south of Newquay (visitnewquay.org) and north of St Ives (stives-cornwall.co.uk) is the harbour village of Portreath. Though the nightlife in this small fishing port isn’t the liveliest – and there’s no scene to be spoken of – it’s a gorgeous spot to spend a long weekend tracing the Cornish coastline and the luxury lodges of five-star resort Gwel an Mor (gwelanmor.com) are the perfect base to explore everything.
OH I DO LIKE TO BE…
Taking a direct train from London Paddington station to Redruth, I jump in a pre-arranged taxi from the station for a short 15-minute drive to Gwel an Mor. As we climb Portreath’s North Cliffs, the views of the seaside become clearer and increasingly panoramic; and after spending the last few months in land-locked London, boi does it feel good to be beside by the sea.
Arriving at the reception and – as I come to discover – the “community hub” of Gwel an Mor, I’m greeted by one of the resort’s welcoming receptionists who gives me my key, a little map of the small site, and points me in the direction of my lodge. Myself – and my good pal Heidi who’s due to arrive later that evening – will be staying in one of the resort’s residence lodges, an eco-friendly, contemporary haven set in its own area of the resort.