empty beaches, Atlantic drama and the best surf of the year
Autumn on the North Cornwall coast
Cornwall, with the volume turned down and the waves turned up
Here's a secret the surfers already know: autumn is North Cornwall's best season. The summer crowds have gone home, the sea is at its warmest after months of sunshine, and the Atlantic starts sending in the proper swells. Harlyn Bay - sheltered when everywhere else is blown out - comes into its own.
The beaches empty, the light turns golden, and the coast path becomes yours. Padstow softens back into a working harbour town. And at our house, the fires get lit and the kitchen leans into the best of the Cornish autumn larder.
Step outside
and enjoy the coast to yourself
Walk the headlands to Trevone or take on the coast path towards Padstow with barely another soul in sight. The autumn light on the Atlantic is something photographers cross the country for - and the surf schools run well into the season if you fancy braving it.
Autumn on the plate
The Cornish larder is generous in autumn - the day boats still landing, the Kitchen Garden turning out its late harvest, game arriving on the menu.
Catch The Lobster Shed before it closes for winter at the start of October - autumn lunches there, wrapped up against the breeze, are some of the best of the year.
Autumn here is best enjoyed in two parts.
Half the day out in it - boots on, cheeks pink, making the most of the golden light and the turning leaves.
Then spend the other half by making your way slowly indoors, where the fires are lit and nobody's in a rush to move you along.
Fires, quirks and a 15th century house
One of Cornwall's most historic houses was built for this season - old stone walls, roaring fires, cosy corners and the sound of the weather doing its thing outside. Storm-watching from a window seat with something warming in hand is a legitimate Cornish pastime.
Unwind in the Potting Sheds
In the quietest corner of the Kitchen Garden, with salty air drifting up from the bay, the Potting Sheds are the perfect warm-up after a wild coastal walk.
