Swim, surf, sauna. Then walk the coast path to Padstow.
All just few steps from your room
Here's something the Padstow guidebooks miss: the best of this coast starts at our front door. Pull on your wellies, wander down the lane to the beach, and the coast path will carry you as far as your legs fancy, round headlands and across sandy coves, before bringing you home in time for a sauna, a pint by the fire or supper.
Harlyn Bay is the beach at the end of our lane, and it changes twice a day - as the ride goes in and out, so this is what you need to know before you wander down.
When the tide's in
Harlyn is a sheltered crescent of sand with gentler waves than most of this coast, and one of the most reliable beginner beaches in Cornwall. Harlyn Surf School is just down from our garden gate, so you can be in a lesson before your cuppa's gone cold.
It's lovely for paddleboarding and kayaking too
When the tide's out
The bay opens into a vast, flat stretch of sand, with rock pools and caves to poke about in. Take a bucket and borrow a pair of wellies.
Whatever the season, Saunas by the Sea sits on the bay, with the sea as its cold plunge and a little something for our guests [TBC: what the offer is]. Heat, a dip, then back into the warm is every bit as good in January as it is in July!
The Seven Bays of St Merryn
There's a saying round here, seven bays for seven days, and it's a lovely one if you're staying the week. The bays run along this stretch of coast from Trevone in the east to Porthcothan in the west, and Harlyn sits second in the chain.
That means Trevone is about forty minutes one way along the coast path, and the whole western run is walkable from our garden gate, round Trevose Head and on for as long as your legs will carry you.
Most guides count the bays from Padstow, where the holiday lets are, but we'd rather count them from here. And if you're only with us for a night or two, skip straight to our loop below, which takes in the best pick of them in a single day.
The seven bays
Harlyn Bay - you're already here
North-facing, sheltered and shallow, it's about as safe as a sea swim gets on this coast, and it's right outside the door. Have your sauna and cold plunge before breakfast, or save it for after a day on the coast path.
Mother Ivey's Bay - 1.1 miles, west
A quieter, more sheltered bay with views out to Merope Rocks and the Padstow lifeboat station. It's one of the team's own favourites for a swim, especially when Harlyn's got a bit of wind in it.
Trevone Bay - about 2 miles, east
Walk east for about forty minutes and you'll reach Trevone, a wide sandy bay with rock pools at each end. Tucked into the rocks on its western side is a natural tidal sea pool, hidden until the tide drops.
Booby's Bay - about 3 miles, west
Round Trevose Head, Booby's only really appears at low tide, when the sand and rock pools open up between the cliffs. Look closely after a storm and you might spot the timbers of an old wreck, usually buried under the sand.
Constantine Bay - about 3 miles, west
Wide sand backed by dunes, with the golf course looking down from above. At low tide it joins Booby's Bay next door, so the two become one long beach to wander.
Treyarnon Bay - 3.5 miles, west
Treyarnon's trick is its natural rock pool, cut into the cliffs at the northern end and big enough to swim proper lengths in. Handy on a day when the sea itself is too rough to get in.
Porthcothan - 5.5 miles, west
The quietest of the seven, with a small village beach and rock pools of its own. A natural stone arch stood here until storms took it down in 2014 - the gap it left is still worth the walk to see.
Our favourite bay of the seven
Ask anyone on our team which bay to head for and the answer is always Mother Ivey's. It's 1.1 miles west along the coast path, sheltered and secluded, with views out to Merope Rocks and Padstow Lifeboat Station, and much quieter than the names everyone knows. Take a towel and a good book, because in spring and summer there's nowhere we'd rather swim or while away an afternoon in the sun.
On foot from Harlyn
No car, no route to plan. The coast path runs straight from the door - east into Padstow for the harbour and a plate of lobster, or west round Trevose Head to Constantine Bay and the string of bays beyond.
Every direction ends the same way: back at the water, ready for a swim or a sauna!