Chapel Porth is reached by a series of winding country roads, and a frankly terrifying final steep descent. It’s a quiet little gem of a beach, far away from the crowds. This is a place to listen to the sea, watch the waves crash against the shore, and while away the hours.

Year after year we have returned. Here we have consumed countless flasks of coffee, sitting for hours reading and dozing in the safety of the car, as the Cornish weather inevitably turns.

This year we explored the surrounding coastal path, walking high up the cliff through swathes of gorse and heather. From the peak you can see the former tin mine, Wheal Coates, and a vast expanse of ocean.

Back at the beach, Chapel Porth cafe serves up sandwiches and snacks to hungry surfers. We sidestep these, however, and instead order their legendary ‘Hedgehog’, a cone of Cornish ice cream rolled in clotted cream and topped with hazelnuts. Just has to be done.

Images by Charmaine Beaumont-Rixen