My children have long been fond of the beautiful picture book, the Mousehole Cat. It’s based upon the legend of fisherman Tom Bawcock, who ended a famine by braving a storm and catching enough fish to feed everyone in his village. In reality, the Cornish village of Mousehole is every bit as charming as its storybook counterpart: pretty granite cottages clustered around a small harbour, with a distinctive ‘mousehole’ gap between the breakwaters. During our stay there, we took daily walks, at high tide studying the colourful bobbing boats, and at low tide gathering sea glass, in jewel bright weathered shards.

The children bought bags of shells from one of the houses flanking the harbour, posting their money into the well-worn honesty-box slot in a wooden door. For lunch, we devoured amazing homemade Cornish pasties from Jessie’s Dairy, served to us on Cornishware plates. A short walk from the harbour, we explored rock pools, catching crabs and a star fish in the tidal rock swimming pool. The appropriately named Rock Pool cafe, perched up above, provided locally made Moomaid ice cream and glorious sea views.

Images by Laura Pashby