Sunny Corner Campsite

With views of a tin mine and the Atlantic Ocean in one direction and rolling countryside in the other, Sunny Corner Campsite is as rooted in North Cornwall as campsites come. It’s within walking distance of both the surf at Trevaunance Cove and the village of St Agnes where pasties and cream teas are among the local treats on offer. And the campsite itself offers something typically Cornish too – a warm and friendly welcome with a laid-back approach to life on site.

This simple site occupies 10 acres at the top of Wheal Kitty overlooking the sea and the chimney stacks of the Wheal Kitty mine. Its set over three flat fields with a pitch-where-you-please policy and simple facilities that are just enough when you’re planning on spending all day on the beach: hot showers, flushing loos and handy USB charging ports to keep your phone topped up. Campfires and barbeques are allowed as long as they are kept of the ground so as not to damage/burn the grass. There are large areas in the centre of the fields left free for the kids and adults to play ball, rounders, cricket or fly kites and dogs are more than welcome.

The South West Coast Path passes nearby and offers the perfect place for walkies, whether you’ve brought the dog or not. You can use it to head out on a long hike exploring more of this part of Cornwall’s tin-mining heritage or just to get to the beach. The closest is Trevaunance Cove, a mixture of shingle and sand which is ripe for swimming and surfing. At low tide there are opportunities for rock-pooling too and you can even walk round to another beach at Trevellas-Porth cove – but keep an eye on the tide. A bigger beach at Perranporth is about four miles from site and Newquay is seven miles beyond that. The arty harbour town of St Ives with its galleries and shops is about the same distance south west. If you want to explore the North Cornish coast on a back-to-basics camping holiday, you’re unlikely to find a base that’s better than this Sunny Corner.