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 five acres in the teeny-tiny village of Wheal Kitty, overlooking the chimney stacks of the Wheal Kitty mine. It’s a flat field 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. It’s worth noting that campfires are a no-no here, but barbecues are a-okay as long as they are kept well off the grass. The on-site kids’ play area makes it family friendly and dogs are welcome too.

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.