Place Ferry, Cornwall

FERRY 10 mins each way WALK 9 miles

The foot of Cornwall’s ridiculously picturesque Roseland peninsula is cleaved apart by the Percuil River but you can hop across its broad waters from busy little St Mawes on the tiny Place Ferry. Its destination, an uninhabited stretch of coastline near the manorial Place House, is as tranquil a spot as you could hope for. Strike out along the South West Coast Path to pass the Norman church of St Anthony and the National Trust’s St Anthony Head with its lighthouse and 18th-century battery. Then enjoy sumptuous sea views as you head along the cliff-tops all the way to the handsome twin villages of Portscatho and Gerrans, home to a pair of pubs. To return, take the little lane past Treloan, a track to Porth Farm, a minor road to the hamlet of Bohortha and finally a footpath to the quay at Toddy Steps.

April-October; falriver.co.uk/ferries/ place-ferry

PHOTO: ROBERTHARDING/ALAMY- LAZY DAYS Above: Ten minutes on the Place Ferry saves walkers on the South West Coast Path a day-long inland detour, as it runs across the Percuil River to and from St Mawes (Below).