Mousehole Rock Pool

The granite rocks at Mousehole curve into the sea like a natural amphitheatre, and when the tide's out, you get proper tidal pools teeming with anemones, starfish, and small crabs. It's one of those spots where you can spend twenty minutes or three hours - completely depends on how obsessed you get with peering into rockpools.

This is genuinely excellent for families with young kids. The pools are shallow enough that you can let them loose without heart-stopping panic, and there's enough marine life to keep them interested longer than you'd expect. Bring a net and a bucket, obviously. Adults who care about marine biology will find it satisfying too - it's a proper working ecosystem, not some sanitised visitor attraction.

The village itself is lovely, all narrow streets and fishing boats, so you can grab a pasty from one of the takeaways in Newlyn just down the coast and eat it on the rocks. The walk down to the pools is easy enough, though the path can get slippery when wet.

There's no charge to visit, and no set hours - you're just working around the tides. Best to go when it's receding rather than coming in, obviously. If you're staying at Foxglove Field Glamping five miles north, this makes a cracking half-day outing. The rock pools won't keep you all day, but combined with a wander round Mousehole village and some fish and chips, it's well worth the short drive.