Country houses for sale

A surfer’s ideal home? The Cornwall seaside haven just yards from the beach in the village of Polzeath

Arabella Youens takes a look at the aptly-named Beach Haven, in the heart of one of North Cornwall's most popular spots.

If you are are house hunting in Cornwall, there is a general rule of thumb: the further you go down the A30, the further your money will stretch. Our recent look at the dramatic Porthledden, near St Just and Penzance, demonstrates this, with 10 bedrooms and 13,000 sq ft on sale at £5m; contrast this with Constantine Cottage, where the same budget ‘only’ gets you four bedrooms and 2,700 sq ft.

You don’t have to be quite that rich to enjoy a house in this gorgeous part of the country, and in fact £2m will still get you a three-bedroom house in one of Cornwall’s most celebrated villages. Take the example of Beach Haven, on the relatively accessible north Cornish coast, which is on the market at £1.95m via John Bray Estates.

It’s a home in the perennially popular village of Polzeath, just a few steps from the beach and right across the Camel Estuary from Padstow.

Recommended videos for you

The house is up for sale for the first time since 1984, though it has been changed since then. This modest bungalow was extended in the mid 1990s and looks like an ideal holiday cottage, with a large games room and all-important wetsuit-and-surfboard store.

It sits in a tucked-away position, yet is only a few steps from the heart of the village and offers beach and sea views from many of the windows.

To the rear is about an acre of garden, including an area of mature woodland — a real rare find, according to agent Josephine Ashby.  ‘Large plots so close to the sea with scope to create your own vision are extremely rare here,’ she says.

And the village itself is one of the best in the country — particularly for surfers.

‘Polzeath remains one of the most popular surf beaches in the UK, with multi-generational appeal,’ Josephine adds.

Beach Haven is for sale at £1.95m — see more details and pictures.


Best country houses for sale this week

From a truly magnificent Shropshire stately home to a string of delightful thatched cottages, enjoy our pick of the finest

The Scyther: ‘We were up in arms about Poldark – his swing was all wrong’

Scything was almost forgotten until Aidan Turner’s turn in Poldark, but Nigel Adams says there’s still a place for it.