We have spent the last four nights at a lovely farmhouse in the Cornish countryside. Butterwell House is part of Treddinick Farm, a fully operational family-run dairy farm. The owner, Angela, lives offsite but popped round on our first evening to make sure we had everything we needed. Given that we’d been greeted by homemade scones, alongside locally produced jam and clotted cream, we were pretty happy! Butterwell House was fully equipped and had everything we could need; logs, full bedding, towels, slow cooker, washing machine, tumble dryer, a well stocked condiments selections, games and toys for adults and kids, to name just a few things! We literally only needed our clothes, personal toiletries, and food. There was a little village shop in Duloe for any daily provisions that we needed.

The delights of Cornwall were enjoyed by all. We visited Looe on our first day, where we had a giggle trying to catch crabs from the quay wall, and on Angela’s recommendation we tucked into a traditional pasty from Sarah’s – it did not disappoint. The kids enjoyed playing at the little park by the Millpond, having bought some sweetie treats from Nanna’s on the way back from the sandy beach. The parking wasn’t too bad in Looe, the little carpark on the quay fills up pretty early in the morning, but the larger carpark at the Millpond had plenty of spaces. It’s a little trickier for wheelchair users though as the route back to the road and into town is very steep.

On the second day we trundled over to Tintagel on the north coast, via Carnglaze Caverns. The caves were brilliant and the children enjoyed exploring in the dark. Don’t forget your jacket though, because even in the height of summer the temperature down there remains at a steady 10c. The owner was full of very interesting information, and the woodland walk was a nice stroll for the sure-footed. The caverns and the woodland walk are not wheelchair accessible though, so bear this in mind if you have anybody in your party that isn’t on their feet. Tintagel was very quaint and traditional. There were plenty of carparks on the main road through the village, and a large number of independent shops to have a browse in. We picked up some St Nectan’s pottery, made in the pottery in the village, as well as visiting Tintagel castle. The castle is part of English Heritage, so members get free access. There is a Land-Rover taxi service that you can opt for instead of walking to the castle, but again, the castle itself is not wheelchair accessible. We opted for lunch in the local branch of The Cornish Bakery; the pasties were tasty but not as good as the ones in Looe.

The next day we opted for a return visit to Looe, earlier in the morning, so that we could have a wander around before it got busy. We arrived at 9am and had no problems getting parked in the little carpark on the quay. The tide was out this time though, which meant there was no opportunity for catching crabs. We walked out to the banjo pier and soaked up the sea breeze and the view. It was a little bumpy in the wheelchair, but totally accessible. We grabbed the obligatory pasties from Sarah’s before hopping back in the car and driving the short distance to Polperro. The roads in Polperro are extremely narrow, and only open to local residents – everybody else has to park in the carpark at the top of the village and wander down the road. The road into the village wasn’t as steep as I’d feared, and it was fine in the wheelchair. It’s a bit of a slog back up the hill though! The Man, the kids, and the puppy had a great time on the little beach, the kids in particular were thrilled with the cave they found. A word of warning though, keep your eye on the tide – it comes in pretty fast and cuts off the access steps. If you’re not paying attention then you could find yourself having to scramble up the rocks to escape the water!

Plymouth was the destination for our last day, which I realise is in Devon! We headed up to The Hoe to take in the view of Drake’s Island and to see the lighthouse. The city itself was fine, it was mostly pedestrianised which is useful with kids, and it has all the big named shops that you would expect to find in a city. We had a nice lunch in The Americano Coffee House – don’t be fooled by the name, they have a full food menu. The food was very tasty and reasonably priced, and the portions were good. I would avoid the kids menu for any child over the age of 5 or 6 though, as they were small portions (perhaps order two per child!). We used the Park & Ride from Milehouse carpark for ease; the parking is free and the bus ticket for up to five people was £4.20. The bus runs every ten minutes and takes you right into the city centre and is wheelchair accessible.

Dogs…. We found that our little pup was welcome in all of the independent shops and cafes that we tried. If in doubt – ask!

Parking…. Free parking doesn’t seem to exist here, so keep your pocket well stocked with change.

The roads…. Some of them are single track, and barely wide enough for one car. Go with your gut and ignore your Sat Nav if the route doesn’t look to be a good one. There will always be another way to get where you want to go.

The locals…. Everybody we encountered was extremely friendly. Cornwall thrives on visitors, be polite and you’ll get the same in return.

Most importantly…. Have fun, explore, and enjoy a proper pasty, or three!!