Bude is a traditional seaside resort, with all the razzmatazz you'd expect from one of Cornwall's top resorts. But that's not the half of it. Its award-winning beaches are ideal for sandcastles and beach-cricket.

And there are plenty of them - from Duckpool in the north to the splendour of Widemouth Bay in the south - so there's no shortage of places to spread your towel.

Children will love the sandy strand of Summerleaze beach, with its free open-air swimming pool, cleaned twice-daily by the high tide. And when surf's up on Crooklets - Britain's Bondi - surfers travel miles to catch it. On such days there's a real fizz in the air, with waves as exhilarating to watch as they are to ride.

There's much more than sea and sand here too. Excellent sport and leisure facilities - including an 18-hole golf course, a busy shopping centre, the many fine restaurants, evening concerts and dancing - all provide a varied and satisfying seaside menu.

But there's more to Bude than just sea and sand. You'll find superb sport facilities, a fascinating museum, 18-hole golf course, bustling shopping centre and many fine restaurants. And away from the pounding surf is the calm of Bude Canal, where you can fish, canoe or simply stroll.

The folk of Bude know how to throw a party, too. Each August the town taps its toes to the rhythms of the week-long Bude Jazz Festival, with its international artists and New Orleans-style street parades. Other festivities include carnivals, shows and Xmas torchlight processions.

Each summer the town swings to the rooty tooty rhythms of the famous Bude Jazz Festival, and then there's the Cajun music festival, a spectacular carnival and Lifeboat day in August.

If all this excitement gets too much, take time off to explore Bude's past, on display in the museum housed in the former canal smithy.Nearby stands a small castle built in 1830 by Sir Goldsworthy Gurney, engineer and inventor of the steam carriage.

Inland you'll discover the delights of rural villages, such as Kilkhampton, Poughill and Week St Mary, each with its charming church and country inn. In May, Stratton relives the Civil War Battle of Stamford Hill, and in August you can see the crowning of Marhamchurch's Revel Queen. Walkers will take the coast path in their stride, heading north to Sandy Mouth and storm-lashed Morwenstow, home of legendary poet Parson Hawker. Cyclists might strike south, following the clifftop road to Widemouth Bay. If it's watersports, walks or birdwatching you're after then set a course for the Tamar Lakes - that's if you can tear the kids away from the open-air swimming pool of Summerleaze beach or the rock pools of Crooklets.

Pastoral Peace and Beauty

Take the north road out of Bude and you're soon amidst scenery of unforgettable beauty. From the towering cliffs which gird storm-lashed Morwenstow, you can watch the changing moods of the Atlantic. In the churchyard are graves of shipwrecked mariners, buried by the eccentric sea-booted poet, Parson Hawker. Then sit for a while in the hut, tucked into the cliff face, where he penned his verses.

Explore further inland. Have a ploughman's lunch at Stratton, in the birthplace of Giant Anthony Payne, who threw his massive bulk behind the Royalists in the Battle of Stamford Hill. Choose your favourite village from Kilkhampton, Marhamchurch, Week St Mary, and many others, each with its individual charm. And as you're cruising the lanes you'll notice how the wild landscape of Cornwall is tamed into the rolling hills of the Upper Tamar.

Just a step across the border, the town of Holsworthy with it's leisure centre, museum, Wednesday livestock and street markets, is an ideal centre for exploring the area. You'll enjoy the best of both worlds here: a traditional rural atmosphere within easy striking distance of the coast - including lovely Clovelly, spectacular Hartland Point and mysterious Lundy Island.