This is the land which inspired the writings of Hardy and Tennyson - Beeny Cliff, Valency Valley, mythical Tintagel. It still inspires today, with Port Isaac the setting for hit films such as Saving Grace. Here you can watch the fishing fleet set sail at dawn, and find the day's catch on restaurant menus that night!

There are superb sandy beaches, too - Bossiney, Crackington Haven and Trebarwith Strand - all suntraps sheltered by the dramatic cliff curtain. But whether you're soaking up the sun or hiking the coastpath the sheer beauty and grandeur of the scenery is guaranteed to leave you awe-struck.

Not surprisingly, every nook and cranny of this landscape has its story to tell. Tales of shipwreck and smuggling at Boscastle, of medieval mystery at Tintagel, of industrial heritage at Delabole Slate Quarry. Story-telling is also one of many events staged at the Indian King Arts Centre in the ancient town of Camelford.

Watching the kittiwakes soar above Bounds Cliff, rambling over the Iron Age ramparts of Rumps Point, wandering beside the waterfalls of Rocky Valley or making a pilgrimage to the shrine of St Nectan's Glen... wherever you go, take your time, and let the spirit and atmosphere of this beguiling place work its spell on you.

Hammered by the relentless Atlantic rollers, the rugged coastline from Widemouth Bay to the Camel Estuary is the highest cliffscape in Cornwall. On the coast path you'll need to stop often just to take in the sheer scale of it all, or even stroll down to the dramatic beaches at Crackington Haven or Trebarwith Strand to take a closer look. But don't rush... the view round the next corner has been millions of years in the making, so it'll keep a few moments longer.

Attractive fishing villages have found their niches in these perpendicular cliffs. Port Isaac, where Squeeze-ee-Belly alley weaves down a harbour hemmed in by fish cellars, is a superb base for touring Rock, Polzeath and the Camel Estuary. At Boscastle, watch incoming boats as they steer through the cliff-hung entrance to the calm of the harbour within. And in the evenings, you'll find some of the day's catch served up in local restaurants!

Like so many writers, musicians and artists before, you'll be entranced by Tintagel, its castle and Arthurian legends. Rubbing shoulders with gigantic headlands rising steeply from the sea, Tintagel casts a spell which is hard to break.

Choose Camelford as a base and you're within hopping distance of the coast and its beaches on one hand, and Bodmin Moor on the other. This ancient pocket borough, set in wooded countryside astride the pretty River Camel, is a small but thriving town.