On Good Friday I had a quick look on Airbnb to see if there were any holidays available for under £100 per night in Devon for the end of the Easter holidays.

The lockdown restrictions were easing as part of the government roadmap out of lockdown and we were allowed to stay in self-contained accommodation from 12th April 2021. Yippee!

Amazingly I found a cottage for just £70 per night in Landrake, Cornwall just next to the border of Devon. It was very lucky as there were only two accommodations available in the entire of Devon and Cornwall for the last weekend of the Easter holidays for under £100 per night.

So we nabbed it!

Cornwall was actually perfect for us. We were looking at Devon as it’s a bit nearer and it would only be a short break, but we absolutely love Cornwall 🙂

Read on to see what we got up to for three nights and three days in Landrake, Cornwall and beyond.

Table of contents

• Day 1: a road trip to Harlyn Bay, Trevone Bay Beach and Padstow
• Day 2: Whitsand Bay, Plymouth Harbourside and Seaton Beach, Cornwall
• Day 3: Dawlish Warren, South Devon
• The accommodation
• Looking for more things to do in Cornwall?

Day 1: a road trip to Harlyn Bay, Trevone Bay Beach and Padstow

A bit bonkers, but on the first day we drove one hour to the other side of Cornwall to spend the day at Harlyn Bay. Ben really wanted to visit so we left earlyish and decided to spend the whole day there.

We actually realised, upon arrival, that we’d been there before! We recognised the carpark and beach, as well as remembering the short walk down the road to get to the toilets!

We couldn’t pinpoint exactly when we’d been before (if only we’d started a travel blog sooner!), but we had definitely spent some time on the beach before. Ben thinks it was a wet day though and we were huddled in a beach tent trying to stay warm and dry!

Luckily this visit was much warmer. It was sunny and when at the Bongo in the carpark, which must be a sun trap and protected from the wind, it felt hot enough to sunbathe!

However, walking around the cliffs was much windier and I ended up with four layers of tops on and a warm winter beanie!

We walked along the cliffs to Trevone Bay Beach and the views are stunning. Dramatic rocky cliffs with crystal clear turquoise sparkling waters, wildflowers lining the edge of the cliffs and kestrels hovering above almost like they are levitating as they are so still.

After spending all day here, we headed back to Landrake with a short stop in Padstow on the way where we walked a few tiny twisting cobbled streets to see what food options there were. We found a pizzeria with vegan pizza but there was a two hour wait for takeaway. We also thought about getting chippy chips, but decided we’d overspent on day one and would eat back at our holiday cottage instead of spending all our holiday spending money on day one 🙂

We’d already bought pasties on the way from the Cornwall Service station which we had for lunch- the best tasting wholemeal vegan veg pasties ever (!) – and had coconut lattes and mango sorbet from the cafe at Harlyn Bay beach. We got the kids some surf style shoes which were better for the beach/sea/rocks so they could get wet and sandy feet without worry, got the kids ice lollies, stocked up at the Coop on water and snacks, paid two lots of parking and paid to use some toilets! It all quickly adds up!

Our budget each day was £50 ish. We always try to stick to a budget each holiday so our holiday savings go further and so we can go away on even more trips!

Here are our photos from day 1:

Day 2: Whitsand Bay, Plymouth Harbourside and Seaton Beach, Cornwall

On the second day we went to Whitsand Bay which is only a 16 minute drive from Landrake and our Airbnb.

If you can get a parking spot along the road then it’s free to park and you walk through a gate and down a steep hill to the beach.

The gate had lots of warning signs to say if there’s a red light or flag then don’t enter! They practice military shooting here and will be shooting if so!

No shooting this day so we could enter!!

There’s a large fort which we couldn’t visit but could see as we walked down.

We walked along the beach and the kids splashed around until Reuben needed the toilet and it wasn’t something he could do on the beach! Being nearly lunchtime we decided to head back to the cottage for a toilet stop and then find some chippy chips for lunch elsewhere.

We popped to Plymouth, around 20 mins from our Airbnb, for lunch. I’d never been before and we went into a part of town that looked less than desirable at first, but then found the harbour which was much nicer! We went to the Harbourside chip shop and had chips sat looking out at the boats, each picking which was our favourite we’d like to own!

After, we went to Seaton beach in Cornwall. We’ve been to a Seaton beach before, but a different one in Devon!

Seaton beach in Cornwall is great for the kids! There’s a play park just across the road from the beach so the kids got to play. We stopped for a drink outside a pub called The Smugglers Inn and then walked along the path above the beach.

The beach looks like a bay at first, but it stretches on and on once you go round the corner!

Here are our photos from day 2:

Day 3: Dawlish Warren, South Devon

Check out day!

We had to check out by 10am and headed to Dawlish Warren before driving home.

I’ve heard of Dawlish before, but Dawlish Warren is a little further along. It’s a nature reserve and a ‘spit beach’ – an extension of the mainland out into the sea!

We walked all the way to the end where there are great views of Exmouth across the sea and the red cliffs of the Jurassic Coast.

After a very sunny walk to the end of the 1.5 mile beach and back, we headed home.

Here are our photos from day 3:

The accommodation

I really think we found a bargain. Just £70 per night for a two bed cottage with street parking and only 16 minutes drive from the closest beach, in the school holidays. Such a steal.

Landrake is a small church village, in fact the church was outside the windows of the cottage!

For us it was a base whilst we explored more of Cornwall each day, visiting places we haven’t before seen.

The cottage was lovely though. We really enjoy finding Airbnbs and supporting individuals rather than big businesses.

Here are some photos of our Airbnb accommodation:

That’s a wrap!

Looking for more things to do in Cornwall?

Check out the Eden Project Cornwall and learn more about it in my review.

Or how about this amazingly scenic St Erth to St Ives train ride with STUNNING coastal views?