Cool Place of the Day: Readymoney Cove, Cornwall

Every day, a new place to discover or explore, from coolplaces.co.uk

Everywhere seems to host a literary festival these days, but the one that’s currently underway in Fowey, Cornwall, is one of the best-established and builds on a genuine literary connection in Daphne du Maurier, who used to live in the town and set many of her novels hereabouts.

It’s also a great chance to visit a particularly gorgeous part of Cornwall, and Fowey’s closest beach, Readymoney Cove – a lovely, sheltered sandy affair with rock pools to explore. Easy to access via a footpath from the town, it can be almost covered during high spring tides, but the water is crystal-clear and the backdrop is superb. The house where Daphne du Maurier lived during the Second World War lies on one side of the cove, while the medieval ruins of St Catherine’s Castle crown the hill on the other.

Unfortunately Readymoney Cove is only a small beach and can get pretty crowded during the summer – partly because it’s so close to town but also because it’s such a safe and picturesque place to go for a swim.

Nonetheless, if you can bear the crowds – or, even better, are able to visit when it’s quieter, say on a midweek morning – it’s as magical a spot as you could find on a bright and sunny Fowey day.

Martin Dunford is the Publisher of Cool Places, a new website from the creators of Rough Guides and Cool Camping, suggesting the best places to stay, eat, drink and shop in Britain (coolplaces.co.uk)