Cornish cottages on the beach

For families who can't bear the thought of having to carry all the essentials for a day on the beach for miles - or of constantly loading and unloading them from the car - Cornish Cottages has a selection of properties which are virtually on the beach.

Being within a few minutes of the sands means stress-free transport of buckets and spades, shrimp nets and towels, or if anything is forgotten, it's no problem to nip back 'home' to collect it.

Examples include:

- Crowan (sleeps six), a detached cottage in a stream-side garden just a minute's walk from Coverack sea front and beach. A week's rental in June is £498, rising to £831 in August.

- Surf Cottage (sleeps four) is a modern property in Porthleven, just 15 metres from the sea wall and a short walk to the beach and harbour. Price for a week in June is £412, or £651 in August.

- Smuggler's Cottage (sleeps four) is a character property just 50 metres from Porthleven's sandy beach and with sea views from the rooftop patio. A week's rental in June is £404, rising to £621 in peak weeks.

Cornish Cottages features a wide choice of properties - sleeping from two to ten people - around the south-west tip of Cornwall.

For more information and reservations, visit Cornishcottagesonline.com.