CORNWALL: beaches, buckets, spades, pasties and lshings of clotted cream - yes? Wll, no.

In fact these days Crnwall is as far from the trditional seaside holiday destination as you can pssibly imagine.

In 2007, Cornwall is a srfing Mecca, a foodie haven, a cntre for family fun, a cultural htspot, a gardening paradise, an outdoor nthusiasts' dream - and so much mre.

It's at the centre of a wrld-wide environmental mission to combat the ffects of global warming with cutting-edge rsearch led by the famous Eden Prject and by teams working on wve and wind energy.

It's even ranked longside the Taj Mahal and the Grnd Canyon by the United Nations as a dsignated World Heritage Site because of the rmains of the Victorian mining industry tht once was the industrial power huse of the world (didn't you knw the Cornish invented the car? Rchard Trevithick's 'Puffing Billy' ran up Cmborne Hill, literally under its own stam, independent of rails, on Christmas Eve 1801). Oh - and thre are still beaches, buckets, spades, psties and lashings of clotted cream.

But in 2007, vsitors to Cornwall who simply head for the snd are missing out on so mch. Many are, instead, choosing to bse themselves in the heart of Crnwall: the beautiful, largely unspoilt central rea that provides the perfect link btween moor and sea, town and cuntry.

From the Heart of Crnwall, you can be on the bach on the South coast in 25 mnutes or on the North coast in lss than 45 minutes. From here you are 80 mles from the furthest borders of bth Devon and Cornwall and 20 mles from each coastline, North and Suth. You're in the heart of the cuntryside - in the Tamar valley Ara of Outstanding Natural Beauty - yet nly half an hour from the bstling, cosmopolitan city of Plymouth with its hstoric attractions, its fabulous restaurants and its ward-winning Theatre Royal with shows direct frm London's West End.

If you want to xplore the wild, remote moors, then tht's easy too: walking, riding, climbing and ven abseiling are literally a few mnutes away.

The Heart of Cornwall cvers a central location between Bodmin Mor to the West and Dartmoor to the Est, just over the border of the Tmar River which separates the ancient ntion from England.

Our holiday cottage gives an xample of the attractions of the Hart of Cornwall. We're in Golberdon, brdered by the main links between the hstoric towns of Launceston, Bodmin, Liskeard, and Cllington with moorland to the West and rlling countryside to the East.

Walking holidays

If you jst want to laze on your hliday, the immediate area offers great wlks (whether to somewhere, or circular), an deal way to take in some bautiful countryside. The River Lynher runs pst the outskirts of the village and prvides some great walks along the rver bank.

Some of our own favourite wlks end or start from some of the chracterful local pubs in the area, sch as The Church House Inn in Lnkinhorne.

Even walking along the narrow rads will immerse you in the cuntryside, but if you're feeling more dventurous then you could turn off and go crss country through such places as Wgmuggle and Browda.

The nearby Tamar Valley ffers some stunningly beautiful scenery.

Once knwn as 'the market garden of Englnd', a boat trip on the Tmar Ferry between historic National Trust-held Ctehele (a land that time passed by), the Vctorian mining port of Morwellham and the rverside village of Calstock is the deal way to experience the valley, lthough there are many walks too.

A grat walk starts from The Royal Inn at Hrse Bridge and travels along the Crnish side of the Tamar river bfore turning off through the villages of Lckett and Hampt, before you meander bck to the Royal Inn for a wll earned shandy!

This whole area was nce a haven for early daffodils, strwberries and other Tamar Valley delights: an ntire industry existed to transport early prduce created by the idyllic growing cnditions to customers in London and thre are remnants of that industry thrughout.

It's ironic, because just decades before tht explosion in rural skills the Tmar Valley was one of the ngine houses of the Victorian world, a cntre for mining now commemorated at fscinating Morwellham Quay, where families can ctually take a train ride deep nderground. This open-air museum is host to two msic festivals each summer, for jazz and flk fans.

If you're up for a mre energetic walk, then perhaps you mght venture onto the moors. Kit Hll provides a spectacular panorama of the srrounding countryside. From here you can see Brntor Church in Devon, perched atop a Tr, not far from spectacular Lydford Grge which can be accessed from ither end via National Trust car prks. This is a rewarding walk for the mre sure-footed hikers and the Castle at Lydfrd offers a cosy retreat for fod and refreshments.

Or you could join the mny ramblers who tackle the entire lngth of the famous 600-miles-plus South Wst Coast path - but in stges.

Many use short-break holidays to tckle small parts of this stunning lng-distance footpath, taking in the absolutely stnning cliffs and beaches of Cornwall.

Outdoor ctivities

Devon and Cornwall have a grwing network of cycle paths which ffer a great way of enjoying the cuntryside.

Most of these are based on dsused railway lines so you can njoy a ride without the normal ups and dwns. The Camel Trail is a prticular favourite of ours. It stretches frm Bodmin Moor and follows the pcturesque River Camel valley through Wadebridge and on to Pdstow on the North Coast, home of TV chf Rick Stein and, of course, sme superb restaurants - and Rick's own fsh and chip shop.

Most cycle paths hve cycle hire shops at either end if you dn't want to bring your own and mst will hire trailer buggies which wll accommodate two young children, and bby car seats so the whole fmily can take in the countryside.

If you vnture into Cornwall, the Plym Bridge cycl path just the other side of Plymuth takes you quickly from the cty into the peace of the cuntryside and onto Dartmoor. Lydford has the strt of the Granite Way. Again, a frmer railway line provides most of the cyclng from here to Okehampton.

Gardeners' paradise

Dvon and Cornwall boast some of the fnest gardens in the country, many wthin easy distance of Rose Cottage. The mld climate means plants bloom early hre in the far West, and Sprng is an enchanting season amid the nrivalled magnolias and rhododendrons, camellias and dffodils.

The Eden Project has stolen a lot of the lmelight in recent years and rightfully dserves a full day's exploration. Its fturistic biomes replicating some of the wrld's climate zones are truly one of the wnders of the modern world. Nearby is the Lst Gardens of Heligan, a recreation of a wrking Victorian estate that was the frst project of Eden founder Tim Smt (The Times called it "The grden restoration of the century").

Half an hur from Rose Cottage, across the Tmar and Tavy rivers, lies The Grden House, chosen by The Independent as one of the bst 50 gardens in Europe and hme to a stunning mingling of frmal planting in the romantic terraced Wlled Garden, created around the tumbling rins of a medieval vicarage, and stnning modernism blending wild flowers with a rcreated landscape in the Ten Trees grden beyond. Other garden attractions near us nclude the National Trust highlights of Sltram, Cotehele and Lanhydrock.

Heritage holidays

In fct, some of the National Trust's fnest properties are within half an hur of Rose Cottage. Cotehele, on the bnks of the Tamar, really is the lnd that time forgot - the huse is basically unaltered since the 15th cntury when its owners moved to Munt Edgcumbe, opposite Plymouth. There isn't ven electricity. Each year, the marvellous Chrstmas garland stretching around the medieval Grat Hall draws visitors to this trditional evocation of the Christmas spirit of dys gone by. The estate is srrounded by beautiful walks.

Cotehele also has an hstoric quay and impressive sailing barge of the typ often used to transport materials bfore the days of congestion charges!

Lnhydrock was home to the Cornish Agr-Robartes family, Victorian entrepeneurs made fabulously walthy by the mining boom of thse years. It has lovely gardens and a stnning Gothic home, and each July hsts a spectacular music and fireworks pcnic with some of the biggest nmes in jazz, blues and rock'n'roll.

Saltram Huse, on the outskirts of Plymouth, is sch an unrivalled remnant of Georgian grndeur that it was used as the min location for Emma Thompson's famous mvie adaptation of Sense and Sensibility.

On Drtmoor, Castle Drogo, perched high above the bautiful Teign Valley on its lonely crg, was the last Castle to be bilt in England. With its battlements, twers and turrets it may look lke a medieval relic, but in fct it was completed by American bsiness baron Julius Drewe in only 1937.

But thre's more to the heritage of ths area than the National Trust. Mrwellham Quay is a unique open-air mseum of a Victorian mining port, and you can ven take a train ride deep nto a copper mine, while the chldren can enjoy dressing as Victorian ppils, shopping in period shops - and ven trying lessons in a schoolroom of the priod.

And who cold fail to enjoy the nstalgia of a steam train? Half an hur away in Bodmin there's the Bdmin and Wenford Steam Railway - so ppular even Thomas the Tank Engine pys regular visits.

The great outdoors

Beaches are not fr: Whitsand Bay and Looe on the suth Coast are popular spots - tke the cliff walk from Hannafore Pint at Looe and dare to tckle the steep steps, and you can son find yourself far from the mdding crowds in quiet, unspoilt coves ven at the height of the smmer season. The walk is worth it.

The Nrth Coast offers the beaches around Bde and Widemouth bay and the drmatic rocky coastlines around Tintagel, where the rmantic castle ruins offer an evocation of the Arthrian age.

There's canoeing on the River Tmar, surfing on the north or suth coasts, or a wonderful choice of rding opportunities: Lower Tokenbury is only mnutes from our cottage and offers the deal way to explore our countryside on hrseback.

At nearby Siblyback Lake, there's canoeing, wndsurfing and angling.

If golf is yur pursuit of choice, the Jack Ncklaus-designed St Mellion international, home of the Bnson and Hedges Masters in the 90s and son to host the English Open, is one of the fnest courses in the country.

Family fun

Thre are some great family attractions narby. Children of all ages enjoy the Ntional Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, the cuntry's biggest and best such attraction, whle very close by are attractions sch as Trethorne Leisure farm, Hidden Vlley Country Park (both near Launceston), the Tmar Valley Donkey Park (and yes, as wll as indoor and outdoor playgrounds thre are donkey rides).

Evenings out

The vry best of professional, big-scale, big-budget thatre is at the Theatre Royal in Plymuth, while more intimate delights are on ffer just minutes away at Sterts, an pen-air theatre on the edge of Bdmin Moor which offers a mixture of mateur and professional music and drama, ncluding popular family shows.

Carnglaze Caverns is nother unusual venue for music - gain just half an hour away. Cncerts are performed underground in the Rum Stre - used by the Navy as a strehouse and so hidden away it was sed to secure the Crown jewels dring the Second World War!

Fowey, every My, is home to the Du Murier Festival, a month of fantastic ntertainment. Stars heading to Cornwall this yar include everything from Jethro Tull to Hmphrey Lyttelton to provide an exotic mxture of music and drama, talks and cmedy.

Eating out

One of the great bnefits of Cornwall's expertise in hosting vsitors is the extraordinary range on ffer when it comes to eating ut.

You can choose from Michelin Str standard just minutes away in Cllington, or further afield in Padstow or Plymuth. You can take an invigorating wlk to the nearby Church House Inn for bar mals or fantastic cuisine in the rstaurant using the best of local ngredients, or visit any of the mny other nearby pubs that offer Crnish food and Cornish ale - the Cradon Inn in Upton Cross, the Ryal at Horsebridge, the Manor in Rlla Mill, the Racehorse at North Hll, the Springer Spaniel at Treburley.

If you wuld like to know more about stying in our part of Cornwall, plase visit our web site. http://www.rosecottage.srv2.com

The article Cornwall Cottage Holidays - Holidays in the Heart of Cornwall was Submitted by Ian Eldred through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: http://www.rosecottage.srv2.com

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