Crackington Haven

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Probably the most dramatic of Bude's beaches, it has rock shelves and pebbly sand bordered by black cliffs, speckled by a blaze of wildflowers in spring. Once considered for industrial exploitation, the beach is a bit off the main tourist radar, making it a simpler, wilder alternative to the sandy family beaches nearer town. There are lifeguards in season, and there's a small beach cafe and shop. It's 11 miles southwest of Bude.

A mile south of the beach looms the appropriately named High Cliff, which boasts the highest drop of any cliff in Cornwall – all 735ft (223m) of it.

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