I would recommend a visit to the pretty fishing village of Padstow, with its picturesque harbour, interesting shops and very good (if expensive) restaurants. The celebrity TV chef Rick Stein has his famous Seafood Cookery School here, and runs day courses on preparing seafood dishes using local ingredients. Time to brush up on my dinner party skills…

Also close by are several National Trust houses and gardens which are well worth a visit, such as Lanhydrock and Trerice. For antiques fans and bargain hunters, try the towns of Lostwithiel and St. Columb Major which both have a variety of antique shops to suit all budgets.

Best Things About the Resort:
THE VIEW!!! It is simply amazing -– a stretch of headlands with rolling waves and craggy rocks. The vista changes with the weather and the tides –- one minute it’s a watery inlet and the next a sandy beach appears. The resort itself is on a cliff above Porth Bay in its own private headland and has steps down to the beach below. Ask to ‘borrow’ the hotel dog, Georgie, and let HER take YOU for a walk on the headland or beach.

Resort Experience:
The accommodation, a three bedroom lodge, was spacious and stylishly decorated, with a private deck overlooking the sea. We also made use of the hotel’s facilities and spent time relaxing in the indoor pool and spa.

Also worth mentioning is the very good and reasonably priced restaurant, the Watermark Brasserie, where we enjoyed fresh tuna steak one night and seared ostrich fillet the next (a local Cornish delicacy…?).

• Unit Type: 3 Bedroom
• Activities: Very Good
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Good
• Service: Very Good

Lodges are a great place to get in out of Norway’s notoriously fickle weather and to swap stories with fellow hikers. As we discovered in the coming days, lodges in Jotunheimen are conveniently spaced roughly a day’s hike apart, and accommodations range from cushy staffed lodges serving hot meals to unstocked, one-room huts. Staffed lodges typically serve hearty breakfasts and dinners, and they’ll make you a sack lunch. They also offer bed linens, avoiding the need to carry sleeping bags.

There are no lodge reservations, and nobody is turned away, which can make for crowded conditions during the high season from June through August. Though DNT membership is not required at the staffed huts, you’ll get discounts, and DNT membership is open to all. Some staffed huts also offer guided glacier tours and mountaineering guides.

Unstaffed huts offer a more primitive and typically less crowded option. Many huts are stocked with food and offer a kitchen where you can prepare a meal with fellow hikers, while others are more bare-bones shelters. Keys are required for unstaffed huts and are available at DNT offices to all DNT members.