Cornish holiday accommodation offer

27 January 2010

The Watch House is on the south coast of Cornwall, perched on a cliff 2½ miles east of Polruan and Fowey Harbour. It is a remote and unspoilt part of the coast and this is the only building on a seven mile stretch of cliffs between Polruan and Polperro. The majority of this coastline is owned by the National Trust, which also owns the property. It has been leased for the past 50 years to one family, who are willing to lend it on an informal basis to staff and close associates of A Rocha during the following weeks:

• 10th – 18th April
• 22nd – 31st May
• 7th – 13th June
• 24th – 31st July
• 4th – 12th September

For further details please contact William Trinick on wtrinick@wistonestate.co.uk

The Watch House is a small single storey stone and slate building dug into the cliff. Inside there is one main room with an open fire and four bunks built into the walls. There is a bay window looking straight over the sea. There is a small kitchen with a further bunk in it, a loo and a passage with food cupboards and clothes storage. There is no electricity. Paraffin lamps and candles provide light and there is a Calor gas cooker, fridge and water heater for the hot tap in the kitchen. Drift wood is used for the fire, supplemented by the occasional bag of coal. There is mains water but there is no shower or bath.

The cottage can only be reached by foot from the road ¾ of a mile away via the coastal footpath and a field. There is parking in a National Trust car park and in the farmyard opposite by informal arrangement with the farming family there. In the farmyard is a wheelbarrow, which is the best means of transporting gear.

Safety: the Watch House is on the cliffs and there are therefore some sheer drops nearby, including one adjoining the path that provides access. With proper care and supervision of children it is entirely safe but you need to be aware. There is also a general need for common sense in the use of paraffin lamps, candles, Calor gas and other practicalities.

The Watch House is a truly stunning location and a wonderful place for a spring/summer retreat. It is not suitable for children under the age of five owing to the length of walk and proximity of cliffs. It would not be a suitable venue for anyone with a significant physical disability – there would be no access for wheelchairs and the ground is uneven and steep. Insurance/indemnity will be entirely the responsibility of the occupants.