Stunning house near Port Isaac with beautiful sea and countryside views

This characterful 18th-century stone cottage has been our summer home and writing retreat for 25 years. Located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it is surrounded by fields and looks down a delightful valley towards the sea. it enjoys direct access to one of the most dramatic stretches of the long-distance coast path and to secret, unspoilt beaches.

Lovingly upgraded and extended, the house features a country kitchen-dining room with large windows and French doors offering expansive views of the garden and coast. The east-facing sun room catches the morning light, while the cozy living room has a wood-burner at one end and an open fire at the other. The old slate floors throughout the downstairs have underfloor heating, supplied by our ground-source heat pump.

The spacious kitchen includes an island to gather round for drinks. The warm heart of the room is the three-oven Aga stove, which will delight any serious cook with its radiant cast-iron heat, but is easy to use thanks to simple electric controls. The kitchen seats up to thirteen, with five stools at the island and a dining table with room for eight.

Upstairs, two bedrooms open off the landing and share access to the main bathroom, which features a luxurious cast iron roll-top bath and separate shower. A passageway leads to the master suite, comprising a spacious bedroom with sitting area and an adjoining home office, both with vaulted ceilings and sea views, and a private shower room.

The guest bedroom downstairs has a king size (1.5m) bed and another sitting area, with a hallway leading to an en suite shower room with a heated marble floor, and to another home office or project/play room with double sofabed that connects to the main living areas. Two floor mattresses can be set up in any of the sleeping areas, or in the upstairs office, to accommodate children who need additional single beds.

The utility room has a washer and dryer and there are ample drying cupboards for wetsuits and beach towels. The house opens onto a large patio and lawns, with carefully laid out flower beds, another patio with built-in brick barbecue, further garden areas, and a pond. The property has superfast fiber-optic broadband and TV.

The historic fishing village of Port Isaac, where Nathan Outlaw runs his famous seafood restaurant and the TV series Doc Martin is set, is less then ten minutes by car. The Camel River Estuary lies just beyond, with the picturesque sailing village of Rock and the harbor-side shops and famous restaurants of Padstow. To the north is Tintagel with its ruined medieval castle and echoes of King Arthur, and the beautiful harbor at Boscastle. The major surfing beaches of North Cornwall lie up and down the coast, while inland the rugged landscape of Bodmin Moor offers hiking and biking routes, with stops at quaint village pubs along the way.