Top wildlife walks

Cubert, Cornwall

Enjoy glorious scenery on a walk along this six-mile stretch of coastline just south of Newquay. Sea creatures such as basking sharks, dolphins and porpoises are regular visitors to Holywell Bay and grey seals can also be seen lazing on the rocks at low tide. Their pups are born in August and can be spotted easily thanks to their white fur coats.

The sandy grasslands in the area are studied with wildflowers such as cowslips and pyramidal orchids, and in the summer months whole fields turn scarlet with poppies. The West Pentire fields are particularly important for seed eating birds like corn, snow and Lapland buntings and the grey partridge, whose numbers have declined in recent years. Thin crops of barley are sewn in some fields to ensure that they have enough food to sustain them through the winter.

Click here for details of this National Trust walk

Photo: Looking back to the 'mainland' from the Rumps, one of the headlands between New Polzeath and Port Quin. The Iron Age earthworks straddling the landbridge can be clearly seen. © NTPL/Joe Cornish

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