The Boathouse, Gillan – Beachfront Holiday Home on the Helford

Six bedrooms sleeping 14, right on a quiet sand and shingle beach with its own slipway – on a secluded cove where the lane ends.

The Boathouse is a lovely beachfront family home set on a secluded cove at Gillan, just south of the Helford River. The lane ends here and there is no public parking, making it your own haven of peace and beauty – right on the beach, and right on the coast path.

Visit The Boathouse website Check availability & book

The Boathouse Gillan is a lovely beachfront family home on a secluded cove. The beach is a mix of sand and shingle, usable at all states of the tide whether you wish to swim, paddleboard, rock pool, sail, kayak or fish – and it is safe, with no strong currents. The house owns the slipway onto the beach, so you can bring your own sailing dinghy or motor boat.

There is a huge raised deck overlooking the sea with seating for 14, and a lovely private garden with three hammocks, a barbecue, table tennis and seating for 12. Full details, photos and availability are on www.theboathousegillan.co.uk.

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The Boathouse has six bedrooms sleeping 14, and five bathrooms.

• Upstairs: two master en-suite bedrooms, a large kitchen with a table seating 14, a sitting room and a study
• Downstairs: a master en-suite bedroom, a twin room that can be made into a king-size, a second twin room, and a dormitory room with twin beds (can be a king-size) plus a bunk bed
• Two large shower rooms with WC
• A large games room with TV and snooker table, plus a utility room
• Raised sea-view deck seating 14; private garden with hammocks, barbecue and table tennis

Changeover is usually a Monday, flexible out of peak season; arrival from 3pm and departure by 10am.

See The Boathouse online Check availability & book

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For those who don’t bring their own boat, a small boatyard in the bay hires paddleboards, sailing dinghies, kayaks and small ‘ploddy’ motorboats. Sail, chug or walk round into the Helford to the Ferry Boat Inn, the Shipwrights pub or the Holy Mackerel cafe for a meal – or head straight out for a spot of mackerel fishing.

Walk the other way over to the Five Pilchards pub at Porthallow or the Fat Apples cafe, or amble over to the Lavender Farm for homemade cakes and a cream tea. Up in Manaccan there are two tennis courts and the friendly New Inn. Further afield are the gardens at Trebah and Glendurgan and, for children, the Cornish Seal Sanctuary at Gweek.

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The Helford is a stunning part of Cornwall, renowned for its scenery and sailing waters. Gillan is an inlet just south of the river – on a calm day you can kayak round into the Helford – and a peaceful place, as the lane ends here. The house is right on the quiet beach and on the South West Coast Path, so as well as everything on the water there is fabulous walking.

The coves and villages of the Lizard Peninsula – Porthallow, Coverack, Cadgwith and Kynance – are all within easy reach, with Helston and Falmouth around half an hour away.

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