If you are visiting England for the first time and you’ve had enough of London and want more of what England has to offer, you should consider Cornwall. That’s the conclusion I came to as I stood by the shore in Pisces Cove and looked out to sea. To my right I could just discern the English St Michael’s Mount and stretching out to my left, looking uncannily as if it were about to wake up was the Lizard peninsula.

There’s so much to discover in Cornwall and discovering it is part of the joy of the place – so let me just give you a few starter clues.

Prehistoric Standing Stones dot the land between the seas. There’s one you should pass through if you wish to increase your fertility – it worked for me! Medieval history is all about you – both acceptable and still living despite the efforts of the history writers – I’m thinking of the pagan Wishing Well and medieval Baptistery you may or may not discover. Both are reached down the same path and this is not a coincidence. The small church (baptistery) is no longer in use. Now roofless, it has grown over with grasses and mosses and resembles the setting for a Pre-Raphaelite painting. The wishing well (nothing like the Disney image you probably have in mind) is still in use – there’s evidence enough there to back up this statement but you’ll have to discover that for yourself.

There’s much more to Cornwall too much for this article to do justice to. Bodmin Moor needs to be discovered on horseback and with a book of tales – some extremely gruesome. Cornwall is also where the Brits surf. Go to Newquay which claims to be the surfing capital of the UK and get talking to local surfing fanatics who will give you details of other surf venues nearby. For us arty types there’s The Tate Gallery at St Ives but better still the light. Actually, if you are an artist, be prepared to stay in Cornwall for the rest of your life – you won’t be the first.