Part of Bude's appeal is how much sits within an easy drive of it. The town rewards days of its own, but a longer stay is richer for a few trips out — north into Devon, south down the surf coast, or inland onto the wild expanse of Bodmin Moor. A car opens all of it up, and each makes a fine change of scene from the beach.
South down the coast is the classic run. Boscastle's dramatic harbour, Tintagel with its clifftop castle and the Arthurian legend, Port Isaac of Doc Martin fame, and on to the surf capital of Newquay if the older ones want a livelier day — all strung along one of England's most beautiful coast roads. Pick one or two rather than trying to do the lot; the driving is slow and the scenery deserves lingering over.
North into Devon is quieter and closer. Just over the border, Hartland Quay's shattered cliffs and Clovelly's cobbled, car-free street tumbling to the sea make an easy half-day, with far fewer crowds than the Cornish honeypots. The National Trust looks after some of the finest of this stretch, and its properties make good rainy-day anchors for a trip.
Inland lies a different world. Behind the coast rises Bodmin Moor — bleak, beautiful and ancient, all granite tors, wild ponies and Iron Age remains, with Jamaica Inn and the wooded valleys around it for a contrasting day away from the sea. It is a reminder that Cornwall is not all beaches, and a wonderful antidote to a week of sand and surf.
As ever on this coast, do not overreach. The roads are narrow and slow, and cramming three castles and two harbours into a day leaves you seeing the inside of the car. One or two stops, a good pub lunch, and time to actually stand and look — that is the way to do a north Cornwall day trip, and to come back to Bude each evening glad of your quiet base by the sea.