Last summer, Towan beach seethed with rowdy young holidaymakers, playing loud music and dancing naked around campfires. But now its cream-coloured sands are empty, and The House in the Sea — built on a rock high above the beach, and approached by a private suspension bridge — is an unforgettable place for a B&B stay.

The owner, Viscount Long, in tweed cap and corduroys, came out to guide us across the bridge when we arrived. Accompanied by Tarquin, his Great Dane, he explained that in a high wind the whole thing “undulates like a camel’s hump. Tarquin and I have to wait for the right moment and run across like stags”. Even on a calm, hazy day, the bridge trembles excitingly as you cross 21m (70ft) up, between two sheer drops.

North Cornwall is at its finest in October, when the sea is warm and the surf is the best in the world. There are dolphins playing, and sometimes you can glimpse the silvery shimmer of a shoal of mackerel under the waves.

When visitors tire of the sound of the sea crashing on all sides of the house, they can explore the 630-mile South West Coast Path, watch the two resident seals in the harbour, or like us, wander across deserted beaches in the moonlight. Cornwall has a splendid mix of unspoilt landscape and fashionable restaurants, and in autumn there are no crowds or queues.

WHAT ELSE?

If you have never tried surfing, begin with body-boarding. In a wetsuit you will not get horribly cold, and though you can hire these, and body-boards for a few pounds, it is wisest to have at least one lesson. There are schools on most beaches, or try the former body-boarding champion and coach to the English surfing teams Rob Barber (07974 729639 or 01637 851800) for a lesson. Prices start at £25.

To go sailing, ring Gary Steele, RYA instructor at Newquay Sailing Club. Weather permitting, he will arrange for you to go out on a catamaran for £15 an hour plus temporary club membership of £15. Details: 07813 364603.

And if you only want the sea as a backdrop, Newquay Golf Club charges £30 to play all day — all you need is your handicap certificate. Details: 01637 874354.

WHERE TO STAY

Unique Home Stays (01637 881942, www.uniquehomestays.com) has a range of unusual and luxurious Cornish B&Bs. The House in the Sea costs £190 a night for two sharing, but other properties start at £70.

If you stay in one of Rick Stein’s hotels in Padstow (01841 532700, www.rickstein.com) between now and April 5, you are guaranteed a table at his Seafood restaurant. Also on offer is a two-night dinner, B&B break costing £260-£530 for two people (not available on Fridays, Saturdays, or during half term).

For a less expensive visit to Newquay, Big Friday (020-7793 1417, www.bigfriday.com) offers return travel from London, surfing lessons, B&B and evening meal from £160pp per weekend.

FOOD AND FUN

Newquay has two fashionable café-restaurants built above activity centres. On Fistral beach there’s Fistral Blu (01637 879444) — opened only in August and already attracting rave reviews with its plasma screens and superb fillet steak (£20-£30 a head). Or there is the Beach Hut (860877), designed to look like a ski lodge, where you can gaze down over Watergate bay at the blo-karting and kite-surfing (and join in later).

Specialities include the mussels (£8.50) and the inventive surf and turf (£16.50).

At Finn’s (874062) in the harbour you can eat crab, lobster and fish (£30-£40 a head) on the heated terrace. Cheaper, and with an incredible view, is the Lewinnick Lodge (878117). Do not miss the cosy Trenance Cottage Tea Room and Gardens (872034), which serves wonderful apple tart and clotted cream (£3.10).

NEED TO KNOW

Until December 17, Ryanair (0871 2460000, www.ryanair.com) has return fares from Stansted to Newquay from £33. There are buses from the coach station (bus travel line 0870 6082608) that go to the Eden Project (01726 811911) and Padstow.

Lucy Pinney