Wine-making may seem more at home in California than England, but in Cornwall, ripened grapes are harvested at the Camel Valley winery and locals paddle out for big swells at Chapel Porth Beach.
Owners of a converted country barn show off their property to an agency that finds homes for seasonal residents. Cornish native Lorna Bean and family sail off the rugged coast to catch fish bound for top-rated London eateries.
Rising from the sea like a mythical kingdom, the awe-inspiring St. Michael's Mount--a granite crag topped by a medieval monastery--is Cornwall's most popular attraction. Costumed swashbucklers invade the historic isle on Pirate Day.
Surf's up at Chapel Porth Beach, one of 300 scenic stretches of sand that lure sea worshippers to the Cornish coast. Waves have been known to rise 30 feet, but that doesn't scare an octogenarian couple as they compete in the World Bellyboard Championships.
Locals say the 400-year-old Prideaux Place is haunted, but the ghosts are reportedly as friendly as the current residents, whose family has inhabited the sprawling mansion for centuries.
Quirky customs rule at Treloan Coastal Holidays campground, where guests are invited to feed the farm animals and watch an oddball regatta. Visitors house-hunt in scenic Mousehole, where humble fishermen's cottages fetch up to £100,000.
St. Issey's 600 villagers spruce up the town with lush plants for the regional In Bloom competition. On the Cornish seaside, the coast guard trains for the season's inevitable rescues on the area's turbulent ocean.
As summer comes to a close, St. Issey residents nervously await the judges' decision of Cornwall's In Bloom competition. Off the shores of St. Michael's Mount, competitors prepare for the annual around-the-island swim.