Amid Amid the rugged cliffs and old engine houses of Cornwall's north coast is an unassuming town of two personalities. St Agnes is divided by terraced miners' cottages into village and beach. In the village, boutique bakeries and delicatessens rub shoulders with zero-waste shops, a quaint high street and the kind of church that wouldn't look out of place in the Cotswolds. The beach below looks as though it has been scooped from the cliff using an enormous digger. Dramatic rather than conventionally pretty, the beach is a hive of activity year-round, an ocean playground for surfers, wild swimming groups and rowers.

Sandwiched between two famous neighbours, Perranporth and Porthtowan - both of which draw visitors during the summer and lapse into sleepy, almost eerie hibernation in the winter - St Agnes has a thriving community of permanent residents. Old mines and engine houses have been transformed into hubs of innovation and house brands of international acclaim (Wheal Kitty, perched on the cliff above Trevaunance Cove, is the home of ethical, outdoor clothing brand Finisterre). Former miners' cottages squeezed precipitously on vertigo-inducing hills have become picture-perfect holiday cottages. Walks along the coastal path in either direction reveal Elizabethan beacons, 18th-century mines and bunkers dating back to the Second World War.

Whether you're looking for a quieter alternative to St Ives for a summer break or a coastal escape during the winter months, St Agnes won't disappoint. We've traipsed coastal paths in the footsteps of the miners of old, surfed the waves and honed our pasty-critiquing skills to bring you the best of Cornwall's most up-and-coming little town.