Top ten coastal houses for sale

The Famous Five find a home

Devon, £2.75 million Widmouth Farm Cottages, Watermouth 5 bedrooms, holiday cottages, sea views, 33.26 acres, Chesterton Humberts (01823 331234) Set above picturesque Watermouth Cove, 19th-century Widmouth House affords long views of the bay where the Enid Blyton-inspired Five on a Treasure Island was filmed in 1996. With the nearby harbour to go canoeing on and 33.26 acres of pastureland plus a private beach, the house is a great place to bring up children, according to selling agents Chesterton Humberts.

Bastion on the bay

Cornwall, £1.295 million The Crow's Nest, Polkirt Hill Lillicrap Chilcott (01872 273473) Perched on a clifftop, this unusual, architect-designed property affords extraordinary views across St Austell Bay. The best vantage point is the central turret, which houses the circular living room and the master bedroom.

Over the sea

Suffolk, £1.475 million Ridley House, Old Felixstowe Strutt & Parker (01473 220444) Originally dating from the Georgian era, Ridley House was rebuilt in the 1840s in the Italianate style. The best place to sit back and admire the sea is the second-floor tower room.

Southern style

Cornwall, £1.5 million Landewednack House, Church Cove Jackson-Stops & Staff (01872 261160) Thought to be England's most southerly rectory, this Grade II-listed, 17th-century house is full of fascinating features, such as the open, raised inglenook granite fireplace in the dining room.

Peaceful retreat

Cornwall, £1.85 million Ennys, St Hilary 5 bedrooms, five cottages, 20 acres, Savills (01872 243200) Legend has it that, in medieval times, Ennys was the hermitage for St Michael's Mount. The current house was built in 1688 for a local tin merchant and reworked in the Georgian era when the family became more prosperous. Beautifully restored and located at the heart of its 20 acres, it has the additional advantage of generating useful income from its self-catering cottages.

Glorious gardens

Devon, £1.5 million Longmynd, Salcombe Knight Frank (01392 423111) Longmynd sits above North Sands beach and looks out across the rhododendron- and camellia-studded gardens to the sea. The front of this five-bedroom house opens onto a large terrace that enjoys beautiful sunsets.

Highland idyll

Wester Ross, offers over £1.25 million Torridon House Estate, Achnasheen 18 bedrooms, 800m (about 2,600ft) direct loch frontage, salmon and sea trout fishing, 54 acres, Smiths Gore (0131-344 0880) Torridon is the perfect Scottish estate. Set by a sea loch at the foot of dramatic mountains, it stands in grounds coursed by the River Corrie, with a waterfall a short walk away. The interiors are as spellbinding, with a magnificent pine-panelled reception hall, an elegant drawing-room and a welcoming library.

Safe in the harbour

West Sussex, £3.25 million Rookwood House, West Wittering Strutt & Parker (01243 832600) Grade II-listed Rookwood House sits in lush gardens that lead down to Chichester Harbour. Carefully renovated using Susie Watson fabrics and ceramics, the eight-bedroom house combines a sense of light and space with period details and expansive sea views.

Reclaimed charm

Isles of Scilly, £675,000 The Old Chapel, St Mary's Three bedrooms, full-width conservatory, gardens Savills (01872 243200) and Island Properties (01720 422327) When this 19th-century former Wesleyan chapel was converted, the creative owners incorporated wood from a shipwreck and other reclaimed materials. The delightful result is a unique, atmospheric house full of enticing details-the living room, with its huge Iroko beams and wooden panelling, is especially attractive. Outside are lush subtropical gardens punctuated with palms, echiums and Madeira geraniums.

A wider view

Cornwall, £2.25 million 2 Gull Rock, Rock Knight Frank (01392 423111) and John Bray & Partners (01208 863206) This striking contemporary house has been designed to make the most of the spectacular sea views. Huge windows take in the panorama and its terraces are perfect for soaking up the sun.

* Country houses for sale

* Subscribe to Country Life and save; Get the Ipad edition