When my boyfriend’s parents invited me for the second time on their yearly family holiday to Cornwall I didn’t hesitate in saying yes. Chris and his family have been visiting Coverack every July for two weeks since he was born.

Coverack is a small picturesque fishing village on the Southern coast of the Lizard Peninsula. The drive down into the village gets me every time with stunning panoramic views, original charm and atmosphere. The locals are so friendly and due to the amount of times they have visited, Chris’ family have many friends in the village. Including old salty fishermen who supply us with lobster, crab and sea food a-plenty.

We were staying in an idyllic thatched cottage right on the bay which is a large, sheltered, crescent shaped arc of sand. The week we spent in Coverack involved lots of scenic walks, delicious wine and an array of sea food for dinner including paella, lobster (a yearly treat which we look forward to more than Christmas dinner!) and of course fish and chips.

The holiday for me is always full of new experiences and visiting new places, which Chris knows well and loves. Some of my favourite days included a trip to Falmouth, which is famous for its port but also known as a kooky hippy student town. We spent the day wandering round the little treasure-trove shops selling souvenirs and gifts made from driftwood and shells, and stopped to enjoy a mandatory pasty and a pint at lunch time. We also tried out segways on the Goonhilly Downs right next to the Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station, which was pretty surreal. We felt like we were in an episode of Star Wars floating around the satellite dishes on our segways.

The beach at Coverack is ideal for swimming and windsurfing, and Chris’ brother works at the store where you can hire kayaks and other water sports equipment. One day we hired paddleboards and had a go around the bay, it was so fun and luckily the sea was pretty flat so I only fell off once!

On Friday evening we went to a tiny little fishing village down the road called Cadgwith and enjoyed a merry evening in the local pub, where the Cadgwith singers were singing that evening. As the only group of Cornish folk singers left in Cornwall, they love nothing more than getting together on a weekly basis in the pub to sing sea shanty songs. It was a magical evening and I felt extremely privileged to have been able to witness it.

Mostly we spent our days with a picnic and supplies in our rucksacks exploring the coastal paths of Coverack. Walking up the steep rocky paths was often hard, but we’d stop and take in the view on the other side which was always worth it. I couldn’t believe how photogenic it all was and was always with my camera in hand – in my absolute element (I think I ended up with something ridiculous like 800 photos on my phone, which I found really hard to narrow down for this post!).

This holiday for us was an ideal chance to relax and recuperate after a hectic third year at Uni and that’s exactly what we did. Though that of course also included sampling Roskilly’s ice cream in every flavour, exploring Coverack and taking in its epic views.

Jess studied BA (Hons) Graphic Design: Visual communication at Maidstone UCA, graduating this summer with a 2:1. Prior to that she achieved a distinction on her Foundation Diploma course specialising in Visual Communication, at UCA Rochester.

Her current work is concerned with observing people and recording their lifestyles, but she is ambitious and enthusiastic to learn more and gain a deeper knowledge of photographic genres.

Jess has been accepted onto the MA Photography at Middlesex University for September 2015 entry, and is spending this interim year broadening her photographic experience and strengthening her portfolio.

This weekend, Jess will be taking over the Gather.ly Instagram at Notting Hill Carnival, so make sure you're following us @gather_ly.

You can see more of Jess' photography and the rest of the photos from her Cornwall trip on her website.