NO one would ever consider labelling Cornwall an "Alice-Sit-By-The-Fire" kind of place. It's an outdoorsman's heaven with a wealth of opportunities for the fisherman, golfer, sailor, surfer, yachtsman and hiker.

Options for action are so varied and places to partake in them so diverse, it's not easy to decide. Let's focus on a few standouts and enthusiasts can come up with pages more.

Seldom will travellers encounter a more comprehensive website with more details. Enter Cornwall, England on All the Web, Google, whatever, then select cornwall-calling.co.uk. There's enough material there to keep one glued to the site most of the day.

Fishing can be enjoyed year around. Salmon and trout season runs from spring into October or November depending on location. There's beach angling, rock angling, fly fishing, an assortment of lakes, rivers estuaries, and reservoirs. . .you name it.

Expect varieties to include mackerel, pollock, mullet, brown, rainbow and sea trout and of course, salmon. Sea fishing here can be exceptional and happens to be one of this angler's preference.

Let's start with one of the more unusual fishing possibilities, one I'm not likely to ever forget. I've written regular fishing columns for a number of publications and had an assignment to write an article on shark fishing. Lest readers think that unusual for the female of the species, travel journalism has taken me to some exceptionally great fishing destinations.

And with a father who considered a fishing rod and reel an appropriate mother's day gift for his wife, and children's fishing equipment absolutely essential for his offspring, it's really no surprise.

Looe, Cornwall not far from Plymouth has been long noted for this action. So off I went to join a charter boat heading for deep water. As things turned out, it was not only deep but extremely stormy. The kind of moody day where sea and sky blend together and no ship should leave the dock. But when you have only one day available, there's no alternative.

If it was ominous and overcast when we cast off, that was only the beginning. Each passing hour conditions worsened and by the time we reached the prime area, gale force was murderous, beyond safety levels.

Happily sea sickness has never been a problem for this traveller. Hours passed with nary a nibble. . .then suddenly there was action on my line, fierce fighting action.

In need of photos to illustrate my fishing feature, I had no choice but to hand my reel over to another fisherman so I could photograph the action. The boat was pitching, rolling and heaving so relentlessly that my heavy camera forcefully struck me in the forehead during an especially turbulent lurch. A lump the size of a small egg, swelled immediately, accompanied by a stream of blood.

I must have been a sad sight bundled up in a wet slicker, since it was now pouring like a monsoon and I was bleeding all over the camera. A shark thrashing around the deck was another challenge.

To make matters even more depressing, on arriving back in port, what had been my catch before relinquishing the reel turned out to be the record shark caught so far the entire season. It was welcomed with great ceremony and acclaim and the fisherman treated as though he'd just won Olympic gold. Well, at least I had my story and pictures which are still in the hands of the fishing publication.

Would I do it again? Of course, hopefully on a less temperamental day. I've always lived near the water, spent much of my life on it or in it. Every day of my youth was spent at the beach and one of my earliest memories is being taught to swim by my parents almost as soon as I could walk.

What about golf? Scotland and Ireland aren't the only places that have courses that are so super scenic their seaside location is almost a distraction to your game. There are literally dozens here (Jim actually came up with a count of thirty-five), but we'll focus on a few to give golfers an idea what to expect. Prices at the better ones range from twenty to twenty five pounds for a round of golf.

West Cornwall Golf Club near St. Ives at Lelant Village is oldest in Cornwall, established in 1889. Noted for breathtaking scenery as well as "firm and fast" greens, it likes to proclaim that its sand hills are "not merely ornamental". That's because "the course careens headlong into the dunes". Clubhouse opens daily from 8 a.m. There's also a driving range, putting green and restaurant.

ooe Golf Club was designed by six-time open champion Harry Vardon. It, too, is noted for beauty of its setting. This par 70 course is designed around the Bindow Beacon with stunning panoramic views. Look east and there are peaks of Dartmoor and Tomar estuary... South is Looe island and the channel... West and North are distracting lush countryside and Cornish moors. A bar and restaurant welcomes visitors.

Sailing is very popular, so is serious surfing, often for experts in waters that can be dangerous for amateurs. (http://www.britsurf.co.uk) will outline some of the best sites.

Newquay is home of the British Surfing Association and became noted because of beaches facing in almost all directions. Their National Surfing Centre in Newquay can arrange surfing courses for all ages and abilities.

Walking here is also considered a major outdoor activity. There are even special all-inclusive packages offering that as a major attraction. The National Trust is involved in the preservation of some especially dramatic trails. Those around Land's End with their sheer cliffs lashed by temperamental seas attract many trekkers.

So does hiking out to the Cornish version of France's Mt. St. Michel, which I've also done at low tide. St. Michael's Mount is accessible walking via causeway depending on tides. . .otherwise reached by ferry, it's now owned by the National Trust and touring the castle is well worth your time. The castle is mediaeval, given by Edward the Confessor to the Benedictines as a monastery in the eleventh century.

Today it houses some marvellous armour and other antiques. There's a restaurant and tea garden on the island. It's definitely the ultimate get-away-from-the-world location.

Another intriguing spot to do some hiking is around the ruins of Tintagel Castle. Locals here still claim King Arthur as their own. . .who knows? He may have actually walked these paths himself.

Set on cliffs three hundred feet above the sea on a rocky promontory is a castle ruin dating to the thirteenth century. But the ruins over which it was built are believed to be from yet another castle built on foundations of a sixth century Celtic monastery.

Climb another one-hundred steps cut from the rocks to "Arthur's lair", visit Merlin's Cave. . .it's a very intriguing and scenic site. So are many area attractions which claim Arthur associations.

On that first visit in 1967, I was invited by the British Tourist Authority to visit a site where a major archaeological dig was underway creating a high level of excitement. It certainly had an interesting history.

When Henry VIII's historian, John Leland, visited South Cadbury, near Taunton, Somerset just north of Cornwall, he had reported to the King that local people spoke much of its being "King Arthur's Camelot". Interesting, not only are Arthur and Queen Guinevere reputedly buried at Glastonbury Abbey twelve miles distant, but the Holy Grail itself was said to be on Glastonbury, Tor.

Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote about Tintagel in the twelfth century and Lord Tennyson's "Idylls of the King" certainly increased interest in the site. Who knows?

Over the years, attention did focus there, but not until an amateur unearthed a fragment of Mediterranean wine jar dating to the fifth or sixth century did digging on the farm estate begin in earnest. Such wine indicated a high standard of living, one in keeping with Arthur's princely status.

t was an interesting experience to spend a day participating in the dig and it did unearth indications of being occupied in Arthur's time. I didn't have time for an encore visit this trip, but have been told that foundation ruins of a sixth century fortification were uncovered. It's certainly on my list for next time.

Wales is also keen on claiming Arthur as a resident and both places do have remarkable sites that very much fit the right descriptions. But people did travel much more than one realises in those days and who's to say he didn't get around to both of them.

There's definitely an interesting list of famous Cornishmen about whose origin there's no doubt. Captain William Bligh of Mutiny On The Bounty fame was from a village near Plymouth; World Boxing Champion, Bob Fitzsimmons and dambuster Guy Gibson of World War II were definitely Cornishmen.

Perhaps you saw BBC report the horrendous torrent of water rushing down a valley into the village of Boscastle, Cornwall a few weeks ago after a flooding rain. Prince Charles was on the scene almost immediately, offering encouragement. Obviously this rare and tragic event deserved royal attention.

Although most people think of him as the Prince of Wales, he's also the Duke of Cornwall. It all started when William the Conqueror "allocated" Cornwall to a relative. By 1337 it had become a Duchy, as an estate of the monarch's eldest sons. Charles is the twenty-fourth Duke of Cornwall, receiving the title at age four when his mother ascended to the throne.

Over the centuries these Dukes received taxes on tin mines, as well as other mineral rights and lease income. Although some of that earlier income has been amended, it's still estimated as "considerable".

We've barely scratched the surface. On the cultural side, St. Ives has a branch of London's prestigious Tate Gallery, there's also a Barbara Hepworth museum there. For theatregoers the Minack Theatre is a spectacularly located cliff-side wonder near Land's End which clings to the rock side like an ancient Greek amphitheatre. Performances run for seventeen weeks in summer season.

The ambitious Millennium Eden Project, being built at an estimated cost of seventy-four million pounds, will definitely interest horticulturally and evironmentally-minded travellers. It will be the world's largest greenhouse. Almost one kilometre long and sixty metres high, it will create under one roof the range of natural plant habitats on Earth.

What else? Pub crawling doesn't only happen in London. There's a list of unique, often quite vintage, colourful and historical discoveries all over Cornwall.

isit some and you'll soon learn these Celts do have a wonderfully mischievous sense of humour. Consider the Wink Inn at Lamorna Cove. In the old days it was only licensed to sell beer. . .but wink at the landlord and you got something stronger.

To find out about everything from pubs to fishing, click on http://www.cornwall-calling.co.uk/. It goes on and on with options to aid your special interest. . .sailing, surfing, fishing, history, touring, attractions, weather, etc. You can also focus on Cornwall Tourist Board.co.uk./

(? A Movie Fan's View of Greece for those who got interested in it as a destination watching the Olympics)

FACT FILE: Where to stay? One of the pleasures of off-season travel is the ability to discover available unique and exceptional accommodations without booking something unknown ahead and being disappointed. Of course arriving during a special event and finding no room at the inn is no dream scene. Having an arrival night booked at a place like Tregenna Castle Hotel or Corisande Manor Hotel mentioned earlier could be a way to go. If your travel agent has been to Cornwall, they may also have recommendations for some place special. But allow plenty of time. . .it's a destination more than just a brief side trip.