Cornwall or Devon?

Cornwall has the stronger beaches. The far west has white sand and turquoise water at Porthcurno and Pedn Vounder, and Kynance Cove sits under the Lizard cliffs. Devon has nothing quite like them. Cornwall's north coast, from Fistral to the long sands at Gwithian, matches Devon's surf, and the Fal estuary coves add calm water.

Devon's best stretches are the dune-backed sands of Woolacombe, Saunton and Croyde and the estuary beaches of the South Hams, where Bigbury's tide walks out to Burgh Island. Elsewhere it has shingle coves and the red-cliffed resort fronts of Torbay, which are pleasant but plainer. The Atlantic is equally cold in both, so a wetsuit makes sense either way.

Cornwall eats a little better, and it is mostly down to fish. Newlyn's catch supplies a run of serious seafood towns, Padstow above all, but also St Ives, Porthleven and Falmouth, and Camel Valley sparkling wine adds a local bottle to the meal.

Devon's strengths are quieter: Brixham fish, Dartmouth and Salcombe crab, and farm shops and markets that suit cooking in a rented cottage, with Exeter and Plymouth offering more variety. Both serve the cream tea, but in a different order. Cornwall puts the jam on first, while Devon traditionally starts with the cream.

Cornwall has more sights that are worth a journey on their own. St Michael's Mount on its tidal island, Tintagel's clifftop ruins and the mine engine houses at Botallack are memorable sights. St Ives, with Tate St Ives and Barbara Hepworth's garden, gives an art lover a real reason to stay.

Devon's single finest building is Exeter Cathedral, with its long Gothic vault, and Plymouth's Barbican and Mayflower Steps carry real history. Beyond the two cities, though, its heritage is mostly country houses such as Castle Drogo and Greenway, spread thinly across a large county.

Neither county is a place for late nights, but Cornwall has more going on after dark. Newquay is a summer party town by the beach, full of surfers and stag and hen groups, and Falmouth's students keep a smaller scene running.

In Devon, going out means driving into Exeter or Plymouth, where the student crowd fills Union Street and the Barbican at weekends. The coast itself, apart from a few bars in Torquay, goes quiet after dinner.

These two are equally strong outdoors, but the landscapes differ. Cornwall is almost all coast: the granite cliffs of Penwith, the Lizard heathland, Atlantic surf at Sennen and Bude, and seals, dolphins and basking sharks offshore. Bodmin Moor is its only large inland wild area.

Devon has two coasts plus two national parks. Dartmoor's tors and ponies offer a full day's walk away from roads, and Exmoor's cliffs drop steeply into the sea. In the east, the Jurassic Coast at Sidmouth and Beer adds layered red and white cliffs. Cornwall suits people who want to be on or in the water. Devon is better for walking inland.

Devon is the better base for outings. From Exeter, Bath and Wells are an easy train or drive away, and Lyme Regis and the Dorset coast lie just to the east. Within the county, there is the boat down the Dart, cobbled Clovelly and a sail to Lundy. From the west of Devon, Cornwall's Eden Project and Fowey are within reach too.

Cornwall's outings mostly mean hopping between harbour towns that feel quite alike, from Mousehole to Port Isaac. Its one standout trip is the crossing from Penzance to the Isles of Scilly.

Both are classic British family vacation counties, with lifeguarded beaches, rock pools and cottages to rent. What changes is the rainy-day plan. In Cornwall that means the Eden Project's biomes and the seal sanctuary at Gweek. In Devon it means Paignton Zoo, Plymouth's National Marine Aquarium and the steam train to Kingswear.

Devon has a slight edge for older children, who can scramble up Dartmoor tors and go letterboxing among the ponies. Cornwall's sheltered beaches at Porthminster and Gyllyngvase are easy for toddlers.

In both counties a car is close to essential, along with the same patience on single-track lanes and in full harbour car parks. The difference is the railway. Cornwall's branch lines run right into St Ives, Falmouth, Newquay and Looe, so a car-free stay in a beach town works well.

Devon's trains serve Exeter, Plymouth, Torbay, Exmouth and Barnstaple, with a fine stretch along the sea wall at Dawlish. However, most of its beaches and all of the moor are out of reach without driving.

Cornwall is slightly better for browsing, thanks to St Ives, where galleries, potteries and studios fill the steep lanes. Penzance's Chapel Street and Newquay's surf shops add more.

Devon's most distinctive shopping street is in Totnes, with its alternative shops and market, while Honiton has antiques and the cities have the usual chains. In Devon the best things to take home are often cheese, cider and clotted cream from farm shops.

Both are expensive during the school summer break, and the sought-after harbour towns book out early in each. Devon gives a little more room to save, because Torbay, Plymouth and the inland villages offer far better value than its smart estuary towns.

In Cornwall, the savings come from pasties, pubs and self-catering rather than from cheaper places to stay. In both counties, spring and autumn cut the cost noticeably.

The two are on a par, but in different ways. Cornwall's highlight is a single place, the Minack Theatre, where summer plays are performed on cliffs above the sea at Porthcurno. Folk sessions, male voice choirs and Padstow's May Day add local colour.

Devon has the steadier indoor programme. Plymouth's Theatre Royal brings in opera, ballet and touring musicals, Exeter Cathedral holds choral evensong, and Dartington has a long tradition of summer music.

Neither county has a bathing tradition, and in both the slow pace does most of the work. Cornwall has more of a wild-swimming scene, with wood-fired saunas on beaches and harbours followed by a cold dip, and spa hotels above the sand at Watergate Bay and Carbis Bay.

Devon's version is gentler and more traditional. It has spa hotels in country houses and Plymouth's Art Deco Tinside Lido below the Hoe. In both, the calm is easiest to find outside the summer peak.