| Oliver's Cornwall |
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PAGE CONTENTS
CORNWALL REVIEWS INDEX and SITE CONTENTS
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Altarnun is an attractive village, along with Blisland the most interesting on this part of Bodmin Moor. There is a straggle of houses, stone or slate built, some slate-hung, one or two of them substantial Georgian houses, along the main street. At the lower end of the street is the church, dedicated to the mother of St. David, St. Nonna, said to have founded this church in 547AD. Her Holy Well is just off the road that heads north. Known as ‘The Cathedral of the Moor’, the church is approached by a narrow and ancient packhorse bridge over the fast-flowing little River Inny. Outside, unexpectedly exotic trees thrive in its churchyard and a Cornish cross stands at the top of a bank. A little way up the hill in the village is a former Wesleyan chapel, over its door a stone likeness of John Wesley, a regular visitor, carved by local man Nevil Northey Burnard. Wesley stayed often in the nearby village of Trewint in Digory Isbell's home, now a museum to Wesley and Methodism. Altarnun, surprisingly, has three shops but no pub or teashop. Perhaps it doesn't really welcome visitors, although I felt welcome enough when enquiring about a trail leaflet for the Inny Valleys Walk, which I did in July 2006 - there wasn't one, nor a sign from the village which, for a walk shown on the Ordnance Survey map, shocked me. |
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Leave A30 7 miles west of Launceston. Altarnun 1 mile. |
| Inny Valleys Walk: Full detailed directions, and a 2 mile extension by way of Polyphant, are on my Bodmin Moor Walks page |
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There is a lot that
is both unusual and admirable about Blisland, one of Bodmin Moor's, and
indeed Cornwall's, most charming villages. To take the unusual first,
you don't find many proper village greens in Cornwall - but you do find
one in Blisland. Roughly triangular, the church
is on one side, the Blisland Inn on another, the Manor house is on the
base. The church has an odd dedication, to Sts. Protus (or Pratt)
and Hyacinth, and an interior like a pre-Reformation church. The
Blisland Inn has a reputation for its real ales and the atmosphere of a
real welcoming local pub. The Manor house has the four-square appearance
of a Georgian home with a two storey Elizabethan style porch - and, most
unexpectedly, on its north face two Norman windows and a Norman arch.
Now for the admirable. It looked at one time as if Blisland was going the way of so many villages, dormitories with no heart, soul or amenities. But Blisland fought back and now it has not only its pub but a school and, since 2006, a community centre in the real sense of that phrase. A great effort replaced the lost village shop with a brand new convenience store, whose groceries include local produce, plus cafe, doctor's surgery and internet café. Pub, church, school and store make Blisland a real village. |
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Leave the A30 shortly before Bodmin |
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Passing through now, on the road to Wadebridge, Bodmin appears at first glance to be a rather scruffy, inconsequential town. But first appearances can deceive. As you drop down into the town, look to your right and you will see Cornwall's finest and most important parish church, dedicated to St. Petroc, who founded a monastery here around AD550. Turn left by it and you will find yourself in Mount Folly Square, filled with handsome Victorian buildings: The Shire Hall housed the county's Assize Courts until 1988, the Public Rooms were once the social heart of the town. Continue past these, along the Lostwithiel Road, and you will discover former county regiment barracks and a railway station that served a line to Wadebridge, opened in 1834. Or follow the road to Wadebridge and you will see signs for Bodmin Jail and pass Westheath Park, now an upmarket housing development and technology park but once site of the county lunatic asylum. Put all these together and you will realise that this was once once a place of great significance, the County Town from 1836 to 1988. There are several things for the visitor to see and do, though litle advertised. The Shire Hall houses the TIC, exhibitons and a Court Room Museum. Bodmin Jail is now a Jail Museum with restaurant. The Town Museum is in the Public Rooms. St.Petroc's Church should not be missed. The Bodmin & Wenford Railway operates steam trains on the old Wadebridge line. |
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Bodmin is signed from the A30 in both directions |
| When I started this web site I didn't like Boscastle very much. I was about ready to post a critical item when the dreadful flood of August 2004 happened. That was no time for criticism so I decided to leave it until repair and restoration were complete. I am glad I did because, before and after a walk up the Valency Valley in June 2008, I took time to explore the village. Now not only am I most impressed by the way Boscastle has recovered but I also find that I now like it. It may be very tourist oriented - Visitor Centre, National Trust shop, Witchcraft Museum, art and craft galleries, gift shops, restaurants, cafés - but it looks terrific. Scenically it is hard to beat thanks to its setting in a steep valley, the River Valency winding down to a small harbour (dry at low tide) with a few fishing boats, beyond it two high headlands, both on the coast path, and the sea. In the photo a lime kiln stands in front of the former 'pilchard palace'; it houses the TIC, a National Trust shop and café and a Witchcraft Museum. And don't miss walking up Old Road, a narrow no-entry street, to admire its charming cottages. I can't comment on eating places as I have only had coffee here, but for sociability the Wellington Hotel bar is probably top; other pubs are the Cobweb and the Napoleon at the top of the village. |  |
| Signed from A39 at Camelford and near Wainhouse Corner. |
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Bude - a once run-down town which gets steadily better and better
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Our original
2003 report - but please read also the 2009 update box below
Like Portreath and Hayle, Bude is a run-down town for which we have great affection. When the railway arrived in 1898 Bude developed as as resort, with hotels and villas with sea views. After World War II it went downhill and now has no quality hotel but caters rather to the lower end of the bus tour trade. However, Bude has many saving graces, not the least its superb Summerleaze Beach, where the tide recedes a full quarter mile. A sea lock there is the start of the Bude Canal (2 miles restored) that once carried sand inland. Behind the beach look out for the Bude Light, which remembers Sir Goldsworthy Gurney who lived in the castle, built a steam road vehicle in 1829, and devised a complex system of arc lights and mirrors which lighted Parliament for 60 years before electricity. Above the beach, to the south side, the Pepper Pot stands high on Efford Down, its sides marked with the points of the compass, some 7 degrees out of true; good views. Little good eating, except at the bar of the Falcon Hotel by the canal. An easy round walk takes in Bude, Widemouth Bay and the Canal. It follows the coast from the Pepper Pot to Widemouth Bay, crosses fields to the excellent Woodland Tea Rooms at Helebridge, then follows the canal back into Bude. |
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Signed from A39 'Atlantic Highway' |
| BUDE UPDATE JULY
2009 When my sister May stayed with us in July 2009 we
spent a day in Bude, a place we always enjoy. In the morning we walked
the beaches, then lunched at the Castle. In the afternoon we walked
the canal and had tea at Woodlands Tea Rooms at Helebridge. We found
that, even since our last visit, Bude had improved. The storm damaged
canal sea lock has been restored and more work has been done on the canal
itself. The Quay is smarter, the Castle is now Heritage Centre, gallery,
museum and restaurant.
Bude Castle: We were delighted to find that the town has now taken full advantage of the possibilities of the Castle. Exhibitions on Bude as port, resort and surf centre; Sir Goldsworthy Gurney exhibition; research centre; art gallery; shop. Helpful staff. Good wheelchair access. The Quay: New cobbling makes it feel more spacious and there is now a row of craft and similar shops. Olive Tree bistro good value. Castle Restaurant: We lunched there and can recommend it. Bude born, London trained, chef Kit Devis and wife Katie serve well-presented, professionally-served, reasonably-priced and excellent food. Terrace with tables and beach view. Open from 10.00 to 21.30. We loved it. Bude Canal: Now fully restored for its 2 miles to Helebridge, including the two locks along the way. Wouldn't it be wonderful if restoration could take place on the Marhamchurch incline plane and all the way to Tamar Lakes. The Visitor Centre in the car park now has a Canal Heritage Centre. One (walkers) criticism - The tarmac towpath, admittedly wheelchair-friendly, now makes the walk to Helebridge feel noticeably less rural. |
| One of the most popular villages on the Lizard - along with Coverack, which I don't like, and Mullion, which I do (my favourite is St. Keverne) - pretty Cadgwith is tucked away on the east coast between Lizard Town and Coverack. There are two roads down; the car park is on the western of the two and seems a long way from the cove but there is a fairly short footpath down. Down by the cove there are pretty thatched and whitewashed cottages; one stands on the Todden, a small point overlooking the harbour. Old net lofts and pilchard cellars are now shops, a tea shop and restaurant. The Cadgwith Cove Inn has folk music on Tuesday night, traditional Cornish singing on Friday. Cadgwith has the largest fishing fleet on the Lizard, inshore boats no longer after the pilchards but now seeking crab, lobster, mackerel, mullet, sea bass and shark. They are quite a sight drawn up on the beach. A mile north on the coast path is Carleon Cove where part of the old serpentine works still stands. A few hundred yards south is the Devil's Frying Pan, a massive blow hole formed when a large cave collapsed. It's worth trying to catch the sea at the right state of the tide to appreciate the impressive effect. | |
| Signed from B3293 Helston to St. Keverne road |
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During a walk in November 2007 from Zelah to Chiverton Cross, as part of the Land's End Trail, I passed through a lot of places with the Callestick (or Callestock) name. Originally they would all have been the Callestoc recorded in Domesday Book. I counted Little Callestock, Callestick, Old Callestick Mine and Callestock Veor (Great) plus Callestick Vean (Little) which wasn't on my route. The present village of Callestick, the largest of the settlements, was presumably originally Callestock Veor. It is an attractive place in more senses than one. A handsome Georgian farmhouse, beautifully presented cottages, a former Methodist chapel converted to a home, a well kept Methodist graveyard, a small maker of quality ice cream and the Cornish Cyder Farm. I stopped at the latter for a coffee and cake when on the Land's End Trail in 2007. In September 2008 I was again walking the Land's End Trail - this time west to east - with my friend and neighbour Richard. It was a warm day and, feeling in need of refreshment, we stopped at Callestick Farm for a first-class ice cream. They also do bacon baps and cream teas. They are open all year (though in winter just Wed to Sat). I recommend Callestick Farm. |
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Signed from A30, 5 miles west of Carland Cross |
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We discovered Calstock
when visiting Cotehele House and
Garden. We always like to include a walk if we can and Calstock is
just a couple of miles up the Tamar.
It has an ordinary pub, the Tamar Inn, with decent food. Once it
was a very prosperous port, serving local tin and copper mines. Now
it is a quiet spot most of the time, its former wealth shown only by some
big three storey homes and a main street that was once clearly full of
shops and inns. An annual regatta remembers the days of the pilot
boats that guided the ships into the wharves. Probably best to avoid
Calstock at holiday times and summer weekends; it then turns into
a bustling resort.
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Signed from A390, just west of Gunnislake |
| I deal with Charlestown in some detail on my Museums page, under maritime museums, largely because of the Shipwreck and Heritage Centre there. But it is certainly worth another photo. Originally known as West Polmear, you might normally expect that the name of Charlestown would have been acquired in the 17th century and would reflect a connection with King Charles I or II. But the man it is named for is Charles Rashleigh, landowner with an interest in mines and china clay. He transformed a small fishing harbour to what you now see during the early 19th century. The surprise is that Charlestown has retained its Georgian flavour so strongly, despite the presence of 21st century tourism. There are a couple of pubs; the Rashleigh Arms, on Fore Street above the harbour, is preferred. Revival Retaurant, in a former boathouse, is open all day and serves good local produce. Charlestown is a lovely place to visit but it can get very busy, so you would do best to avoid the height of the holiday season. The village is signed from the halfway along the A390 St. Austell bupass, a busy and often congested road; given the choice and a nice day I would always prefer to approach it along the coast path. |  |
| Signed from A390 St. Austell bypass |
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Once part of the Stowe estate of the Grenville's, the hamlet of Coombe is now owned by the Landmark Trust, which specialises in restoring interesting buildings of historic and architectural importance and letting them as up-market holiday rentals. The surrounding land is part of the National Trust’s Stowe Barton estate. The hamlet consists of a tall watermill, once known as Stowe Mill, the mill house, two semi-detatched cottages and a couple of converted barns. All, apart from the mill, are rentable. The mill is intact, including all its machinery and a large waterwheel, but large a colony of bats prevents its conversion at present. However, the Landmark Trust hopes to use the mill to provide Coombe’s electricity. The hamlet is divided by a small river with a shallow paved ford and a footbridge. Cottages are thatched and whitewashed, all are quite charming and easy to photograph. One pair of cottages is known as Hawker’s Cottages. For a while Rev. Stephen Hawker, rector of Morwenstow, lived in the left-hand one. Coombe is just half-a-mile from the coast at Duckpool but, if on foot, the most enjoyable way to approach is from Stowe Barton, on a path through broadleaf woodland. You can do this as part of around walk from Northcott Mouth. |
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| When I posted this report, back in October 2005, I never expected the furious response I received from lovers of Coverack. So, in December 2010, I am updating my report. Personally, and that's what this site is all about, I still don't much like the village. The feeling I get from many visits is of drabness but clearly I am in a minority so I shall now try to be fairer. Many families holiday here year after year and love it. The beach can be more rock than sand, even at low tide, but that varies from year to year. I have often noticed wind-surfers here, the sheltered bay makes a good spot for that. There are several attractive thatched cottages on and off the main street. Views are a bit restricted but are best from Dolour Point. Coverack's one serious claim to fame was its lifeboats which, over the centuries, saved countless lives, many from ships wrecked on the dreaded Manacles reef. In 1898 the SS Mohegan was wrecked there with the loss of 106 lives. The following year American liner SS Paris went aground on Dolour Point but no lives were lost. The village's pleasant pub, the Paris Hotel, commerorates the occasion. Sadly, there is no longer a lifeboat in Coverack and the former lifeboat station is now a restaurant (good reputation for its fish). Harbour Lights café is open all year. Below is an email from my first critic, her view supported in 2010 by Matt Tonkins of St. Keverne. |
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| Another view of Coverack entirely |
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Another View of Coverack - FromTess Warburton
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Hi Oliver, I
was just reading your rather critical review of Coverack. I holiday
in Coverack every year, along with many other families who return there
each summer to enjoy beautiful surroundings and friendly inhabitants.
I have been going to the village for almost twenty years and although I
have travelled to many places in the south west it is still my favourite.
In many ways I am pleased you don't like it. If you had stayed long
enough in the village and been bothered to find out what it is really like
you would have written a more far more colourful description. This would
however have encouraged lots of other people to holiday there, including
people like yourself (who think it is possible to understand and make judgments
about a place within a paragraph). I wish you luck with your touring.
However, maybe you should 'stay put' in some of the places you visit before
you judge them and influence the decisions of others.
ps. There are two beaches in Coverack, the beach in the village and the headland beach (named by local people as 'Mears' beach). The sand washes from one beach to the other anually so that one year it will be on meres and the next it will be in the harbour. |
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Thanks for your input Tess. Clearly families love Coverack. |
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A charming village, tucked quietly away from the busy Truro to Falmouth road, Devoran's present belies its past. Now a quiet and beautiful creek-side village, boasting a fair number of small-boat sailors, Devoran was once a busy commercial port, shipping copper ore from mines on the Great Flat Lode around Redruth, linked by the horse drawn Redruth and Chacewater Railway, now part of a Coast to Coast trail. When you see how the creek has silted up - ironically with mine spoil - it is hard to imagine how any cargo boats ever got as far as Devoran. The old village is a triangle of streets, Quay Street and the higher St. John's Terrace linked by Market Street. Along Quay Street several homes are interesting conversions of old warehouses or of former port worker's cottages. On the Quay, a series of odd stone enclosures are the old ore hutches where the copper ore awaited shipment. West down Restronguett Creek there are some mining related remains and at low tide you can see an odd causeway of stepping stones. The Old Quay Inn has an enjoyable local atmosphere; food is fairly ambitious. We have eaten there on several occasions and have always liked it. If not using the pub's car park, you should be able to park by the village hall at the start of Quay Street. |
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Signed from A39 Truro to Falmouth road. |
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There are really several distinct Falmouths. Approaching from the north, first the boatyards and marinas of Penryn, once a separate fishing village. Next Dunstanville Terrace, its grand sea captains' homes looking across the water to Flushing. Next the much improved cobbled High Street leads to the diminished interest of Market and Church Street, though the shops are improving. Then opposite the Tudor manor of the Killigrews is a vast timber shed, looking to Flushing and across Carrick Roads to St. Mawes; this is the superb Maritime Museum, beyond it the dockyard. Next is fortified Falmouth, Pendennis Castle high on its headland. Finally, the sandy beaches of resort Falmouth, lined with hotels and apartments. A good Art Gallery is near High Street in the centre of town. What surprises about Falmouth is that, despite the world's third largest natural harbour and its ideal situation for international shipping, there was no such place until the 17th century. There were just three small settlements - with Penryn to the north and the Killigrew manor of Arwennack below Pendennis Head, and Henry VIII's Pendennis Castle. But when Falmouth grew it grew fast and by 1688 was the main Packet Ship port. The port declined with the advent of steam but from 1863 the railway brought tourists. Now cruise ships take advantage of the deep water to anchor here. |
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Ferries operate to St. Mawes, to Flushing and up to Trelissick and Truro |
| I can't claim to have explored Feock properly, just stopped off briefly on my way to Trelissick for a Fal creek walk. The village proper is inland; to its south is Loe Beach with parking, a slipway and a beach café. To the west, with a small car park above, is Pill Point, about the only public access to the expensive looking Pill Creek. The church, said to have been founded by St. Feoca, has a detached bell tower, upper and lower lych gates - the lower has a room above it - and a fine Cornish Cross by the porch. |  |
| From A39 south of Truro, turn left at Playing Place |
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An attractive small town with very narrow streets and a one-way system. However, its quaint and scenic attractions are less easy to enjoy than those of St. Ives and St. Mawes, comparably pretty waterside towns. While they both cluster around a harbour and have walkable waterfronts, Fowey has no harbour as such but depends on its deep tidal river. And while St. Ives and St. Mawes face the water, Fowey's buildings back on to the river and almost nowhere can you walk by the water. There are attractive shops in Fore, North and Lostwithiel Streets and pretty alleyways climb the steep hill. Of the several pubs, the King of Prussia is best known and there are now some boutique hotels. The town has a long maritime history. In medieval times it provided ships for the Crusades and for the wars with the French. Henry VIII considered it of sufficient importance to fortify it with a pair of castles and a chain across the River Fowey. Now there are yachts, fishing boats and a china clay terminal up-river and, thanks to the deep water of the Fowey River, cruise ships visit occasionally. A major regatta takes place in August. Don't expect to park in the centre, instead follow car park signs on the periphery and be prepared to walk. |
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Signed from A390 from just west of Lostwithiel |
| There are also many literary associations. Kenneth Graham is said to have gained inspiration for 'Wind in the Willows' here whilst guest of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch. Daphne du Maurier stayed at Ferryside House in Bodinnick and lived at three rented homes (one was Menabilly, her 'Manderley'). A Du Maurier Festival is held in May |
Gorran Haven and Gorran Churchtown
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Jane and I had been here in 2002 when we walked from Porthluney Cove. Then we thought little of Gorran. I repeated the walk in March 2008 and lingered long enough to revise my impressions somewhat. Gorran Haven is attractive with nice old fishing related buildings clustered around the harbour. Facing south-east, the harbour dries out at low tide and provides a safe bathing beach with a seasonal café. Some narrow old streets climb the hill from the harbour and there is a lot of recent development beyond. Undoubtedly many of the houses are second homes and holiday rentals. On the way up the hill is the little St. Justus Church, a chapel of ease once used as a fish cellar and net store. Further up is the acceptable Lawnwroc Inn. Keep going for another mile and you come to Gorran Churchtown. Here is the Barley Sheaf Inn (it should re-open in late 2010) and the handsome St. Goran's Church. St. Goran (or Goranus) is probably the Guron of Bodmin, who moved here when Petroc arrived there. His 13th to 15th century church is typically Cornish with its crenellated and pinnacled porch, a fine collection of original bench ends and some good modern wood carvings. Outside there is an unexpected vault dated WSG 1813 and, when I was there, a lovely display of daffodils. |
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From A390 at St. Austell, takeB3273 Mevagissey and continue through |
| A tiny village on the road from Hayle to Godrevy, Hell's Mouth and Portreath, you are almost through Gwithian before you realise it. But it is worth stopping for a closer look. At the Hayle end of the village are the attractive Gwithian Farm, handsome Churchtown House, a thatched Methodist Chapel, recently restored and the rather ugly Red River Inn. At the Godrevy end is another handsome house, Churchtown Farm, and a charming church with a Cornish cross in the graveyard. |  |
| From A30, heading west, take Hayle turning and then first right |
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I had driven past
Halsetown many times, on the B3311 road from St. Ives
to Penzance, but knew nothing about it except that
it has a car park and a pub. Then, in November 2007, I took a walk,
with my sisters Mary and Frances, that took in Rosewall Hill, Trink Hill
and Halsetown. Fascinated by what seemed to be, unusually for Cornwall,
a planned village, I did a little research and came up with the following
(which I have re-interpreted somewhat) from Genuki
and St. Ives Trust.
James Halse was St. Ives' leading citizen: lawyer, mine owner and peddler of influence. As MP for St. Ives, he was afraid that the Reform Act (passed in 1832), in doing away with 'rotten boroughs', would lose him his seat. Determined to continue as an MP, he established Halsetown in the early 1830s as a 'garden village' to house his workers. Each householder had just enough land to qualify to vote. Dependent on Halse for their jobs and homes, they all voted for him and he retained his seat. I haven't yet had the chance to explore Halsetown properly but it looks like a fascinating place with its series of 'green lanes' lined with attractive cottages. I returned a couple of weeks later to explore more fully. |
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On B3311 St. Ives to Penzance. |
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We have a soft spot for run-down places - early industrial sites and shabby towns like Portreath. Despite proximity to colourful, lively St. Ives, Hayle has something of both. It takes its name from the estuary ('heyl') on which it stands. From prehistoric days of tin and copper trading it was a trans-shipment point, providing safe passage for men and materials across the peninsula to the port at St. Michael's Mount, avoiding the perils of Land's End. In early Christian times missionaries travelled through on their way from Ireland and Wales to Brittany. There was no town until the 18th century when copper smelting and heavy engineering, later explosives manucfature on Upton Towans created a boom town. The Cornish Copper Company is long gone but there are still remnants of Harvey's great foundry that built the massive beam engines for the mines, built Richard Trevithick's steam locomotives and later built ships. Harvey's remained in business well into the 20th century and Hayle continued as a port until the 1970s when the power station closed. The derelict former foundry buildings are now the centrepiece of a vast regeneration project going on in Hayle. In addition to the foundry, financial multi-national ING plans to regenerate the harbour area. King George V Memorial Walk, on the north side of Copperhouse Pool, has been colourfully restored. Walk to the head of North Quay to enjoy views of sweeping beaches, tall dunes, holiday shacks, St. Ives and Godrevy Lighthouse. |
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Signed from A30, 5 miles west of Camborne |
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I had been wanting
to get to know Helston better for some time so, when Jane and I revisited
Godolphin House in April 2007, we took the opportunity to have a wander
around the town. Most people really only know Helston for its Flora
Day when in May the whole town takes to the streets to celebrate spring
with the ritual Furry Dance. There is a lot more to Helston
than that - though, while I enjoyed the town's history and architecture,
Jane disliked its shops and steep streets. Helston no longer has
its former importance. In medieval times it was a stannary town,
exporting tin from its own port. A 12th century castle guarded the
crossing of the River Cober. But the port was lost when Loe Bar blocked
the river mouth, the castle fell into disuse and was demolished, and the
tin industry declined. What remains is a legacy of fine buildings.
To enjoy Helston's architecture, call into the Guildhall and pick up the excellent Town Trail guide, hot on history. Best streets are broad, steep Coinagehall Street, winding Church Street and Cross Street with its fine houses. Important buildings are the classical Guildhall, the Market House (now a folk museum), the Angel Hotel (once the town house of the Godolphins), the Great Office on Cross Street, Godolphin Hall, the Grylls Monument and the former prison. |
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On A394, between Falmouth and Penzance |
| This is a charming, tucked away part of Cornwall, more easily accessed by car ferry across the Tamar to Torpoint or by foot ferry from Plymouth to Cremyll than from most of Cornwall. Here on the very south-eastern tip of Cornwall, the twin villages of Kingsand and Cawsand tumble down their hillsides to meet at small harbours facing broad Plymouth Sound with long views of Drake’s Island and the Devon coast. Where they meet at the bottom is the Halfway House Inn, a comfortable pub with a good welcome, a good atmosphere and excellent food. Surprisingly, until 1830 the Halfway House stood at a county boundary; Kingsand was in Devon, Cawsand in Cornwall. This is a great place to explore on foot with steep streets filled with colour washed stone cottages, jostling for space. Climb high above the Cawsand side to find an old fort, converted to housing with breathtaking views. Climb above the Kingsand side, past a tiny village green, to find a gate near the cliff that leads into glorious Mount Edgcumbe Park with its house with formal garden and Earl's Garden. There is more good walking around Rame Head to the south. There is a smallish car park next to the Halway House and a much larger one above Cawsand. |  |
| By A38, A374 towards Torpoint, B3247 and un-numbered road |
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| A long and lovely
wooded valley drops down for about a mile from Trewoofe to reach the sea
at Lamorna Cove. When you get there it is something of a disappointment:
to your right a short view of wooded cliffs; to your left a view,
only slightly longer, of the debris of a vast former granite quarry;
in the middle a car park, a seasonal café, rental cottages, public
toilets and a small sandy harbour. Frankly, it is all a bit scruffy.
You would do best to leave the car and walk up the steep hill and its side turnings (where possible) to see what you can of the village. Cottages, some attractive, some a little ramshackle, are tucked away in the woodland on either side of the lane. Up a side turning is a charming row of cottages, a little way beyond them a tiny waterrmill. Quarter of a mile up the main lane is the Lamorna Wink inn, set a little back from the road and with tables outside. It is a plain place inside but with a lot of fascinating nautical memorabilia. The welcome is not always friendly but food is simple and good value. Lamorna's main claim to fame is as an artistic colony in the early 20th century. An offshoot of the famous Newlyn School colony settled in the valley here. It included Lamorna Birch, Laura and Harold Knight and, for a while, Alfred Munnings. Their work is in Penlee House in Penzance. |
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| The coast path is easy north to Mousehole, tough heading west |
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| Easily missed, unless
you are walking the Saints Way or looking
for a good pub, Lanlivery is a charming backwater on the road to almost
nowhere. I found it when I sought out the excellent Crown Inn for
American visitors to lunch. Jane and I have lunched there since and
enjoyed it. In the 19th century the extensive, largely moorland,
parish was heavily industrialised with tin mining, granite quarrying and
even some china clay extraction. The population approached the 2000
mark then; now it is around 500 and would be less were it not for
the second homes and holiday rentals.
The church, originally dedicated to St. Dunstan, is now dedicated to St. Brevita. Her holy well is in the grounds of Churchtown, part of the Vitalise charity and providing a rural activity centre for the disadvantaged. Restored in 1993, the church is of relatively little interest, though it has good memorials. Far more interesting is the steep little street that runs down from the back of the churchyard. The attractive Village Hall dates from the 18th century, was first a 'Dame School', later a library. Below that is the former smithy, now a home, and other attractive houses. Disadvantage for visitors is that, unless you eat in the Crown, there is little or no parking. |
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| Signed off A390, juest west of Lostwithiel |
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My earliest memories of Launceston are of an ordinary little town with a terrible traffic problem. That was in the 1950s when there were no decent roads into Cornwall. Now the A30 bypasses the town, Launceston has regained the character it had before traffic congealed its arteries. We have visited twice recently - once for antiques (there are none that we could find) and then for quilting exhibitions. The quilts were wonderful - in St. Mary's church and at Cowslip Workshops at a nearby farm on the road from Egloskerry. Jo Colwill started Cowslip Workshops when foot-and-mouth had reduced farm income to zero. You can now learn sewing, quilting, embroidery, drawing and more and there is a shop and a gallery with good exhibitions. Launceston itself may lack good shops but it does not lack interest. The original settlement north of the river , now known as St. Stephens, has a fine church. In medieval Launceston you will find a ruined late Norman and 13th century castle, a 13th century town gate (the town walls are long gone), some handsome churches, notably that dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, a good local museum in the National Trust's Lawrence House and a narrow gauge steam railroad with museum. We were pleased to find Launceston much better than expected. |
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Signed from A30, just west of the Devon border |
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Although Lerryn in only 3 miles from Lostwithiel, and that seems the obvious way to approach it, I think that the best way to approach the village is to start from Fowey and and take the Bodinnick Ferry across the Fowey River. This way not only will you have a good view of Daphne Du Maurier's parents' Ferryside home, but you will then travel along quiet lanes and through the charming hamlet of Lower Penpoll. Lerryn is clearly a wealthy little village. A number of handsome homes stand along both side of the little River Lerryn, a tributary of the Fowey River. It is effectively a tidal creek, crossed by a medieval bridge and by stepping stones at low tide. Small boats line the river but don't move often - the river is very tidal. Signs of former industry include lime kilns built into homes and this former barn (maybe warehouse) by the river. There is a lovely walk along the north side of the river to the tiny hamlet of St. Winnow. Try this walk in spring when the woodland is filled with bluebells and wild garlic. You can make a round walk of it by returning across fields to Winnow Mill, then through the National Trust's Ethy estate. We have enjoyed several good meals in the Ship Inn at Lerryn. There is a small amount of parking by the river, close to the Ship Inn. |
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3 miles SW of Lostwithiel or 4 miles from Fowey via Bodinnick ferry |
Looe - a change of heart on a south coast resort town
| When I originally reported on Looe a few years ago, I was very harsh about it, really seeing only the tourist tat. In March 2009 I was in Looe when walking the Smugglars Way. I spent some time walking around the more interesting bit and taking a number of photos. Chris Halls, who runs the 'I Love Looe' website, had taken me to task about my scathing judgment on his town. Having been back in Looe and looked at it through different eyes, I am now happy to revise my original view - though not entirely. Looe comes in three parts. Divided by the River Looe are East Looe, the town's main resort and shopping area, and West Looe, residential and poor shops. The two are joined by a handsome many-arched bridge. Beyond West Looe is smart residential Hannafore with a beach. East Looe has an attractive waterfront with a major fish market, serving Cornwall's second largest fleet (the fish is the best), handsome converted warehouses and the new lifeboat station. Behind these are the charming guildhall and old lifeboat station. Shops and restaurants look better than I remember and I have had good fish and chips in Looe. There are lovely walks through Kilminorth Woods along the West Looe River. But, I'm sorry, I still don't like Looe's touristy shops though I know many do. For a different view go to Chris Halls' I Love Looe web site |
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| Banjo Pier in Looe is the southern end of the Smugglers Way |
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| PARKING IN LOOE: Perhaps this is really why I don't really like the town. There is a vast car park at Mill Pool on the western approach. It is expensive and only when you walk into town do you discover that you could have parked much more cheaply in Pearns boatyard. There is parking by the quayside in East Looe but it is even more expensive and usually full of shoppers taking advantage of the cheap short-stay rate. |
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This small Cornish
town has a lot to offer – history, charming unspoiled streets and the county’s
best concentration of antique shops, varying from quality to bric-a-brac.
Once Lostwithiel was a place of considerable importance. At the end
of the 13th century Edmund Earl of Cornwall rebuilt the castle in stone
and Lostwithiel then became the administrative centre for the county.
It had a port on the River
Fowey, exporting tin, the trade in which was managed from the Stannary
Court in the Shire Hall, which also operated as the County Treasury.
When the Earl of Cornwall was made Duke, the Shire Hall grew into the Duchy
Palace. When the river silted up in the 15th century, Lostwithiel
lost its tin trade but developed others, pottery, weaving, tanning and
pewter-making. St. Bartholemew’s church has an unexpected spire
of elaborately carved granite. Unusually, the streets form a grid
pattern, originating in medieval times. Fore Street has the shops
and tea rooms. Quay Street, by the River Fowey, has former lime kilns
at one end, at the other the remains of the old Duchy Palace, behind it
the former ‘Coinage Hall’. Across the river, a new apartment development
utilises Victorian railroad buildings.
Restormel Castle is up a country lane, a mile to the north of town. Built as a huge circular keep with moat, it was rebuilt by Edmund Earl of Cornwall around 1280 and was later a home of the Black Prince. If you are here during the day, there are a couple of attractive tea and coffee shops – Muffins and the Duchy Coffee Shop, both on Fore Street – and several pubs. Best of the pubs are the Royal Oak on Duke Street, above the main road, and (our preference) the Globe at the bottom of North Street. There are several attractive restaurants, mostly open only in the evening. |
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On A390 12 miles west of Liskeard |
| Marazion is not a
place you pass through on the way to anywhere. So all who go there
do so for a purpose. Mostly that purpose is to visit Saint
Michael's Mount or to enjoy the beach with its view of the Mount and
of the broad sweep of Mount's Bay. But Marazion is an interesting
place in its own right. A narrow main street curves down from the
east, from the Helston to Penzance main road, petering out soon after it
passes the main car park. Along its way are attractive cottages,
a charming small square, a couple of pubs, tearooms, shops (including Philps
Bakery, renowned for its pasties), and several art and craft galleries.
Pubs are the Godolphin Arms, also a hotel, and the King's Arms. We
enjoy the view from the bar of the Godolphin but find it impersonal.
We far prefer the cozy King's Arms with its friendly welcome and good value
food.
Marazion has a remarkable history and may be one of Britain's oldest towns. It and St. Michael's Mount may have been known to the Romans, who would have traded for tin here, as Ictis, though some authorities dispute this. The major town of West Cornwall, from 1170 it returned two members to Parliament. It was incorporated by royal charter in 1257, a charter reaffirmed by Elizabeth I in 1595. Its importance can be seen in its two former markets, the marhas vean (little market) and marhas yow (Thursday market), the latter giving the town its name. |
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| Marazion is signed from A394 Helston to Penzance |
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From the photo on the left you would think Mevva (as the Cornish call it) a delightful place: busy harbour, old cottages clustered around it, large newer homes above. I used to think so and use to drive American visitors down Cliff Hill, along the harbour, and up Tregony Hill to go to Heligan Garden. I had never really lingered there before so I got something of a shock I got when I parked by the harbour in February 2005 and took a walk around. I concluded that Meva is a bit of an odd mixture, rather spoiled by its own success. Once a charming small fishing village, in the 20th century it has been over-run by modern development and the worst of cheap tourism. The harbour is still a delight - if you don't look at the cheap cafes and shops - and it is still Cornwall's third busiest fishing port. But it is definitely not a place to spend much time in. However, if you follow the narrow street southwards and climb Polkirt Hill, (great overview of harbour and coast) you come to Port Mellon. Here is a quiet cove with a boatyard, a decent pub and second homes clustered around. Continue and walk left up a lane and you come to photogenic Chapel Point, its whitewashed buildings looking rather like a small Mediterranean monastery. Continue along the coast path and you soon come to Gorran Haven. |
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Signed by B3273 from A390 at St. Austell |
| Although Mitchell never benefitted from Cornwall's many mining booms, in its time it was a town of some importance. Set in a rich lowland farming area, it was also an important staging post on the main coach road from London. From the look of them it's a reasonable assumption that both the attractive Plume of Feathers inn and nearby Raleigh House were once coaching inns. There are other attractive buildings in town, too: the delightful Georgian Wellesley Farm and a row of cottages on the main street. Politically, Mitchell also once had its importance. You may wonder at the names Raleigh and Wellesley in a minor Cornish town but there is, in fact, a very simple if surprising explanation. From 1547 to the Reform Act of 1832 it was a 'rotten borough', it's very few property owning voters returning two members to parliament. Indeed, in 1593 Devon born Sir Walter Raleigh was one of these as in 1807 was Arthur Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington. I remember well when the main road to holiday country of St. Ives and Penzance passed right along Mitchell's main street. Then the holiday season must have made it a traffic nightmare for its residents; now Mitchell is bypassed by the modern A30 and is a sleepy attractive village. |  |
| Signed from A30, 15 miles west of Bodmin |
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Comparatively inaccessible
but well worth going out of your way for, Morwenstow is Cornwall's most
northerly parish; it is the 'holy place of St. Morwenna'. There
are two tiny hamlets, Crosstown and Morwenstow. Crosstown is a collection
of farms around a large village green, one incorporating a small pub, the
Bush. Two tiny bars have half-a-dozen tables and a short, simple
and inexpensive menu. A little further on towards the coast is Morwenstow
Churchtown. Here are just a church, the former rectory, Rectory Farm,
offering teas in summer, a couple of holy wells and the famous Hawker's
Hut on the cliffs. In the churchyard are a Cornish cross, the figurehead
of the 'Caledonia', wrecked off Higher Sharpnose Point, masses of daffodils
in spring and, at the top, St. John's Well, accessed separately.
A Norman doorway leads into a church
with Norman arcading, a medieval fresco and some handsome carved bench
ends. Most famous incumbent was Robert
Stephen Hawker, vicar for 40 years from 1834.
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Signed by narrow lanes from A39 north of Bude |
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With a name like that
(it is pronounced Mowzle) it would probably be famous anyway but is notable
for its tiny enclosed harbour, granite cottages, little courtyards and
flower-filled gardens - and a few tales. In 1595 the village was
devastated, as were both Penzance and Newlyn,
by a Spanish raid; the only building unscathed was a pub. In
some unknown year, dreadful gales prevented the village’s fishing boats
putting to sea. With the villagers almost starving, Tom Bawcock braved
the storm to return with a massive haul of seven types of fish. His
feat is celebrated every 23rd December when all Mousehole eats ‘Starry
Gazy Pie’ (or stargazie), assorted fish heads looking heavenward through
the crust.
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Follow coast road south from Newlyn harbour |
Adjacent Penzance
is
the biggest resort on the south coast of Cornwall, but Newlyn has the third
largest fishing harbour in Britain. First impressions are of a gritty
working town but there are some quite attractive cottages in streets running
up the hill. Focus, of course, is the harbour from which about a
hundred boats operate. The fish auction starts at 8 a.m. each day
and sells around 10,000 tons of fish a year. Pilchards were once
the mainstay but the old Pilchard Works is now apartments.
There is a modern art gallery at the east end of town. Oddly, if
you want to see Newlyn School artists, you will have to go to Penlee
House gallery in Penzance. Just south along the coast is Mousehole.
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| Follow coast road south from Penzance |
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An odd mixture of
tawdry down-market resort and delightful cliffs, headlands and beaches,
this is a place best seen on foot along the waterfront. Two hundred
years ago just a mining and fishing village, the railroad then brought
wealthy visitors and grand hotels. Lapsing to down-market in the
20th century, Newquay's discovery as a surfers paradise (Fistral is the
major surfing beach) has seen improvement. A Huer's Hut was
once the look-out tower for pilchard shoals. The eight-man pilot
gig is now raced; once the gigs competed to get their pilot to incoming
boats first. One aspect of Newquay of which I have no experience
is its nightlife. I am happy for it to stay that way. I am
told that the many clubs and nightclubs seethe with action at night, much
of it drunken and troublesome.
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For the town take A3059 from the A39; for Fistral beach take A392 |
| To first-time visitors this will seem like unchanging Cornwall. But to Jane, remembering Padstow from the 1940s, things have changed greatly. The railway has gone - it's now a hiking and cycling trail; restaurants and shops concentrate on tourists; foodies have arrived, enticed by Rick Stein's seafood empire. Fishing boats do still land their catches (though much of it is exported) and the restaurants specialise in seafood. The views across the Camel estuary are to the village of Rock and a little ferry carries hikers and holiday makers. Cream teas are all you expect; try Greens or the lounge of the Metropole. Some of the Cornish pasties are good, too, especially at the Chough bakery by the harbour. Wander around narrow, steep streets; walk up the hill behind the town to visit the 'great house', Prideaux Place. For all this, we no longer much like Padstow. In the season it heaves with people and cars; out of season it seems deserted, cafés and restaurants closed, many shops deserted. Thanks to second homers, housing is very expensive so less and less native Padstonians actually live there. It should be a lovely small harbour town but now it disappoints us. The Camel Trail starts here, offering cyclists an 18 mile trail to Wenford Bridge on level hard surfaces. |  |
| By A389 from A39 just south of Wadebridge |
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The National Trust, which owns so much of Cornwall's coastline, also owns the little hamlet of Penberth and its fishing cove. A cluster of cottages, owned by the Trust but leased to fishermen, surrounds the cove and small fishing boats are drawn up on the slipway by electric winch. In the old days they were pulled up by hand operated capstan. The Trust has restored the capstan but it is no longer in use. The old fish cellars are still there but superseded by a modern store built by the Trust. Above the cove small fields, protected by hedges of willow, hawthorn and escallonia, remind you of the daffodil fields of Scilly; previously the fishermen supplemented their summer living by growing daffodils, violets and early potatoes - sadly no longer. These things may have changed but the fishing hasn't except that the boats are now motorised. The main catch is crab and lobster but bass and mackerel are still caught by hand-line. It is a delightful spot and one of the most photographed in Cornwall. Although a lane runs down from Treen village, there is little or no parking. Park in the privately owned car park in Treen and take a footpath for the half-mile to the cove. There is great walking west along the cliffs to Porthcurno. Along the way are Treen Cliffs, Treryn Dinas, an iron age cliff castle, and the famous Logan Rock. |
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Park at Treen. From Penzance, A30, B3283 and B3315 |
Pentewan, its Trailer Park and its Unexpected Industrial History
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Imagine my surprise,
walking through Pentewan, to discover a historic port and more. From
early times the stone quarries supplied such homes as Antony with superb
silvery grey stone. A small fishing port, at the mouth of the St.
Austell River, it came to handle cargoes of tin, stone, sand and grain.
A proper harbour was constructed in 1744 and it was the first port to handle
the local china clay.
However, when the Rashleighs built their new port at nearby Charlestown
in 1801, Pentewan's Hawkins family owners struggled to keep it open, eventually
closing. The harbour remains intact and still has its sea-lock
but access to the sea is blocked. Remains of industrial buildings
moulder to the south of the harbour. Substantial houses and cottages
line the main street. Walk up Pentewan Hill and follow the coast
path sign to find the colonial looking Terrace and Georgian church.
Behind the beach is a large and orderly looking holiday trailer park.
The beach, owned by the holiday park, is private but public access is granted.
The Ship Inn is a pleasant place, with simple good value food, but gets
busy from the holiday park in summer.
The Pentewan Trail follows the course of the White River |
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Off B3273 Mevagissey road from A390 at St. Austell |
| PENTEWAN UPDATE AUGUST 2011: There are plans to dredge the blocked channel to the harbour and re-open it as a fishing cove. ROWS (Revival of Working Sail) is the brainchild of local wooden boat enthusiasts Allan Proctor, Lee Moody and Paul Welch. They visualise a small fleet of boats, sailing and oared, handlining for fish such as sea bass. They hope also to establish shore based businesses such as chandler, smokehouse, boatbuilder, sailmaker and blacksmith. They have the support of Cornwall Council and the owners of the harbour, Pentewan Sands Holiday Park. I really hope it works, it would be wonderful to see Pentewan come back to real working life again. |
| First developed as a resort in Victorian times, first impressions are suggest that Penzance is not generally very attractive. However, stray into the streets between the main shopping street and the seafront and you will discover that there are parts well worth seeking out. Chapel Street is known for its art galleries and antique shops and for its attractive Georgian homes and shops - do not miss the Egyptian House and the Admiral Benbow Inn. At the top of Chapel Street the old Market Hall is now a bank; outside stands a statue of Humphrey Davy, inventor of the miners' safety lamp. He looks down Market Jew Street, corruption of the Cornish for Thursday Market. Morrab Road and the small streets at its north end are charming as is Regent Terrace and Western Promenade, part of the seafront. If you like the Newlyn School artists, you should visit Penlee House Gallery near the top of Morrab Road, a first class art gallery and small museum with regularly changing exhibitions and a fine core permanent collection; also take a look at sub-tropical Morrab Gardens nearby. If your taste in art is more modern, try the Exchange Gallery in the former telephone exchage building. A passenger ferry and helicopters operate from Penzance to the Scilly Isles but there is talk of the helicopter service moving to Land's End airfield, a daft idea. |  |
| Just off A30 10 miles before Land's End |
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What a contrast to Par, just a mile away across St. Austell Bay. Par is heavily industrial, its waterfront dominated by the vast former china clay works and its associated harbour, and by a holiday park set immediately above the beach. Polkerris might be another world entirely. Both are in the old parish of Tywardreath - it means 'House on the Strand' and was the inspiration for Daphne du Maurier's novel. Polkerris is reached down a narrow steep lane off the road from Par to Fowey. Parking in the village is non-existent, unless you are a resident or are lunching in the Rashleigh Arms and are lucky enough to get a space in their small car park. Happily there is a large car park a few hundred yards up the hill, a clear sign that Polkerris gets very busy in season. I visited in March 2005, and even then the car park was fairly well used. The village has a long fishing history, though it no longer has a fleet. As far back as Elizabethan times, however, it could boast the largest pilchard cellars in Cornwall, still there. Also there is the harbour wall and quay built by the Rashleigh family, on whose estate, Menabilly, it stood, in the 18th century. Prosperity didn't last and now Polkerris relies on its pub, cafés and summer visitors. Rashleigh Inn is open all year, Sams on the Beach and Polkadot cafés are seasonal. |
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Signed from A3082 St. Austell to Fowey |
| We are not very keen on the commercial aspects of Polperro. Streets bustling with day visitors almost elbowing one another for room to move; shops, restaurants and cafés all designed to part them from their money. We prefer to approach by the coast path from Looe, avoiding the crowds and enjoying the views from above. We love Polperro's harbour with its small fleet of fourteen working boats, coming and going through a sea-lock which keeps the harbour in permanent water. Around the harbour are a museum of smuggling and fishing, a fish market, net stores, a stall selling fresh fish and shellfish and two of the better pubs, our favourite is the Blue Peter though we also like the look of the Lugger. At the landward end of the harbour a bridge crosses the small stream that feeds the harbour. Shops and homes back onto it, one of them jettied out over the stream and known as the 'House on Props'. As there are only fourteen working fishing boats, most fishermen's cottages are now artists studios or holiday homes. Not a place for busy times but great in the quiet season. There is no parking in the village itself. Instead you have to park in a large car park at the head of the valley and walk down or take thebus or horse bus. |  |
| By B3359 from A390 at Middle Taphouse |
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Porthleven is an attractive small town on Cornwall's south coast, three miles to the south-west of Helston. The long narrow harbour is a haven to both fishermen and yachtsmen. It is overlooked on its west side by an attractive pub, the Ship, and on its east side by Bay View, a long curving and very handsome row of Victorian homes. Since we first encountered Porthleven things have changed a great deal. We remember it as being a bit dreary and with almost no activity out of the summer holiday season. Now it seems to be full of second homes, many of then new but reasonably in character, and many of the former fisherman's cottages are now holiday rentals. Indeed, along the east side of the harbour, and up Cliff Road towards Loe Bar, restorations and new builds are almost all second homes or holiday rentals. Eating places in town have improved in response to this change and there are now many more of them. Latest addition is a fish and chip shop, opened in 2007 by a chatty incomer from Newcastle. In 2008 we enjoyed a meal from Roland's Happy Plaice, eaten sitting on the harbour wall. A pleasant short walk to the south-east takes you to remarkable Loe Bar. Porthleven is an attractive and enjoyable place but, like many harbour villages, this one can get too busy in summer. |
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Signed by B3304 from A394 west of Helston |
| Between Caerhays and Portloe, tiny twin villages are separated by a small headland. Part of the Caerhays Estate, most of the cottages are second homes or holiday rentals. If, when you visit, Portholland looks slightly familiar, you may have seen it in the Poldark TV series. |
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Jane and I were fascinated by Porthoustock when we visited a few years ago. Now I have been back I am even more taken with the place. I was there in November 2005 in the course of a walk that took in St. Keverne, Porthoustock, Porthkerris and Porthallow. While on Porthoustock beach I had a long chat with retired fisherman Roy Curnow and learned a lot about the locality. Four miles of coast here is riddled with stone quarries and it is they which have determined the character of Porthoustock, Porthkerris and Porthallow. Beaches have been formed by longshore drift of dark quarry spoil; that at Porthoustock rose gradually by eight feet when a massive groyne was built with a stone hopper on it to load ships. Former winch huts are now used for storage, a tractor draws boats up the beach. An earth mover maintains the height of the beach. Most cottages were once quarrymens homes; some are still lived in by descendants who make a small living from the sea but most are now second homes. There is a lovely thatched terrace just up the valley. West of England quarry still operates but St. Keverne quarry closed in 1958. Until the 1970s two cotils, small steep south facing fields were used to grow early potatoes, harvested in March or April. Porthallow, too, is now largely second home territory. |
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From Helston, take A3083 and B3293 to St. Keverne and follow signs |
| Jane remembers Port Isaac, from her early childhood, as a quiet remote small harbour village with little activity other than the busy fish harbour. It is very different these days, having been discovered not only by the holiday trade but also by the second homers from the big city. It may now be far busier than she remembers but it is also, thanks to the influx of money, more colourfully attractive. The old part of Port Isaac is crammed into a tight steep valley leading down to a tiny fishing harbour where crab and lobster are landed. Although you can park on the harbour beach at low tide you would do better to park at the top of the hill and walk down, enjoying the delightful views; the narrow streets can be very difficult to negotiate in a car, even away from school vacation times. Small cottages, closely packed together, have white washed or tile hung walls. There are still fish cellars on the west side of the harbour where you can buy fresh fish and shellfish but the crab and lobster, the main catch, mostly leave the harbour and head uphill for immediate distribution. Even so, we can strongly recommend the crab. Since 2004 we have been enjoying 'Doc Martin', a TV series shot in and around the village; an odd show, first comedy, later melodrama and packed with great location shots in and around the village. |  |
| Signed from B3314 from Wadebridge |
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Portloe, on the south coast between Gorran Haven and Portscatho, is expensive territory - inhabited largely by wealthy second home owners - and no wonder. It is a total delight. To get the best out of just driving through, approach from the east so the steep narrow hill down gives you an overview of the tiny fishing cove. Leave westwards towards Veryan. But you will never do Portloe justice by merely driving through. Instead, approaching from the east, park in the only car park, way up the hill. Walk its narrow street and enjoy the charming cottages, with a couple of exceptions no longer fishermen's cottages. Wander down to the cove where you will see evidence of the crab and lobster still caught by the fishermen. The buildings on the cove are mostly part of the Lugger Hotel, one of Cornwall's best. Get an expensive but good lunch here (they do have a car park) or walk up the Veryan road for a pub lunch in the ancient Ship Inn. If you are slightly adventurous, and properly shod, you can enjoy a delightful view from the coast path in either direction. To the east. walk between the Lugger and its car park, follow the cove, take some steps down, cross a tiny stream and the slipway of the former Lifeboat Station ( now a home with a view) and you will come up onto the coast path. Continue a little way and you will come to an amazing shack that was once the Coastguard lookout. Great views. |
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Signed from A3078 St. Mawes road, 2 miles south of Tregony |
| Port Quin is one of those places that you would be lucky to find if you didn't know it was there, although coast path walkers would encounter it. Tucked away down a narrow steep lane, not far from the better known Polzeath and Port Isaac, it is a former fishing hamlet on a quiet cove and, except for one cottage, is all owned by the National Trust and mostly let as holiday cottages. It must have been a bustling little place at one time because one row of cottages was formerly fish cellars for processing the pilchards, once Cornwall's great marine harvest. Eat at the nearby Port Gaverne Hotel (near Port Isaac) for the excellent local crab sandwiches. If you are walking the coast path in these parts, beware, this section offers some of the toughest walking you will find anywhere along the north coast, with a lot of steep climbs - but it's well worth it for the glorious scenery. Just south along the coast is tiny Doyden Castle, built around 1830 by Samuel Symons as a high-life retreat and now a National Trust rental; it was used a Dwight Enys home in the BBC's Poldark. There is a small car park down by the harbour but don't expect to find any other facilities, thanks to the National Trust's policies. |  |
| Signed from B3314 from Wadebridge |
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Jane remembers Portreath from wartime when her father used to explain why the village was closed. When we visited in 2003, I was taken by the long narrow harbour, almost unused, and by postwar housing occupying a level V-shaped section between harbour and cliffs. Portreath is now a very ordinary down-market little resort, blessed by a safe sandy family beach but I wanted to find out something of its history. It turns out that it was an 18th and 19th century port, a major player in the tin and copper trade, serving mines around Redruth and Camborne. An important tramway ran from Redruth and is now part of the Coast-to-Coast Mining Trail. A steep inclined plane also ran down from the western side. The port declined in the 20th century and the harbour is now used by a small fishing fleet and pleasure boats. In World War II Portreath changed beyond recognition. The military took over, clearing away warehouses, and the port served a top secret airfield and weapons storage facility high on the east side at Nancekuke. The warehousing area now has late 20th century housing on it, most of it frankly quite unattractive, while chalets line the cliffs. The airfield remains closed and teams still search for unspecified but apparently deadly hidden weaponry. Good coast walk west to Hell's Mouth and Godrevy. |
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Portreath's Industrial History |
Portreath's Industrial History
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At a glance you would be had put to guess at Portreath's great industrial history. Nowadays it is a combination of dormitory town for industrial Redruth and Camborne and a scruffy looking small beach and surf resort. Yet in the past it has been one of Cornwal's most important ports. The clues are there: a long well constructed double harbour, a mineral tramway trail that runs to the mine sites and on to Devoran, and the remains of an inclined plane heading steeply south from near the harbour. Construction of the harbour began in 1760 and by 1800 it was bustling with copper ore heading for South Wales and coal returning. By 1819 a tramway had been built to bring copper ore from the mines around Poldice and St. Day. In 1836 the Portreath Branchline was built, linking to the important Hayle Railway. By now ships were being built here, too, and fishing was also important. The 20th century saw gradual decline. Tin streaming ceased when the Red River was diverted in 1933. After WWII the harbour lost its industrial trade and the railway closed. The harbour became home to just a small fleet of crabbers and to pleasure boats. The busy industrial area by the harbour was developed for housing. Few clear signs remain of Portreath's former importance except on the north side of the harbour and in the remains of the Branchline's inclined plane. |
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Portreath Branchline Trail and the inclined plane |
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I have a special affection for Portscatho because that's where Jane lived for many years. She still has good friends there are likes to visit from time to time, often for charity coffee mornings. When she went in late July 2007 I went with her and wandered around taking photographs - what else? I was particularly pleased with the somewhat atmospheric one on the left, of the harbour with a distant view of Nare Head and the Dodman. Portscatho is really two villages that have become joined as thay have expanded. Down by the water and along the cliff is Portscatho. Above, originally straggling along the road to St. Anthony Head, is Gerrans, where the church and the Victory pub are. There is still a garage there but the shop and tearooms are gone. Activity has largely migrated down the hill to Portscatho where, partly supported by second and holiday homes, are the Plume pub, a general stores, a couple of art galleries (representing the small colony) and a tea shop. Portscatho harbour remains intact but I doubt if there is any commercial fishing; instead small leisure boats fill the little harbour. Despite visitors there is a strong sense of community and gardens are opened for charity on a day in summer. There is some good walking. A path leads down to Polingey creek and the Percuil river. The coast path to Portloe is of moderate grade; to St. Anthony Head is easy. |
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Signed from A3078 St. Mawes road |
Praa Sands - Surf and Sand Resort between Helston and Penzance
| To us, who live on Cornwall's north coast, surfing automatically means Bude, Newquay's Watergate Bay and Fistral Beach, Porthtowan, Portreath and Whitesand Bay near Land's End. So, when I walked between Prussia Cove and Porthleven, it was something of a surprise to discover a good surfing beach on the south coast. The original settlement here was half-a-mile inland at Pengersick where the remnant of a great Tudor fortified manor still stands. It was the late 19th century advent of the railroad in Cornwall that brought Victorian sun seekers in search of good beaches. In the 20th century a small settlement of holiday chalets grew up above the beach and a holiday park opened. The village of Praa Sands is not very prepossessing but the beach is glorious. A curving mile of soft sand stretches from Sydney Cove to Lesceave Rocks. In the summer this is part family beach holiday territory and part young surfers paradise. The beach is well served by lifeguards and divided between surfers, bodyboarders and swimmers. There is a surf shop in the village and a small surf school trains youngsters. There is ample parking and just above the beach is a good beach café, a pub and a restaurant. |
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| Signed down lane off A394 halfway between Helston and Penzance |
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What a change since I first knew Redruth. I remember it from the 1950s when heavy holiday traffic clogged the main streets and the whole place had an air of poverty and deprivation. Unsurprising since the town's one-time wealth was based on copper and tin mining. The collapse of the mining industry might have spelled the death knell for Redruth but, when I took time to walk around in June 2008, after a walk on the Redruth and Chacewater Trail, I was amazed at how attractive a town it now is. Thankfully, the main east-west street, Fore Street, is now pedestrianised; along it are a famous clock tower and sculptures of a miner and of dogs made of boots. Alma Place has the Victorian buildings - the old Miners Exchange and Coffee Tavern and the Cornwall Centre, home to the Tregellas Tapestries, beneath it Market Way and the Buttermarket. Cross Street nearby is the location of Murdoch House, once home to Richard Murdoch, who lighted his home with the world's first gas light. There are handsome homes on West End and in Coach Lane off it. The mother church, oddly, is almost a mile away at Churchtown, in the shadow of Carn Brea. A new weekly Farmer's Market operates on Fridays under the clock tower on Fore Street. Also on Fore Street look out for the striking art deco Regal cinema. |
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Signed from A30. Car Parking is mostly to the north of Fore Street |
| The TIC in Kresenn Kernow, the Cornwall Centre on Alma Place, has a good town guide and two informative trail leaflets. |
| If Newquay is Cornwall's down-market playground, the Camel Estuary is its distinctly up-market counterpart. This is where the seriously rich gather - the permanent rich all year, the vacationing rich in the season. Come here in the summer and you might be in 'Kensington-on-Sea', an impression especially strong a few years ago when the royal princes holidayed with their friends in Rock. The main activity is sailing and the estuary is often crowded with small boats. Highlight is when the small brown-sailed Drascombe Luggers (working-boat look-alikes) are out. Windsurfers congregate downstream at Daymer Bay - though not in summer as it's a family beach then - surfers downstream again at Polzeath. Social life centres around the sailing club, St. Enodoc Hotel and - for the drinkers - the Mariners and Rock Inn down by the water. Golfers enjoy St. Enodoc Golf Club, one of Cornwall's best - and most expensive! During the day coast path walkers cross the water here, by ferry to and from Padstow. In the evening the foodies cross to Padstow for Rick Stein's famed Seafood Restaurant and several other top spots. One of our favourite short walks takes us from Daymer across the springy turf to Rock; a short, and legal, golf course detour takes in St. Enodoc church and the nearby Jesus Well. |  |
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It is amazing what tourism, second homers, coast path walkers and surfers have done for some Cornish towns and villages - St. Agnes more than most. When Jane first knew it in the 1960s, St. Agnes was a dull, run-down former mining village. Now it is considerably revitalised, bright and colourful. Shops seem to flourish - loal stores as well as art and craft galleries. The beach at Trevaunance Cove attracts families and surfers. Chapel Porth has one of the great beach cafés, with a simple but unusual menu - and their renowned hedgehog ice cream. Walking is good here too; the coast path from St. Agnes to Chapel Porth is one of the most gloriously scenic sections with high cliffs and ruined mine engine houses; views from the path and from 629 foot St. Agnes Beacon stretch from Trevose Head by Padstow to St. Ives. And, if you want to walk up a steep hill, try Stippy Stappy, picured on the left. Tin workings at Blue Hills Sett, above Trevellas Porth, have been restored. Once tin was streamed in this valley; the mine closed in 1897 but the Wills family have continued tin streaming. A short tour of the works demonstrates processes - panning, vanning and jigging! At the top of town a village museum covers 'Tin Mining, Turtles, Fishing, Folklore'. |
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By B34277 from A30 at Chiverton Cross roundabout |
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You may wonder why so short a write-up for St. Columb. Well, there's not much to say. It's a long thin town with residential sprawl at one end, industrial at the other. The main street is so narrow that stage coaches must have had great difficulty getting through - and today's buses avoid the challenge. Shops are drab and uninteresting and, except in a couple of side streets, there are few attractive buildings. The old toll house, at the southern end, cries out for restoration. All I could find to enjoy apart from the church which was locked, were the two things pictured here. |
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St. Day is in the Mining Villages Regeneration Project, part of the World Heritage Project; others are Carharrack, Stithians, Lanner and Gwennap. There are trail leaflets for each village and its surrounds. Best is for St. Day, most interesting of the villages. The name St. Day was acquired when the Breton saint of that name, later Bishop of Nevers, founded a monastic cell here in the late 7th century. In medieval times it was a stopping point on the pilgrimage to St. Michael's Mount. In the 19th century, it was a major producer of copper . The mines are gone but are in evidence everywhere around. There are two trails. The Village Trail includes the ruined church, the narrow-mullioned Manor Workshop, the handsome Clock Tower and the attractive Old Post Office. Don't miss the old market square, and its attractive new Mills Terrace, or Mills Street, charity housing founded by local success William John Mills. The Outer Trail includes two shutes (springs), the Parish Pound, a boundary stone, Gwennap Pit and, if the owners of Menheer Farm are in, a Roman milestone. I like St. Day which is on the Land's End Trail. My one disappointment about the village is that, when passing through at lunchtime, the pleasant St. Day Inn only seems to be open at weekends. |
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Signed just off A30 at Scorrier |
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Tucked away, just off the main Liskeard to Plymouth road, on the tidal River Lynher - but with little access to the water - is the straggling village of St. Germans, once the estate village to Port Eliot house, stately home of the Earls of St. Germans. As you enter the village, you pass charming Tudor Moyles Almshouses with ambulatories on both floors but the real surprise is the church at the far end of the village. A cathedral in Saxon times, then an Augustinian priory under the Normans, its domestic buildings are now the heart of Port Eliot house. The church has two west towers, one square, one octagonal, and a superb Norman west door. Inside is glass by William Morris and Burne Jones and a grossly 'over-the-top' Eliot memorial by sculptor Rysbrack. Port Eliot house holds a literary festival in summer. Until 2008 the house was not open to the public but, as a result of an inheritance tax gift in lieu, it is now open from March to mid-June. In addition to the house, with its fine furniture and collection of Joshua Reynolds portraits, you can wander freely in 600 acres of gardens and grounds. The Eliot Arms pub looks attractive and claims fine food but, when we visited the house in March 2008, we had already eaten at the disappointing Crooked Spaniards at Cargreen. |
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By B3249 off A38 near Tideford |
| Cornwall's best known harbour town is on the north coast of West Penwith, just a dozen miles from Land's End. On its north side is Porthmeor, the surfers beach, above it a good beach café and the Tate Gallery. Porthminster is on its south side with a bathing beach of golden sand and a rather classy beach café. Between is The Island, topped by St. Nicholas Chapel and with Porthgwidden beach below, and the tidal fishing and boating harbour. Behind the beaches and harbour are steep narrow streets crammed with tiny picturesque cottages and loads of art and craft studios, galleries and shops. The artistic connection continues with a Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden and galleries with changing exhibitions in the former Mariners Church. Near the latter is the Sloop Craft Market. Towards the edge of town, the former Bernard Leach Pottery is now a Pottery Musem. The harbour front is full of cafes and restaurants - and carry-out Cornish pasty shops and cream teas. St. Ives may be very touristy but we enjoy its artistic connections - and just wandering. Parking can be difficult and expensive but, if you arrive early, the car park by the station is quite convenient. |
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When tin mining prospered
here in the 19th century, its population was over 5000. Then St.
Just in Penwith would have been very workaday, its character dictated by
the toughness of its workers' occupation. It is more attractive now but,
despite recent regeneration, population is only around 4000. Now
that visitors come to see the relics of industry, to enjoy Cape Cornwall
and find respite from the rigours of the Cornish Coast Path, St. Just has
acquired a couple of teashops and several art galleries and craft shops
yet still retains its local shops, butchers, baker etc, and several pubs;
homes look well cared for. St. Justus church
is handsome from outside, thanks to its tower and elaborate porch, and
of interest inside. Behind Bank Square, in the centre of the town,
a circular embanked enclosure is described as a 'plen a gwary' or 'playing
place' where the Cornish Ordinalia was performed in medieval times;
however, it is just as likely that its origin was as an iron age settlement
enclosure, a typical bank with encircling ditch. There are several
pubs and a pasty shop in the square. There is a moderate amount of
car parking, including some spaces in the square.
Not to be confused with St. Just in Roseland |
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Best by B3306 coast road from St. Ives |
St. Keverne on the Lizard Peninsula
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One of the most attractive villages on the Lizard peninsula, St. Keverne is worth lingering in for its history, its church and its pubs. I had passed through the village on several occasions on the way to walks but in November 2005 I parked there for a walk to Porthoustock and Porthallow and had time to explore after. Unlike some Cornish villages, St. Keverne still has the feeling of a real place with a life of its own - to the extent that it can boast a Silver Band and Male Voice Choir and Ox Roast, Carnival and Rodeo festivals. Eleven miles from the supermarkets of Helston, it has happily managed to retain some shops. St. Keverne's main historic claim to fame goes back to 1497. The Cornish had expected that Welsh Henry VII, who claimed the English throne in 1485, would treat his fellow Celts well and at first he did. Then heavy taxes were imposed to support Henry's Scottish wars, a matter the Cornish felt no concern of theirs. A Cornish force, led by Lord Audley, Michael Joseph the St. Keverne blacksmith and Thomas Flamank, a Bodmin lawyer, marched on London to be routed by Henry's army at Blackheath. Joseph and Flamank were cruelly executed. Their memorial is by the lych gate, their statue up the Helston road. Of the two pubs I particularly like the Three Tuns, where I have been made very welcome by landlord and locals. |
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By A3083 and B3293 from A394 at Helston |
| Rock, on the Camel Estuary on Cornwall's north coast, is the sailing village that gets all the attention from the media, perhaps partly thanks the well-connected youngsters who holiday and party there. St. Mawes has always been a great deal more discreet but has always been a home for serious wealth. It is a bright and colourful sailing village with white-washed cottages under slate roofs - and a little thatch - with flowers everywhere enhancing its charms. Above the village one of Henry VIII's coastal castles looks across Carrick Roads to its twin atop Pendennis Point high above Falmouth. On Upper Castle Road, above St. Mawes Castle a sign points to Lamorran House Garden, a delight open two days in week in summer. Hotels abound; of these, Tresanton is undoubtedly the best, the Idle Rocks next best, while the Rising Sun is an attractive inn. Pub afficianados will enjoy the Victory Inn. Walkers who enjoy a garden should park by the castle and follow the water north to find the tiny village of St. Just with its delightful churchyard garden. Ferries run from St. Mawes, one crosses Carrick Roads to Falmouth, the other crosses the Percuil River to Place on the St. Anthony peninsula. |  |
| By A3078 from A390, 6 miles east of Truro |
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On a sunny day in February 2006 Jane and I parked down at Mawgan Porth and walked the couple of miles up the valley to St. Mawgan village - officially Mawgan in Pydar - primarily to visit the Japanese Garden there and have lunch in the Falcon Inn. We enjoyed much more than just the garden. The walk up from the coast is an easy and pleasant one, first along then open valley, than gently up through light woodland. The village is charming, the garden pleasant and the Falcon Inn good. Cottages in the village are immaculate and expensive looking. The church, mostly of the 13th to 15th centuries, has an impressively pinnacled tower, a 20th century lych gate and a much admired lantern cross near the porch. Inside are 15th century bench ends, some brasses and, surprisingly, a rood screen and loft. Behind the church, the big house is Lanherne, once seat of the Arundell family of Trerice. The male line died out in 1701 and in 1794 the house was given to Carmelite nuns; apparently it is still a convent but of a different order. Opposite Lanherne's entrance a farm has a charming range of small buildings, best seen from up the hill. We had a light lunch in the attractive Falcon Inn, excellent soup and rich garlic bread, with a large fire blazing nearby and a wedding party lunching in the dining room. |
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St. Mawgan's Japanese Garden |
St. Neot on the southern edge of Bodmin Moor
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What surprises me about St. Neot is that it gets so few visitors. It seems to have everything a village could want: lovely rural location on the southern edge of Bodmin Moor, a church with the finest stained glass in Cornwall, good food and atmosphere in the London Inn, a village shop and post office, a village hall and institute, even a primary school. And clearly there is a very strong sense of community, if the vast number of village clubs, organisations and activities is anything to go by. It also boasts a good web site, well worth having a look at. It received an award in 2004 as Village of the Year, and another in 2006 as Village of the Decade. It must be a good place to live. And it even has a small free car park! The village's most notable feature is the outstanding church in the Gothic Perpendicular, outside several good Cornish crosses, inside some superb stained glass. There are some handsome homes, notably Carlyon House and Coskenyn. Tucked away is Doorstep Green, a charming public garden, complete with statue of St. Neot himself. A holy well, restored in 1862 is in a field on the north bank of the River Loveny. A charming place altogether and, if you are walking the Copper Trail, you can stay overnight in the London Inn or any of several B&Bs; at least allow time to investigate St. Neot thoroughly. |
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Signed from A38 between Bodmin and Liskeard |
| We drove through St. Tudy many years ago, found it charming, and promised ourselves we would return to take a closer look. It took a long time but eventually we were back there for a Village Gardens day in July 2006. We should have been there a long time ago, it must be the most attractive inland village in Cornwall and, to judge by its web site, one with a great sense of community, despite the large number of incomers. In fact, much as some Cornish may dislike the idea - because of the unfortunate effect on property prices in a low wage area - it is the incomers who have made St. Tudy so attractive. The shape of the village is unusual, dictated by the seven or eight lanes that converge at its centre. The church is inevitably at the heart of the village, attractive from the outside but sadly over-restored inside. At its east end is the 17th century 'clink', first an ale-house, then the village lock-up, later a school. Close to the church is a small school, a post office and village stores, and the Cornish Arms (we have yet to try it but it is unattractive from the outside). What more could a village want in these days of ghost villages. Around the fringes of the large parish are several manor houses, the most famous being Tinten, birthplace of Admiral Bligh 'of the Bounty'. |  |
| Signed from A39 between Wadebridge and Camelford |
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We love small villages on rivers so a lovely early May day beckoned us (and my sister Mary) to one of our great favourites, Lerryn, for lunch at the Ship Inn. Afterwards we took a short walk, following the Rivers Lerryn and Fowey, through the bluebells and delicate new green foliage of Ethy Wood, to St. Winnow. This is a tiny hamlet: just a church, a small boatyard, a couple of farms (one selling organic meats and cream teas) and a former boathouse converted to a holiday home. The setting on the River Fowey is idyllic. The church stands where St. Winnoc is said to have founded an oratory in around 670AD. Inside are the usual Cornish wagon roofs, a 16th century screen and some charming and unusual medieval bench ends, including a ship in full sail and a Cornishman in a kilt! Outside, elaborate Cornish crosses remember several Barons Vivian, local landowners. We enjoyed a cream tea from a snack shack by the farm then made our way back by an inland route through the National Trust's Ethy estate. |
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By the Fowey River, best approached from Lostwithiel |
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When I was in Sennen Cove in poor weather in 2004 and 2005 I was distinctly unimpressed. I was back again in sunny weather in April 2008 and my view is now a little more favourable, though it's still not really my kind of place. What Sennen Cove is is very much a family holiday destination for its superb beaches in Whitesand Bay, the main beach running all along the village and continuing north to become Gwynver Beach (not very easily acccessible). It is also a top surfing destination with the inevitable surf shops and beach café, this one called The Beach. When passing through on a walk from Land's End in April 2008, I enjoyed some excellent sweet potato soup, sitting on the terrace in the sun, watching families on the beach and surfers trying to ride disappointing surf. There is also an acceptable pub, the Old Success, and some other cafés and restaurants, including fish and fish and chips. The well known First and Last pub is not down at the cove but on the main road to Land's End. For more information about facilities try Sennen's website - informative but slightly confusing. And, if they are still up, you should take a look at the images taken during the storm of 10th March 2008; some are quite amazing and one appeared in national newspapers. |
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Sennen Cove is signed off A30 a couple of miles before Land's End |
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At first we hated Tintagel as an awful tourist trap. Now we know it better we find we can ignore the tat and concentrate on the interest. Most people come to seek King Arthur and his Tintagel Castle. For that, park in the designated car park, walk to the Island, climb it, enjoy the views and drink your fill of history, real or mythical. Dedicated Arthurians will also look almost opposite the National Trust's Old Post Office for King Arthur's Halls, an odd mix of Pre-Raphaelite mythology and modern audio-visual. The Old Post Office is really a small 14th century manor house, used in Victorian times as the local mail receiving office. Away from the village, high on cliffs to the west, St. Materiana's church is worth seeing in its own right; close by are ravishing coastal views. On the way there, look out for the Vicarage; enter its ancient gatehouse to find a simple chapel, once a 13th century cottage; look over its garden wall for a medieval dovecote. We enjoy Tintagel for all these things and now think it a shame that most people are unable to see beyond the tourist traps. The village has improved greatly (it cost £2.4 million) but shops, cafés and restaurants are still mostly aimed at the worst end of the tourist trade and almost all rely on the Arthurian connection. Our preferred eating place is the Olde Malthouse Inn. |
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From A39 at Camelford, take B3266 and B3263 |
| When I walked from Beacon to Clowance on the Land's End Trail, I was really surprised by Treslothan hamlet. All very grey and Victorian gothic but all beautifully maintained. This was the estate village of Pendarves House and survived intact when the Georgian home of the Pendarves family was demolished in 1955. All built in the 1840s by architect George Whitwick, the church, houses and former school are all of the same silvery grey granite and surround a war memorial. Next to the church is the Pendarves Mausoleum. Buried in the churchyard is self-taught Camborne born poet John Harris. On a corner by woods is the former village well. |  |
| 1 mile west of Troon by country lanes |
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| A walk from Boscastle in January 2008 took in Trevalga hamlet, Trethevy village, St. Nectan's Glen and Forrabury church. Trethevy I remember from my early days of touring when I looked unavailingly for Trethevy Quoit there. So imagine my surprise when I found at the roadside 'King Arthur's Quoit', a massive flat rock said to have been hurled there by Arthur from Tintagel Castle but possibly once the capstone of a real qouit. In the village on the other side of the road I was pleased to find St. Piran's Chapel and Well but the garden with the Roman milestone was closed. Trevalga I researched after hearing from a German who holidays in Cornwall. A charming hamlet, its last Lord of the Manor, Gerald Curgenven, left it in 1959 to a trust managed by his old school, Marlborough College. It's six farms are now just two and its important buildings are away from the hamlet - the Manor House on the cliffs, the Rectory half-a-mile inland. Forrabury church is of little interest, except for its font and Cornish cross, but leave the north-west corner of the churchyard and you are on Forrabury Stitches, a medieval field system maintained by the National Trust. Forget about St. Nectan's Glen, it is gloomy and the owners of The Hermitage want £3.50 to see the waterfall! |
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| UPDATE AUGUST 2010: Possible disastrous news! Due to a legal anomaly in the formation of Marlborough College's charitable trust, Trevalga estate has to be sold. Apparently it will be marketed for somewhere around £10 million. Not surprisingly, the tenants are unhappy. |
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Although I had been near Troon - south of Camborne - on several occasions when seeking mining relics in the area, it was not until August 2007 that I actually drove through the village. On my way from Carwynnen Quoit to King Edward Mine, I found myself in what I think is Treslothan Road, part of the Pendarves Estate mining settlement. Although I know nothing else about the village - except that it boasts a great cricket team, I was so struck by the lovely terraced cottages and their long front gardens that I had to include an image of the street. |
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2 miles south of Camborne, by the road past the railway station |
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One of England's smallest cities stands where three streams meet to become the Truro River. From early times Truro was important, its port serving Cornwall's tin and copper trades - the Coinage Hall in the middle of the city is a reminder of those days. By 1130 it had a royal charter, was a stannary town, regulating the tin trade, and had prosperous merchant guilds. The port has gone but Truro is now county town of Cornwall with a cathedral. It is an attractive small city with a confusing street pattern, some fine Georgian terraces, attractive back-streets and alleyways, some pleasant parks and gardens and handsome old granite buildings. There is a daily 'Pannier Market' on Lemon Quay, and two farmer's markets. Shopping is good and there are many good restaurants, cafés and pubs. Hall for Cornwall hosts theatre and music. We have attended a number of concerts there; seating is good but sound balance can vary. Best hotel is Alverton Manor, a comfortable country house a few hundred yards from the centre of town. If you feel like exploring further on foot, you can follow the river for a couple of miles to Malpas, where the Heron Inn (there is a heronry in the woodland along the river) serves good food. Alternatively, you could take the water-bus which runs to Malpas, Trelissick and Falmouth. A mile from from Malpas, on foot along the creek, is charming St. Clement. |
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At the junction of A39 to Falmouth and A390 from St. Austell |
| A charming little village on the Roseland peninsula, not far from tiny Portloe harbour, Veryan comes in two parts. Veryan itself has a pub, a church, a post office and stores and a lovely garden. Half-a-mile north-east is Veryan Green. Both are notable for their pairs of thatched round houses. They were built around 1815 by Veryan vicar Jeremiah Trist, as homes for his daughters. They are round to ensure there are no corners for the devil to hide in. Jeremiah's son Samuel built Trist House as his vicarage; its lovely garden opens on just two days a week during the summer - when good cream teas are served. We wish it opened more. |  |
| Signed from A3078 to St. Mawes, just south of Tregony |
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This is my own hometown.
Nothing very much special about it but a very pleasant, convenient place
to live. We chose Wadebridge because we wanted a good small town
close to where Jane was raised in Trebetherick. It has everything
we want: good local shops, a cinema, plenty of activities
and, most importantly for me, it's fairly centrally situated giving easy
access to the rest of Cornwall for my explorations. The town grew
up on both sides of the lowest *fordable crossing of the River Camel
(the original name was Wade from gwaed meaning ford) and had a market
by 1312. One of Britain's finest medieval bridges was built in 1468.
Known as the Bridge on Wool, the popular story is that woolsacks
were used as foundations, the truth is almost certainly that it was financed
by wool merchants. Across the river, where we live, is Egloshayle
(the name means The Church on the Estuary), once a separate village
and probably older than Wadebridge. Until the 18th century Wadebridge
was an important port, exporting corn and granite; apartments now
line that part of the waterside. The railway once ran through here,
linking the town with Bodmin in 1834 and later extended
to Padstow. The railway is long gone but the
trackbed is now the Camel Trail,
a popular cycle route.
The Camel is still easily fordable in Wadebridge at low tides. |
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Signed from A39, or by A389 from Bodmin |
| Bridges: The 'bridge on wool' was built in 1468. It was more than 500 years before the town got another. Then it got two in quick succession. In 1991 a new road bridge crossed the River Camel downstream of the wool bridge as part of a welcome bypass Then Challenge Bridge was built in 1993 as a part of a 'Challenge Anneka' TV series. The Culverhouse, also known as the Culverhay or Culvery, is a dovecote, originally serving Trevanion Manor and now conserved by the Cornwall Heritage Trust. |
Just off the scenic
north coast road from St. Ives to St. Just-in-Penwith
is a tiny charming village, too easily passed by on your way west.
Zennor consists of just an essentially Norman church,
a cattle farm, the Tinners Arms Pub, a backpackers hostel with tea rooms,
a group of holiday cottages known as Post Office Row, and the excellent
and surprisingly comprehensive Wayside Folk Museum. Legends attach
to the church. One concerns its founder St. Senara, cast afloat in
Brittany in a barrel and washed ashore in Ireland, returning with her son,
Budoc, who was born at sea, via Cornwall where she founded the church.
The short walk to the towering cliffs is rewarding, with views over Pendour
and Porthzennor coves. By the coast path, it's a tough 6 miles to
St. Ives and 11 to Cape Cornwall.
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| Just off B3306 coast road from St. Ives |
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