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Tintagel (half a mile from the cottage) is a bustling village which claims a link to the
reign of King Arthur. There is a Visitor Centre and also an Old Post Office, run by the National Trust.
There are a range of shops - some opening till late - and several pubs, cafes and fish and chip shops.
Some of the pubs support free Internet Access. There is also a fine ruined castle on Tintagel Head, which is run by National Heritage. |
| Trebarwith Strand (1.5 mile by footpath, 2 miles by road) is a popular surfing beach at low/mid tide. There are life guards in attendance in summer months. There are also a few small beach-gear shops and a cream tea shop. At high tide one can watch the waves crashing onto the rocks. The Port William Inn overlooks the beach. |
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Port Isaac (12 miles) is a quaint fishing village with narrow, winding
streets and a small harbour.
There are also many walks on the Coastal Path. This runs over the high cliffs along Port Isaac Bay. We have walked, in stages, the whole path from Morwenstow (North of Bude) down to Tintagel, and from there down to Rock. From there we have gone on (in several more stages)just past Newquay. It is a spectacular journey. |
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Pentire Head and the Rumps (14 miles) is the headland at the western end of Port Isaac Bay.
The Rumps fall away from the headland like the tail of a monster dinosaur.
The landmark is easily seen from the roads around Lilac Cottage.
The headland is owned by the National Trust.
There is a National Trust car-park on the headland, from which there are a choice of walks around and over the headland |
| Polzeath (15 miles) has one of the best surfing beaches in Cornwall. There are shops where one can hire surf boards and wet-suits, etc. There is a Surfing School, where one can learn to surf (not just body board). Once you've finished enjoying the beach, you can walk a mile round the coast to the quieter Daymar Bay and another mile to the village of Rock, on the Camel estuary. |
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The Camel Trail (17 miles) is a safe (traffic-free) bike ride along the former railway track up or from the town of Wadebridge.
Travel either down beside the Camel estuary to the seaside town of Padstow, or up the valley to Bodmin.
Bikes can be hired at either end of this journey. |
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Padstow (25 miles by road, 15 miles via a short passenger ferry journey from Rock) has an attractive harbour and associated pubs, shops and eating places.
A historic manor, Prideaux House, can be visited. Rick Stein has a restaurant here, and fresh fish can be bought in the harbour. |
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Bodmin (17 miles) is a small town with an old jail and a historical 'Courtroom Experience', based on a murder which took place on Bodmin Moor in the 1870s. A steam railway runs from Bodmin station. This has a regular 'murder mystery' journey on Tuesday evenings. Also near Bodmin is Lanhydock House, run by the National Trust (see left). This is an interesting Victorian house with attractive gardens. |
| Bodmin Moor(5 miles) can be reached via a side road out of Camelford. There is a gently sloping path starting from the car-park, up Roughtor (407 metres). There is a farmhouse selling cream teas on the way back. There are further walks down and up to the next top, Brown Willy (420 metres), for the energetic. This is the highest point on Bodmin moor. |
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Boscastle (3 miles) is an interesting coastal village with a small harbour, and a range of small shops, galleries etc. Some of the pictures in the cottage are from Helen Setterington's dramatic local landscapes. Occasional boat trips are available in the summer. There is a hourly bus service from Tintagel to Boscastle. This can be followed by an interesting walk back along some rugged cliffs. |
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Crackington Haven (10 miles) is a small coastal village (with a choice of tea-shops) nesting amidst impressive cliffs.
The picture also shows the Coast Path, which winds right along the Cornish coast. Just south of this picture the path reaches the highest cliffs in Cornwall, High Cliff (700 ft) First using the bus, we have walked along the Coast Path to Crackington from Boscastle. It is a splendid, though strenous, walk. |
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Further north, Bude(17 miles) is a coastal town with two beaches and some keen local surfers. This picture was taken in mid-October!
Other facilities include hiring boats for trips on the local Canal.
There is an attractive walk from Bude along the Coast path to Widemouth, returning inland via a path beside the Canal |