Visit CornwallThe Official Destination & Accommodation Guide for 2015 www.visitcornwall.com 8 6 CONTENTS Welcome to Cornwall... 2 Make A Change An alternative guide to getting Being able to As well as the half a million people who As many of you will already know, it around Cornwall. wax lyrical about love and live here, 2.2 million people isn’t just the magnificent landscape enjoy a break or holiday in Cornwall at and countryside that makes Cornwall my homeland 4 Make Camp least once a year and another 1.1 million so special - we have an amazing history Grab a tent, a few provisions and is no hard task visit between every one and three years. and heritage too. From our Celtic roots spend some time getting closer and is made all That makes an amazing figure of just to the World Heritage Mining Sites to nature in the great outdoors. the more easier under four million supporters and fans and kaleidoscope of arts and cultural of Cornwall! attractions – it’s all going on in Cornwall! by the amazing Inspirational art collections, unique 6 To The Islands And Back Take a day trip across the velvet passion that exists for Cornwall. For those returning to Cornwall, you’re theatre and an annual schedule of blue sea and spend some time on guaranteed to discover a new special memorable festivals and events to the magical Isles of Scilly. place. Our two wonderful coasts are die for. sprinkled with hidden gems, then there’s the beautiful Roseland and Lizard For those who are visiting for the first 8 Cornwall Live Peninsula’s, as well as Bodmin Moor and time, prepare to fall in love with a place In Cornwall we tell our story in the Tamar Valley. And don’t forget the that will stay in your heart forever. I can 2 hundreds of different ways, and great countryside in West and South guarantee this won’t be your last visit… given the chance, a hundred more. East Cornwall. There’s enough to keep you coming back time and time again. Malcolm Bell, Head of Visit Cornwall 10 A Weekend Of Timechasing Travel from century to century on 14 a tour around Bodmin Moor that packs in some of the area’s finest historical locations.. 12 Picnic Picks Just a few of our favourite locations for the perfect picnic. 14 Our Little Secrets Some magically unique places we’d like to share with you. 16 What Shall We Do Today? Looking for something to do that’s a little different? We suggest some alternative activities that get you to the 16 10 heart of Cornwall. 22 ACCOMMODATION 12 26 All Cornwall & Farm Accommodation 28 South Coast 38 West Cornwall 48 North Coast 62 Bodmin Moor & Tamar Valley 65 Useful Contacts Cover photo: Perranporth beach & Getting Here This page: Sennen Cove 4 2 3 Ways To Get Around… 5For Less. Arm yourself with maps, timetables and a sense of adventure, let’s go! 1 Get a fantastically cheap Cornwall Ride Ticket that lets a family of four travel on practically all the bus and train routes in the county for just £20 per day. (Available from bus and train stations) 2 Western Greyhound bus routes cover North, Central and South Cornwall and their Family Explorer Ticket offers a day’s travel anywhere using their network for just £17. @ www.westerngreyhound.com 3 First Group bus routes operate countywide and an unlimited family day ticket, Eden allowing any number of children, costs £20. St Austell all the way to the Green Idea:Clay Trail from Cycle the multi-use @ www.firstgroup.com Project just under 7 miles away. On route you’ll pass a bizarre ‘lunar’ landscape of disused china clay pits with bright white walls and luminous turquoise lakes. Enjoy the lovely panoramas over St Austell Bay and don’t 4 In Summer, there is nothing better than taking a trip around West Cornwall in the Make A forget to claim your discount when you get to Eden, they’ll knock off a £4 per person! fresh air! Take a ride on First Group’s hefty open-topped buses that travel from www.claytrails.co.uk Penzance via Land’s End to St Ives and @ back. Relax and simply enjoy the stunning Check out other cycle routes in Cornwall: scenery or stop off on the way and visit the fairy-tale St Michael’s Mount, go surfing www. .com/things-to-do/active-and-outdoors/ @ visitcornwall at glorious Sennen beach or browse the Change... cycling/cycle-routes-and-trails scores of art galleries in St Ives. ... this is Cornwall and there is Ditch The Car: 5 London has its Oyster Card but Falmouth has its Mussel Card giving you unlimited Not only will you cut down on fuel always something new to discover. Branch Out: travel around the area whether you dart consumption and save on parking around the magnificent Fal Estuary by Everyone raves about Cornwall’s five little railway lines that branch off fees, but also getting out and about ferry, explore the lovely villages around Your Reward: the main London to Penzance route, but have you ever taken a ride? the Helford River by bus or get a train to by other forms of transport means Now you’ve unleashed that intrepid transport. For example, arrive without Try the scenic trip from Liskeard station down to the bustling fishing the cathedral city of Truro. Card holders explorer spirit, you’ll be able to claim your car at the grand stately home at you’ll experience a different side to port of Looe. Travelling through a wooded valley, a wide estuary pans also get discounts at attractions, castles, lots of discounts at visitor attractions Lanhydrock near Bodmin and receive shops, cafes and gardens. Cornwall. Get to know the beautiful out that’s alive with herons and egrets. Arrive in breathtaking style on the if you arrive by bus, train, bike or on a 10% discount voucher for use in the twenty-minute train ride from St Erth to St Ives and be the first to spot countryside better as you’ll have foot making your car free days out not shop or restaurant. www.falriver.co.uk colourful fishing boats coming into harbour as the branch line snakes @ time to sit back, unwind and take only great fun but economical, too. For plant lovers, the fantastically exotic around the golden bays towards the town. The Atlantic Coast Line Trebah Gardens on the Helford River it all in. Say hello to welcoming Travel with Western Greyhound bus that crosses Cornwall from South to North is full of contrasts as it passes offer a whopping 50% discount on services and show your tickets at the people you meet on the way and admission prices if you arrive by bus, through woodland, nature reserves and china clay villages on its way to fascinating Lobster Hatchery in explore intriguing towns and saving a family of four over £10 and the family resort of Newquay. The Truro to Falmouth line heads down Padstow and kids go free with a for a slice of Arthurian legend, Tintagel to the coast taking in the ever so tranquil scenery of the Fal Estuary and villages that you would probably paying adult. Go down on the farm Castle on the North Coast will give you the Tamar Valley Line slowly follows the Cornwall and Devon border via at DairyLand near Newquay and just pass by if you were stuck behind a 20% discount on admission if you a backdrop of rural landscapes and gorgeous riverside settings. you’ll get a 15% reduction while most present a valid bus ticket. the wheel of your car. The journey National Trust properties and gardens www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk may take a bit longer, you may offer deals if you arrive by cycle or public @ have to wait for the next connection, Find out more about how to get around car free at: but just look around you. @ www.westerngreyhound.com/attractionsanddaysout.php @ www.travelinesw.com 4 5 Cornwall is a great place to relive your backpacking days and create some new memories with the family. Grab a tent, a few provisions and spend some Let’s Go Glamping! What’s that? You’re not a camper with a capital C? Perhaps time getting closer to nature in the great outdoors. a shimmering silver caravan, luxurious safari tent or a cosy yurt might change your mind. Silver Dreams: sleek, gleaming and the ultimate in retro holidays, Airstream caravans ooze stateside style. At The Park at Mawgan Porth near Newquay, you can choose from a range of shiny examples of original 1950s models from the Airstream Trailer Co. With their iconic riveted aluminium bodies, the trailers are kitted out with American interiors and original fittings that provide anyone with a love of iconic style the ultimate chic place to spend their Cornish holiday. @ www.mawganporth.co.uk On Safari: Cornwall is home to a huge variety of wildlife so what better way to imagine you are on an intrepid expedition than sleeping under canvas in a safari tent? Get creative with the menu cooking on a log fired stove, gather the family around and tell stories around the fire pit and listen to the sounds of nature all around. Set in beautiful countryside near Helston, Chymder Farm has two safari tents named Hobie and Woody which are raised up on wooden platforms and equipped with everything you’ll need for that slice of outdoor adventure.