CLACK'S GUIDE TO CORNWALL Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from University of Toronto http://www.archive.org/details/blacksguidetocorOOadam PhotochTOin Co., Ltd. LAUNCESTON. BLACK'S GUIDE TO CORNWALL EDITED BY A. R. HOPE MONCRIEFF TWENTY-SECOND EDITION WITH MAPS AND PLANS A. & C. BLACK, LTD. 4» 5 & 6 SOHO SQUARE, LONDON 1919 Twenty-second edition revised and brought up to datt by G. E. Mitton 1915 iw04 .i;[££nio, On^:; PREFACE In the present edition of our Guide to Cornwall greater importance has been given to the popular coast resorts, some of which are coming more and more into note both as summer and as winter havens. With these, as far as possible, we have connected the various points of interest most often visited on excursions from them, so that different sections will serve as small handbooks to Fowey, Falmouth, Penzance, the Lizard, the Land's End, Newquay, Tintagel, and other spots where strangers are most likely to take up their quarters. As usual, we have tried to make our pages both readable and practical, entering into the spirit of the scene without over-loading our descriptive outlines with too much detail, which, in the case of a longer stay at any place, could be sought in local guides and more elaborate works, duly referred to for the benefit of our readers. Our principle is that a guide-book for use by passing tourists may contain too many facts as well as too few, the latter fault, of course, the more unpardonable : our aim has been to avoid either extreme, with regard for proper proportion and the needs of the kind of reader chiefly kept in view. On one head, we have, perforce, failed to be as explicit as might be desired. Several Cornish mansions possess not only beautiful grounds, but valuable collections of paintings, antiquities, and other objects of attraction. Our endeavour has been to learn from the owners, or their agents, if, when, and how ntrangers will be made welcome, or at least tolerated, in inspection of such treasures. Some of our inquiries have viii GUIDE TO CORNWALL been most courteously met by the information that will be found in its proper place ; others, by significant silence ; while in certain cases it has been more or less distinctly intimated that the proprietors do not wish to encourage inconvenient sight-seers. Yet even when "no admission" is the rule, some slight local interest or introduction will often be found to pave the way for exceptional favour. The hotels, as usual, are roughly placed in the order of importance and expensiveness ; but in the case of pensions no such arrangement is attempted. Even "Guides." are liable to be led astray by human error; so here, as always, we shall be grateful for any suggestions of correction or amendment. For valuable assistance, in this way or in others, the Editor's thanks are already due to many friends and furtherers. Note to Twenty-second Edition. —The book has again been revised and as far as possible brought up to date. The attention of readers is called to the Itinerary of Cornwall roads (at the end), which should be useful to motorists as well as to cyclists. — CONTENTS PAGE Introduction ..... ,1 North Coast ....... 13 Bude—Boscastle—Tintagel. Camelford and Launceston . .31 Caraelford — Camelford to Launceston — Launceston Routes from Laimceston. Neighbourhood of Plymouth . .43 Saltash, the Lynher River, etc. — Mount Edgcumbe — Cawsand Bay, Whitesand Bay, etc. —Plymouth Sound —Up the Tamar—Plymouth to Launceston by Rail. Plymouth to Padstow . , . .52 Liskeard—Caradon, Cheesewring, St. Cleer, etc. —East and West Looe, etc. — Bodmin — Rambles round Bodmin—Padstow. Newquay ........ 70 From Wadebridge and Padstow to Newquay—Newquay —Crantock, tlie Piran Sands, St. Agnes Head, etc. —Mawgan, Bodruthau, St. Columb, etc. —Newquay to Par. X CONTENTS PAGE . • ' • • . S5 FOWEY . Lostwithiel—Fowey—Walks from Fowey. Central Cornwall ...... 95 St. Austell—Truro—Redruth—Camborne. Falmouth and the Lizard . .116 Falmouth. — Excursions from Falmouth — Penryn — To St. Mawes, Porthscatho, etc. —The Lizard—Helston. St. Ives 139 St. Ives —St. Erth — To Penzance by Castle-an-Dinas —Towednack, Zennor, Gurnard's Head, etc. Penzance and the Land's End . .154 Marazion—Penzance—The Land's End. The Scilly Islands 174 St. Mary's, Hugh Town, etc. Cycling Itinerary . » . ,183 Index ,..•.•• 1®^ MAPS AND PLANS, ETC. To "page 86 Fowey District, Map of . fact 168 Land's End District, Map of . Lizard District, Map of . 128 Newquay District, Map of 70 St. Ives and Penzance District, Map of 146 Tiutagel District, Map of 20 Truro, Plan of Cathedral Tage 103 Truro and Falmouth District, Map of To face page 116 General Map of Cornwall A t end of hook LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Launceston Frontispiem Tintagel, King Arthur's Castle , • i Facing page 2^ Fowey ,, 88 Truro Cathedral ,,100 Falmouth ,, 118 Land's End. ..,..». ,,180 Carbis Bay from St. Ives . • • • • „ 148 St Michael's Mount ...... „ 156 COACHES, MOTOR COACHES, ETC. COACHES, MOTOR COACHES, AND G>W,R> MOTOR CARS, ETC> PENZANCE COACHES. (Summer) G.W.R. ROAD MOTOR CARS Penzance, Pendeen, and St. Just four times daily (extra cars on Thursdays and Saturdays ; get bill at Station). Fare, Is. \ Penzance and Land's End, three trips daily. Fare, Is. 8d. Helston to the Lizard, four trips daily. Fare, Is. 9d. Helston to Porthleven, four trips daily (extra trip on Saturdays). Fare, 7d. St. Austell and Bugle, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, twice daily ; Friday and Saturday, three times each day. Fare, 9d. St. Austell and St. Dennis, four times daily. Fare, Is. Id. Redruth and Falmouth, four-times daily. Fare, Is. 6d. Also two cars daily to Portreath and Carharrack Fare, 8d. and 6d. (Extra car on Fridays and Saturdays.) WEST PENWITH ROAD MOTOR CARS Several times daily all the year round to St. Just, and on Thursday and Saturday to Crowlas. L. AND S.W. RAILWAY North-East Cornwall (in season). Four-horse coaches to Bude, Boscastle, Tintagel, and Canielford in connection with trains. Fares (Bude to Boscastle), 6s. and 7s. (return, Ss. and 9s. 6d.). Between Boscastle or Tintagel and Canielford Station, 2s. i 420 COACHES, STEAMBOATS, GOLF CLUBS COACHES (continued) Wadebridge, St. Columb and Newquay (in season) once daily, coach each way. Fare, Wadebridge to Newquay, 4s. (return, 6s.). STEAMBOATS Penzance to Scilly Islands (Isles of Scilly S.S. Co., Ltd., 6 North Parade, Penzance). Sailings of K.M. Steamer (weather permitting), Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to Scilly Islands, starting about 10 a.m. Fares, single, 10s. Average passage, four hours. Return boats, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, 9.0 a.m. The times of sailings are liable to alteration. Steam launches (in season) run nearly every hour, leaving Extension Pier, Penzance, to Mousehole and Lamorna Cove. Motor launches run nearly every hour to St. Michael's Mount. Truro to Falmouth by water (daily, summer ; River Fal S.S. Co., Ltd.). Fare, 9d. (return, Is.). Tickets permit return by rail. Up the Tamar (daily, summer). Fare, Is. 6d. GOLF CLUBS BODMIN (Royal Cornwall). 9 holes. 5s. weekly, 10s. monthly. BOSCASTLE. 9 holes. 7s. 6d. weekly. BUDE (^orth Cornwall). 18 holes and 9 holes. (In season), 7s. 6d. weekly, 20s. monthly (ladies half- fees). Hotel course, 12 holes. (In season), 10s, weekly, 20s. monthly. ii GOLF CLUBS FALMOUTH. 18 holes. 10s. 6d. weekly, 30.s. monthly. FOWEY. 9 holes. Gs. weekly, 208. monthly. LAUNCESTON (St. Stephen's). 9 holes. 4=. weekly, 1 2s. monthly. LELANT (West Cornwall). 18 holes. 15s. weekly, 403. monthly. 9 holes. 7s. weekly, 21s. monthly. LIZARD. 9 holes. 58. weekly, 15s. monthly. LOOE. 9 holes. 7s. 6d. weekly, 21s. monthly. MULLION. 18 holes. 10s. weekly, 30s. monthly. NEWQUAY. 18 holes. (In season), 15s. weekly, 60s. monthly. PENZANCE. 12 holes. 7s. 6d. weekly, 20s. monthly. ST. AUSTELL. 18 holes. Is. 6d. per day. SCILLY ISLES. 9 holes. 5s. weekly, 15s. monthly. TINTAGEL. 9 holes (two courses, one belonging to the Castle Hotel). For both, 5s. weekly, 15s. monthly. TRURO. 9 holes. 4s. weekly, 10s. 6d. monthly. WADEBRIDGE (St. Enodoc). 18 holes. 10s. weekly, 30s. monthly, WHITSAND BAY. 18 holes. 10s. weekly, 15s. monthly. Note. —Many of the golf clubs do not begin " season " rates until end of July ; almost all have special rates for Easter. HI INTRODUCTION The "Duchy of Cornwall," as this south-western appendix of En;^'laD(l loves to be styled, is a country of markedly individual characteristics, distinguishing it from all other parts of the kingdom. Many strangers crossing the Tamar, "over that fairy bridge of Brunei's, hung aloft between the blue of the river and the blue of the sky," are fain to fancy themselves in another country ; and as they advance, it is to find that impression deepened which gives a Cornish tour something of the interest of foreign travel. Truth to tell, this interest is mainly confined to the broken and wave-beaten coast-line, almost uniformly striking, and often magnificent, broken by frequent fishing havens that to more than one sense suggest the kind of picturesqueness looked for under a Mediterranean sky. Inland, the scenery, dear as it may be to those who have known it from childhood, is apt to affect the unfamiliar eye as dreary in its mono- tonous expanse of rough brown moors, swelling up into low ridges, scarred by mines and topped by smokeless engine-shafts to take the place of trees — " a most unclassi- cal Campagna, covered with the ruins of obscure industry." Even tiie dignity of height is wanting here. Brown Willy, the loftiest point in Cornwall, being under 1400 feet. Cornwall's jovial neighbours are in the way of asserting that it does not grow wcxjd enough to make a coffin.