THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE BRTRAVEL CULTURE HERITAGE ITA STYLE INDIGITAL GUIDE Explore CORNWALL'S COUNTRY LANES AND COASTLINE www.britain-magazine.com BRITAIN 1 The tiny, picturesque fishing port of Mousehole, near Penzance on Cornwall's south coast Coastlines country lanes Even& in a region as well explored as Cornwall, with its lovely coves, harbours and hills, there are still plenty of places that attract just a trickle of people. We’re heading off the beaten track in one of the prettiest pockets of Britain PHOTO: ALAMY PHOTO: 2 BRITAIN www.britain-magazine.com www.britain-magazine.com BRITAIN 3 Cornwall Far left: The village of Zennor. Centre: Fishing boats drawn up on the beach at Penberth. Above: Sea campion, a common sight on the cliffs. Left: Prehistoric stone circle known as the Hurlers ornwall in high summer – it’s hard to imagine a sheer cliffs that together make up one of Cornwall’s most a lovely place to explore, with its steep narrow lanes, lovelier place: a gleaming aquamarine sea photographed and iconic views. A steep path leads down white-washed cottages and working harbour. Until rolling onto dazzlingly white sandy beaches, from the cliff to the beach that stretches out around some recently, it definitely qualified as off the beaten track; since backed by rugged cliffs that give way to deep of the islets, making for a lovely walk at low tide. becoming the setting for British TV drama Doc Martin, Cgreen farmland, all interspersed with impossibly quaint Trevose Head is one of the north coast’s main however, it has attracted crowds aplenty in search of the fishing villages, their rabbit warrens of crooked narrow promontories, a rugged, windswept headland, tipped by a Doc’s cliffside house. It remains to be seen whether the lanes lined with equally crooked and tiny cottages. lighthouse and with superb views out to sea and along the village will eventually slip back into obscurity, but in The wild Atlantic coast draws visitors for its stunning coast westwards: a great place to watch a sunset. Nearby is the meantime if Port Isaac seems a little too beaches and great surfing. Newquay and Padstow are the Constantine Bay, a truly magnificent curving sweep of popular, there are always the tiny cove villages main towns here that pull in the crowds, and Newquay’s golden sand. Though it does get busy, crowds are greatly of Port Quinn and Port Gaverne a short status as Britain’s principal surfing mecca ensures that the reduced by the deliberately very limited car parking in the distance on either side that are still quiet. beaches for some distance on either side of the town area. It’s best to park in Constantine village, and then Travelling inland brings you to the lonely remain quite busy throughout the summer. Things are a accept the mile or so walk from there to the beach. hills of Bodmin Moor. With the great little different in the Padstow area, however. While the East of Padstow, the crowds head for Polzeath and yet majority of Cornwall’s visitors heading for beaches and surf are good here too, you really do not another surfing beach. However, continuing just a few the coasts, and those wanting rugged have to venture that far to find some very beautiful and miles further brings you to the twin headlands of Pentire inland moors opting mainly for the much quite peaceful areas to explore. and Rumps Point – like Trevose Head, a major promontory larger Dartmoor just across the border in West of Padstow lie two of the most rugged stretches of surrounded by steep cliffs. Though rugged, Pentire and Devon, Bodmin Moor remains only cliff on the entire Cornish coast: Trevose Head and Rumps are much less desolate, home to extensive lightly explored. The northern hills, Bedruthan Steps. The latter consists of a string of grasslands and wild flowers, and with plenty of hiking particularly Rough Tor and Brown crumbling surf-lashed offshore rocks and islets, backed by options. The nearby fishing harbour of Port Isaac is always Willy, arguably make up the moor’s most rugged area, topped by some The fishing harbour of Port Isaac is always a lovely place to explore, with its steep amazing granite outcrops, and offering the region’s best inland hiking. It is here narrow lanes, white-washed cottages and working harbour NIGEL HICKS/MAP VENABLES GUY ILLUSTRATION: PHOTOS: ALL that you’ll find herds of very beautiful 4 BRITAIN www.britain-magazine.com www.britain-magazine.com BRITAIN 5 Cornwall semi-wild ponies, rather shy and much more nervous of the Roseland is perhaps Cornish countryside at its most Facing page: The Trevose Head is a rugged, few people they see than their cousins on Dartmoor. beautiful; the limited amount of space seeming to squash lighthouse at For something a little less energetic, head to the moor’s everything into miniature, from the rolling hills to the Trevose Head, built windswept headland, tipped by a in 1847. This page, southern slopes, initially to the village of Minions and a fields and even the villages. Specific highlights include the top: Semi-wild series of prehistoric stone circles, the Hurlers – a group of coastal harbours of Port Loe and Portscatho at Roseland’s ponies on Bodmin lighthouse and with superb views men who, so the story goes, were turned to stone for northern end, plus the riverside locations of St Just in Moor. Bottom: The out to sea and along the coast daring to play the Cornish ball game of hurling on a Roseland and St Mawes further south. St Mawes is a parish church in the Sunday. Continuing further down off the moor brings you one-time fishing village now turned into a highly village of Feock to Golitha Falls, a lovely stretch of the Fowey River fashionable and up-market resort, while St Just is rightly passing through a steep, narrow and densely wooded loved for its beautiful 13th-century church, sitting on the valley. Not so much a waterfall as a very steep slope, the shore of a quiet creek, enveloped in a stunning jungle river tumbles downwards garden of palms, laurels over moss-covered granite and rhododendrons. boulders, all overhung by Gardens are an the dense foliage of an important feature of the ancient oak woodland. Falmouth area, the Take care, as the path is sheltered landscape and steep and slippery, balmy climate having particularly around the encouraged a number of falls themselves, but this 19th-century garden area is truly worth designers to set up here. exploring as it is one of the Along the Fal itself and most beautiful woodland close to Feock, the rivers in Cornwall. National Trust-owned Golitha brings us some Trelissick is one of the way from the rugged most prominent. landscapes of Cornwall’s The river tumbles downwards over Southwest of Falmouth, moors and coastal cliffs, in the Helford River but the real antidote to all moss-covered granite boulders, all valley, a smaller cousin of that wildness lies in the the Fal, you will also find gentle valleys and creeks overhung by the dense foliage of an the sub-tropical Trebah that make up the River Fal ancient oak woodland and Glendurgan gardens, and Roseland peninsula, while a little further afield just north of Falmouth on is the Trevarno Estate. Cornwall’s south coast. A In the summer months busy and popular port much of the Fal area can town, Falmouth lies on the be explored by boat, western shore of Carrick thanks to a network of Roads, the magnificent passenger ferries running mouth of the River Fal and between Falmouth and one of the world’s largest many of the principal natural harbours. Cutting villages, along with river northwards through the taxis available for hire. hilly landscape, the Roads The boats make for a not only slowly narrow great, relaxing way to down into the River Fal move around, and with itself, but also penetrate up much of the landscape into side valleys, creating a criss-crossed by footpaths series of coves and creeks that make this region a wonder – particularly Roseland – they make for a very practical to explore by both road and water. Travelling by car, a way to start and finish a hike, with the car safely series of very narrow lanes meander around the hills and abandoned in Falmouth. valleys, taking you to such lovely riverside villages as While the Fal makes for a very peaceful interlude, Flushing, Mylor (complete with yacht marina and Cornwall really is mainly about its wild and rugged upmarket restaurants), Restronguet and Feock, all lining coastline. Nowhere is this more true than at its far western the Fal’s western shore. tip, the Penwith peninsula, beyond the towns of St Ives and Once beyond Feock, take the King Harry Ferry across Penzance. Penwith has its share of crowded visitor the river and onto the Roseland peninsula. A narrow strip locations, but it is honeycombed with much quieter ALL PHOTOS: NIGEL HICKS NIGEL PHOTOS: ALL of land separating Carrick Roads from the open sea, alternatives, any exploration of which would do well to 6 BRITAIN www.britain-magazine.com www.britain-magazine.com BRITAIN 7 Cornwall The Pier House Hotel Our favourite places... start with Trencrom Hill, one of Penwith’s highest points, Above: The long lying southwest of St Ives. Its short, steep climb is sandy beach at rewarded with 360-degree views that take in both Mounts Constantine Bay Off the beaten track Bay to the south and St Ives bay to the north.