A-Z of Cornish Towns and Villages. Copyrighted material

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Cornwall A - Z

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Wherever you choose to spend your holiday in Cornwall, you'll find no shortage of fascinating places to visit. The brief descriptions of the towns and villages given below are just a taste of the unique places which is Cornwall.

Link Key :- (Click on the picture for the relevant information for each village/town.)
Tourist Information Centres Official Website	More information on the village Beach information

ALTARNUN
Charming Bodmin Moor village with 15thC packhorse bridge and outstanding parish church of St Nonna, known as 'Cathedral of the Moors'.

BEDRUTHAN STEPS
Bedruthan became a popular destination when Newquay developed as a holiday resort 100 years ago. Victorian visitors in their carriages found it a convenient attraction.

BLISLAND
Classic moorland village, with village green and part-Norman parish church of St Protus and St Hyacinth, described by Betjeman as 'dazzling and amazing'.

BODMIN
Notable 15thC parish church, largest in Cornwall, with remains of monastery and priory; also Tudor Guildhall. For a century and a half Cornwall's county town, and mentioned in Domesday Book. Bodmin Gaol, scene of many public executions, now a tourist attraction. Military museum, town museum, leisure centre. Heritage Day first Saturday in July, preceded by Cornwall Theatre Festival Week. Great houses of Lanhydrock (NT) and Pencarrow. Steam railway from Bodmin General. Access to Camel Trail cycle route.

BODMIN MOOR
Granite moorland of outstanding beauty overlooked by summits of Brown Willy (1377ft), Cornwall's highest point, and Roughtor. Abundance of Neolithic and Bronze Age remains. Daphne du Maurier's Jamaica Inn and, to south, Dozmary Pool of Arthurian legend. Siblyback Lake & Colliford Lake Park Education & Adventure.

BOLVENTOR
Jamaica Inn, Fernley's Colliford Lake Country Park and Bodmin airfield at nearby Cardinham. Walks to Dozmary Pool and Brown Willy.

BOSCASTLE
Entrancing north coast harbour with 16thC quay and 14thC cottages clinging to hillside above fast flowing water. Thomas Hardy met his wife here whilst restoring nearby church of St Juliot.

BOSCASWELL VILLAGE
A mixture of sturdy granite cottages and newer housing perched on the rugged cliffs between Pendeen Light and Botallack Head. The village has pubs, a small store and there is a regular bus service to Penzance about 8 miles away. Lower Boscaswell, a rather more attractive group of cottages and converted granite barns ranged around a square, is barely two minutes walk from the coastal path.

BOTALLACK
Geevor Tin Mine & Heritage Centre, north of St Just. Much photographed Crown tin mine stackhouses on cliffs. Nampara, home of Ross Poldark in BBC series, here. Arsenic workings.

BRANE
A farming hamlet in a picturesque area of winding lanes, ancient woodland and prehistoric settlements. The area abounds with footpaths and Carn Euny, an iron age village, is under a mile away. The lovely surfing beach at Sennen Cove is about 15 minutes by car, the cliff side open air theatre of The Minack and the shops and other attractions of Penzance are about 20 minutes drive.

BREAGE
Notable 15thC wall paintings in parish church of St Breaca, rediscovered last century. Nearby 17thC Godolphin House, home of Earls of Godolphin, and featured in Poldark series.

BUDE
Prime, north coast resort with fine, sandy beaches, rock pools, tidal swimming pool. Fine centre for surfing. Once a busy port, with canal. Museum, golf course, leisure centre. Annual jazz festival. Nearby Stratton the birthplace of Cornish Giant Anthony Payne, and site of Civil War battle of Stamford Hill, re-enacted annually. Widemouth Bay to south.

CADGWITH
Minuscule fishing village on east coast of Lizard Peninsula. Two small shingle beaches, and cluster of pastel-washed thatched cottages. Fleet once landed record 1,798,000 pilchards over four days in 1904. Devil's Frying Pan collapsed sea cave

CALLINGTON
Market town nestling between Tamar and Lynher rivers. 15thC chapel encloses Dupath Well, with reputation for curing whooping cough. Mural Project displays the area's heritage, landscape and industry on walls of town's buildings. Kit Hill Country Park to north, with nature trails and spectacular views of Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor. Nearby Tamar Valley Donkey Park.

CALSTOCK
Notable for views of Tamar Valley, rail viaduct, and skeletal remains of tin and copper mines. Cotehele House and Mill(NT), notable former home of Edgcumbe family, lies around bend in river. Tamar canoe expeditions. Scenic rail link to Plymouth along Tamar Valley Line.

CAMBOURNE
Heart of former mining industry, now busy town centre with range of shops. A Town Trail guides visitors around the many historic buildings. Home of engineer Richard Trevithick, honoured each April with Trevithick Day festival. School of Mines Geological Museum & Art Gallery. Mineral Tramways Discovery Centre at nearby Pool. Cornish Mines & Engines (NT) includes Industrial Discovery Centre and working beam engines.

THE CAMEL ESTUARY
An outstandingly beautiful estuary with golden sands on either side is crowned on one side by the old and attractive fishing town of Padstow with its little winding street and picturesque harbour, whilst on the other the most popular select village of Rock, with its expensive bungalows and open sandy countryside. As unlike chalk and cheese, but separated only by five minutes on the foot ferry. Each boasts miles of golden sands and the estuary offers some of the safest waters off Cornwall, whilst further seawards are all the thrills of crashing surf and spray. Both sides of the estuary offer a wide spectrum of activities, sailing, sail-boarding, riding, golf, boat trips and virtually every conceivable seaside activity. The paths on either shore repay the walker with some of the lovliest scenery in the South West. Inns, restaurants and shops abound.

CAMELFORD
Historic town, good walking centre. Close to Bodmin Moor and Slaughter Bridge, legendary site of King Arthur's last battle. Museum, gallery, Indian King Arts Centre, British Cycling Museum. Nearby Crowdy Reservoir for trout fishing and Moorland Flying Club at Davidstow.

CAPE CORNWALL
Only cape (NT) in England and Wales. Chimney on summit from Cape Cornwall mine, abandoned in 1870. Fine walking country. Off-shore, Brisons reef has macabre record for shipwrecks.

CARBIS BAY
Mile east of St Ives, and a resort in its own right. Sheltered beach, ideal for children, windsurfing and water-skiing. Rosamunde Pilcher associations.

CARDINHAM
Three mile northeast of Bodmin and midway between the north and south coasts. Cardinham lies between Bodmin Moor and the lovely wooded valley of the River Fowey. The earthworks of the old castle, once belonging to the Earls of Cornwall, commands the steep valleys leading to the village. The ancient trackways across Cardinham Downs show the importance of the place in former times and include both the modern A30 running north to Launceston and the A38 going east to Plymouth. The area is ideal for walking, riding and exploring, yet is only twelve miles from the sea.

CARLYON BAY
Crinnis beach south-east of St Austell. Neighbouring Polgaver is only accredited naturist beach in Cornwall. 18-hole parkland golf course.

CAWSAND
With neighbouring Kingsand, this tiny village once operated one of the largest smuggling fleets in the West Country. Now yacht anchorage at mouth of Tamar. Wide bay beneath wooded heights of Penlee. Mount Edgcumbe Country Park nearby. Start of Cornwall section of SW Coast Path.

CHAPEL AMBLE
Chapel Amble is a small unspoilt attractive village at the head of a once tidal stream in the Parish of St Kew. It has a post office stores and a very good local pub. Two miles upstream, nestled in a wooded valley, is St Kew with its 16th Century church, Georgian Vicarage and Inn. Wadebridge is four miles away and both villages are ideally situated for the sandy beaches on the Camel Estuary.

CHAPEL PORTH
Magnificent beach, approached through fold in cliffs, close to St Agnes on north coast. Administered by National Trust. Best access at low tide.

CHARLESTOWN
Familiar TV location for Poldark and The Onedin Line. Shipwreck and Heritage Centre. Built in 1801 for import of coal and export of China Clay. Remains a Georgian time capsule. Now provides permanent berth for square-riggers.

CONSTANTINE BAY
The road climbs steeply up the hill among winding byways of cottages with flower filled gardens to a church that has looked out for 500 years on the glorious landscape of the Helford River area and its romantic hideaway creeks. On the hill, in a hollow, lies the traditional farming village of Constantine. A charming unspoilt corner of the County with its woods, wild flowers, historic quays, National Trust gardens and land and yet within half a dozen miles of some splendid sandy beaches.

COVERACK
Old smugglers' haunt and fishing village with large sheltered beach. Small harbour, inn, cafe, shops and art gallery. Former RNLI station, close to feared Manacles reef. Ancient megaliths, the Giant's Quoits, at nearby Rosenithon.

CRACKINGTON HAVEN
On the north coast of Cornwall, at the bottom of a steep sided, gorse-clad valley, the hamlet grew up round a small bathing cove. Protected by the towering cliffs, the beach could be used to launch fishing boats. Much of the area is owned by the National Trust. Strangles Beach is overlooked by High Cliff, at 731 feet the highest sea cliff in Cornwall. These cliffs are covered in loose stones and can be very dangerous. Tiny St Genny's church has rare altar tabernacle.

CRANTOCK
Across Gannel Estuary from Newquay (seasonal passenger ferry, end of May to Sept, footbridge subject to tides). Pretty village with central Round Garden (NT). Good beach, with caves. Thatched Old Albion Inn has smugglers' hideaway.

CREMYLL
A port on Plymouth Sound, this is where the passenger ferry from Devon first lads you on Cornish soil. It has a well known boat building yard and a waterfront pub.

CROHANS
An attractive small group of traditional cottages to one side of a lane in a rural hamlet about 1.5 miles from Portloe and 2.5 from the long sandy beach at Pendower. The villages of Tregony (3 miles) and Veryan (1.5 miles) have small shops and a village pub

DELABOLE
Historic slate quarry, 500ft deep and 400 years old. Guided tours. Wind farm.

DEVORAN
Early 19thC Mineral Tramways port on Restronguet Creek. Walks and cycle routes along old tramways to Hayle on north coast.

DOBWALLS
Theme park of miniature US railways with award-winning Edwardian countryside museum & art gallery. Three miles north, beauty spot of Golitha Falls. Fishing and watersports at Siblyback Lake.

DOWNDERRY
Small village resort close to Seaton Valley Countryside Park and beach. Sanctuary for Amazon monkeys at nearby Murraytown.

DOZMARY POOL
On southern slopes of Bodmin Moor. Here, according to Arthurian legend, hand emerged from water to receive Excalibur.

DULOE
Duloe means "two lakes". It is on high ground between the West and East Looe Rivers. The village has a quartz stone circle, 38ft in diameter, reputedly to be older than Stonehenge. Church of St Cuby and St Leonard has 13thC tower.

EAST MOOR
This delightful area to the north and east of Bodmin Moor runs down to the pretty wooded valleys of the Tamar and Inny rivers. This is an area of unspoilt beauty with excellent walks both on the moor and in the soft countryside hereabouts. It is still only a maximum drive of half an hour from both north and south coasts. Although some of the villages have pubs and village shops the nearest town is Launceston, the original gateway to Cornwall, protected by its castle.

FALMOUTH
Leading south coast resort. Third largest natural harbour in the world, with bustling waterfront, marina, four bathing beaches, Henry VIII's Pendennis Castle and strong maritime tradition. Four sub-tropical public gardens in town, and nearby Glendurgan (NT) and Trebah Gardens. Cornwall Maritime Museum, Art Gallery, Arts Centre and Princess Pavilion. Championship sailing, river cruises, and passenger ferries to St Mawes, Truro, Tolverne and Helford. Ships & Castles leisure centre, golf course, nearby Swanpool beach and nature reserve.

FEOCK
Situated mid-way between the County town of Truro and the old packet Port of Falmouth, Feock is one of the prettiest villages in Cornwall. The village nestles on the slopes of the Carrick Roads, a mixture of thatched, cream washed cottages and a few well built modern houses. The boating beach at Loe provides some swimming, fishing, sailing and similar activities 800 yards from the village centre. The National Trust gardens at Trelissick and a golf centre are within two miles and the King Harry Ferry is a picturesque short cut to the beaches of the Roseland. The village has a post office/ stores but Truro and Falmouth, an easy drive away, offer a wider selection of shops and amenities.

FLUSHING
Owes name to seamen from Vlissingen, Holland, who settled here in 17thC, and retains Dutch appearance. Flushing looks southward across Penryn river and a magnificent harbour towards the town of Falmouth. A century or so ago it shared all the bustle of its sister town as the place where the Packet Captains lived. Today, Flushing has subsided into a peaceful backwater with its houses and slate hung cottages lining the magnificent sea walls and climbs away up the hillside by way of quaintly crooked streets. The stretches of golden sands of Falmouth are a mile away, by frequent passenger ferry, or four miles by road.

FOWEY
Historic seafaring town, home of Fowey Gallants in Hundred Year War, the Troy Town of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch. Associations with Daphne du Maurier, festival takes place in May. Narrow main street clings to waterside, offering intriguing glimpses of boats of every description. Excellent beaches nearby. Town museum, Mabel Lucie Attwell Museum and Du Maurier Literary Centre.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel/Fax: + 44 (0) 1726 833616

GERRANS BAY
It is hard to know where this charming old village begins and Portscatho ends. Despite their proximity they are quite different in character and both have their own village centres and group of shops, Inns and a church. Secluded sweep of Roseland from Portscatho to Nare Head (National Trust), including Porthcurnick, Porthbean, Pendower and Carne beaches.

GODREVY
Extensive sandy beach to east of St Ives Bay, with lighthouse island featured in Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse. Navax Point (NT) famous for seals.

GOONHAVERN
World in Miniature, Kernewek Pottery. At nearby Rose village, St Piran's Round (private), home of Cornish Miracle Plays, possibly oldest theatre site in Europe. At Penhallow, Callestock Cider Farm.

GOLANT
Waterside village near Fowey. Nearby Castle Dore earthworks reputedly the site of King Mark's castle, in the legend of Tristan and Iseult.

GOONHAVERN
The nearest beaches to the small hamlet of Goonhavern are at Perranporth (3 miles) with long open stretches of golden sands backed by dunes. Newquay, a 15 minute drive (6 miles), provides the fullest range of holiday activities and entertainments in the County and superb beaches comparable to any in the world. Goonhavern itself has a pub and post office/general store. Truro, the County Town, is 7 miles to the south - a cheerful, bustling market town.

GOONHILLY DOWNS
Notable for its Satellite Earth Station (guided tours, visitors' centre), prehistoric monuments and barrows, and National Nature Reserve of 103 acres, habitat of rare heathers. Wind farm.

GORRAN HAVEN AREA
Tucked away on the south eastern tip of the Roseland Peninsula, Gorran Haven is one of those remarkable Cornish coves that most visitors to the County will not find. The lane winds downhill following the valley floor towards a small harbour and sizable sandy beach with towering cliffs on either side. On the upper slopes there are some modern houses but towards the harbour and the old part of the village are narrow crooked streets and pretty cottages set in a charming disorder. Most day to day requirements are available in the village and there is a pub.

GRAMPOUND
The name comes from "Grand Pont", as the village was the lowest crossing point on the River Fal. Before the voting reforms of 1820, Grampound was a classic rotten borough, returning two MPs and only having two voters! It is now a small village on the busy main road from St Austell to Truro. There is a toll house on the bridge, a guildhall, clock tower and tannery, all showing its importance in the past.

GULVAL
A quiet village of Victorian houses and cottages round a 15th century church. A few miles from Gulval is Chysauster, a late Iron Age village. It has nine courtyard houses, grouped on either side of the village street. It was inhabited from the first century BC , for the following four hundred years.

GUNNISLAKE
Seven-arched road bridge, built 1520, was main route into Cornwall. Precipitous hills. Scene of Civil War skirmish. Skeletal remains of tin and copper mines. Tamar Valley Donkey Park nearby.

GUNWALLOE
Charming cove to west of Lizard Peninsula, adjoining Church Cove on which St Winwalloe church overlooks beach. Separate bell tower. First transatlantic radio signals transmitted by Marconi from Poldhu Point monument.

GWEEK
Formerly a busy port at head of Helford River. Now picturesque village with maritime antiquities, boatyards, crafts and the National Seal Sanctuary with its underwater observatory.

GWENNAP
Gwennap Pit, grass-covered amphitheatre formed by collapsed mine workings, where Wesley preached. Since 1807 hosts annual Whit Monday service. Museum of Cornish Methodism.

GWITHIAN
Chalets and high dunes, or towans, border 3-mile stretch of excellent sands to east of St Ives Bay.

HAYLE
Former seaport and foundry town. Granite railway viaduct. Expanse of sands and estuary of interest to ornithologists. Rare birds, endangered animals and falconry displays at Paradise Park. Richard Trevithick built his first steam-powered road carriage here.

HELFORD
Picture postcard village on Helford River and yachtsman's haven. Daphne du Maurier's Frenchman's Creek to west. Beauty and solitude.

HELSTON
'Quaint old Cornish town' of the Furry Dance, which each May spins through decorated streets, gardens and shops. Bob Fitzsimmons, world heavyweight boxing champion, born here. Victorian Guildhall, Folk Museum, Loe Pool and Penrose Estate (NT) for walks. Nearby RNAS Culdrose with viewing enclosure and Air Day in July. Flambards Village and Poldark Mine are leading tourist attractions.

HOLYWELL BAY
Attractive beach with towering sand dunes (NT) west of Newquay. Leisure park and golf club.

KENNACK SANDS
Popular beach on Lizard Peninsula. Ruins of serpentine factory at nearby Carleon Cove (NT).

KINGSAND
The village of Kingsand is a historical fishing villages, unspoilt by time and here you will find colour washed old cottages, narrow streets, pubs, restaurants and shops catering for your every need. Frequent winners of the Best Kept Village award and a conservation area set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Stands 600 feet above the sea, three miles south of Morwenstow. It is a large attractive village in the heart of "Grenville country" - Sir Richard (cousin of Walter Raleigh and friend of Sir Francis Drake) was born here in the 16th Century and Sir Bevil in the 17th Century. Nearby Stowe Barton was the house of the Grenville family. It was built on the site of Stowe House, once one of the most magnificent homes in England and described by Charles Kingsley in "Westward Ho!". The church, standing in the village street by a quaint courtyard of cottages, speaks eloquently of heraldry, and it is obvious that rich men have lavished their wealth upon it. It contains some of the finest work in Cornwall, from its Norman south doorway to its large collection of bench-ends and fine window tracery of the 15th and 16th centuries.

KYNANCE COVE
Famed beauty spot northwest of Lizard village. Sheltered sandy coves and caves at low tide. Largest outcrop of serpentine rock in Britain. Cafe. Steep path from cliff top car park (NT).

LAMORNA COVE
Craggy cove with small quay, west of Mousehole, immortalised by artist Lamorna Birch, author Derek Tangye and Cornish folk song. Walking country. Merry Maidens and the Pipers standing stones nearby.

LAND'S END
Mainland Britain's most westerly point. Awe-inspiring cliff scenery, views to Long ships and Wolf Rock lighthouses and 28 miles west, the Isles of Scilly. Heritage centre, tourist attraction.

The parish church tower is 100 feet high and one of the finest in Cornwall. NW of the village is Helman Tor, which has a rocking logan just below the summit. Also on this hill are the traces of a Neolithic settlement and a huge pile of flat boulders called the Cup and Saucer Rock.

Is set in a secluded valley three miles east of Bude; it is away from everywhere, charming in its loveliness among the fields. The church of St. Swithin has a very old door with an immense lock leading us to a delightfully unrestored interior with some fine examples of carved bench-ends, barrel roofs and some interesting 15th Century floor tiles from the Barnstaple potteries. The grave of the famous inventor, Sir Goldsworthy Gurney, lies here and 40 yards south of the church is the small but impressive well of St. Swithin.

LAUNCESTON
Capital of Cornwall until 1838. Dominated by Norman keep, Chateau Terrible of Malory's Morte d'Arthur, built by Robert of Mortain. Outer and inner baileys of 12th & 13thC. St Mary Magdalene Church features exquisite carvings. Steam railway, museum. Nearby Tamar Otter Park, Trethorne Leisure Farm, Lakeside Art Gallery.

LELANT
Thriving seaport in Middle Ages. Church and 16thC Abbey, golf course, sanctuary for wading birds on Saltings. Rosamunde Pilcher associations. Scenic rail link to St Ives.

LISKARD
Busy market town, once linked by canal to Looe. Church, Guildhall and Stuart House of interest, 16thC Pipe Well. Nearby, St Keyne Well, mechanical music museum, and Dobwalls Family Adventure Park. Scenic rail link to Looe.

LITTLE PETHERICK
A collection of picturesque cottages and a delightful Church at the head of a creek which juts inland from the Camel estuary. Only a few miles by road from some of the lovliest beaches and cliff walks in Cornwall. The busy harbour of Padstow is ten minutes drive.

LIZARD PENINSULA
Craggy, cliff scenery to the west, wooded vales to the east, and inland, windswept Goonhilly Downs. Fishing villages of Mullion Cove (NT), Cadgwith, Coverack. Beaches include Poldhu, Polurrian, Kynance Cove (NT), Kennack Sands. Trelowarren Tudor manor with craft shop, bistro, gallery and visitor centre. Tours of Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station and visitor centre.

LIZARD VILLAGE
Serpentine craft shops, cafes, art galleries and an inn clustered around village green. Walks to lighthouse, lifeboat station and mainland Britain's most southerly point.

LOOE
East and West Looe joined by Victorian seven-arched bridge. Holiday resort of character, with several beaches, bustling quayside, unique Banjo Pier, museum & South East Cornwall Discovery Centre. Monkey sanctuary at nearby Murraytown, mechanical musical instrument museum at St Keyne, folk and farm museum at Lanreath.

LOSTWITHIEL
Quiet, charming 13thC
capital of Cornwall with Tudor bridge, Guildhall, Old Duchy Palace, St Bartholomew's church and Duchy of Cornwall Nursery. Also golf course and town museum. Restormel Castle, to north, besieged in Civil War. Braddock Down, to east, site of Royalist victory.

LUXULYN
The village contains a number of granite cottages, a 15th century church with a turreted tower. A massive viaduct was built by the mine owner, Joseph Treffry in 1842 to take ore to the port at Par. St Cyor's Holy Well, under a stone canopy at the lower end of the village, is now dried up. There is a local vantage point at Helman Tor.

MADRON
Church with Trafalgar Banner, celebrating Nelson's victory. Trengwainton Gardens (NT). Moorlands to north rich in antiquities: Lanyon Quoit; Men-an-Tol; Maen Scryfa inscribed stone and Iron Age Ch-n Castle hillfort to south-west.

MALPAS
Situated in the enchanting Parish of St Clement, 1.5 miles from Truro, Malpas enjoys superb views across the confluence of the rivers Truro and Tresillian. A drive along the riverside through lanes shaded by leafy green trees leads unexpectedly to a few cottages set beside quiet waters. The village has the usual post office and Inn. For the beach going family, the coves and bays of the Roseland Peninsula are a drive of less than 30 minutes. Towards Falmouth, Loe beach on the Carrick Roads is 6.5 miles.

MARAZION
Cornwall's oldest charter town. Overlooks 12thC St Michael's Mount (NT) and Mount's Bay. Good stretch of sands, windsurfing centre.

lies on the disused canal just two miles south-east of Bude. It was founded as a monastic settlement by St. Morwenna and every year, on the Monday after 12th August, the ancient Marhamchurch Revel is held to celebrate the Saint's good works. A Queen of the Revel is elected from among the village schoolgirls and crowned by Father Time on the spot in front of the church where St. Morwenna's cells once stood. A procession, led by the local band and the newly crowned Queen riding on horseback, then passes through the village to the Revel Ground.

MAWGAN PORTH
Tall granite cliffs on either flank, Atlantic rollers, white surf and sandy beaches, Mawgan Porth is many people's dream of what a Cornish cove should be. The road from Newquay (5 miles) winds down one hillside, flattens for a few hundred yards before it starts to climb up the opposite side of the vale. There is a small garage, a cafe-cum-beach shop, a licensed restaurant and of course the village Inn. With the tide out the cove provides a multitude of rock pools and small caves to explore whilst for the energetic Bedruthan Steps are just two miles to the north. There is a pay and play 18 hole golf course at Mawgan Porth.

MAWNAN SMITH
13thC church at head of Helford Estuary. Four outstanding gardens: Penjerrick, Trebah, Carwinion and Glendurgan (NT). Fishing hamlet of Durgan (NT) nearby. Good walks.

MEVAGISSEY
Working fishing port, largest in St Austell Bay. Cob cottages spill down to harbour walls from steep valley. Beaches at Portmellon and Gorran Haven. Model railway and museum. Outstanding Lost Gardens of Heligan to north-west.

MINIONS
Moorland hamlet with highest pub in Cornwall, curious Cheesewring rock formation, Bronze Age stone circles, mine ruins and Mine & Moorland Heritage Centre. Sterts Open-Air Theatre & Arts Centre and Lynher Valley Dairy (home of Cornish Yarg nettle cheese) at nearby Upton Cross.

MITHIAN
A pretty little village with a pub, post box and public telephone. Only 1.5 miles from Trevaunance cove and the shops and amenities of St Agnes, 2.5 miles from Perranporth.

MOUNT EDGCUMBE
Country park incorporating stretch of Heritage coastline to Whitsand Bay. House, gardens, park. Nearby Queen Anne mansion of Antony House (National Trust) and its Woodland Garden.

A tiny parish with a church dating back to 14th century, a recently rediscovered holy well, and a thriving community arts centre.

Like Marhamchurch, has a church dedicated to St. Morwenna. Standing high above the sea, about 7 miles north of Bude, the church is very impressive with much remaining of the original Norman building including the south doorway and the font. There is also work of the 13th, 15th and 16th centuries and some fine wagon roofs. During the Last century, the originator of the Harvest Festival, the eccentric poet/priest Robert Hawker was Vicar here. The chimneys of the rectory, which he had built, each represent buildings with which he had earlier been associated. He showed great concern for shipwrecked sailors, campaigning vigorously against the wreckers in his parish and had a shipwreck lookout on the cliffs nearby.

MOUSEHOLE
Classic fishing village west of Penzance, once a major pilchard landing port. Retains considerable character. Burned by Spanish privateers in 1595. Bird hospital. Famous Christmas lights. Tom Bawcock's Eve (Dec 23rd) celebrated with fish lantern procession and Star-Gazey Pies.

MOUNT HAWKE
Two miles from the surfing beach of Porthtowan, and set in beautiful countryside. Fully modernised cottages are in a small terrace on the outskirts of Mount Hawke, with its pub, small restaurant, grocery shops and post office. St Agnes is two miles away with shops and a tennis court.

MOUNTS BAY
Mounts Bay lies at the heart of a great sweep of coastline that runs from Lands End in the West to the Lizard point in the East. At the heart of the bay lies the town of Penzance.

MULLION
Bustling village with good facilities. Interesting church with carved bench-ends. Cove has pretty working harbour of Porth Mellin (NT). Excellent cliff walking. Marconi monument stands above family beach at Poldhu Cove. Polurrian Cove popular with surfers.

MYLOR
One of the most sought after villages in Cornwall, Mylor has been the haunt of sailors throughout the ages, although those now coming ashore from their 40 footers are perhaps rather more restrained than their predecessors who did so when the village was the sight of the smallest Royal Dockyard in Great Britain. Reference must be made to the clock-tower in miniature-no more than 20ft high with a full chiming clock and intricately worked weather-vane, also the beautiful church and the sentiments expressed on some of the gravestones. One commemorating Thomas Jones, a poor but no doubt honest smuggler shot to death by Excise men, reads, "Officious Zeal in luckless hour laid wait and willfully sent the murderous ball of fate". Times and sentiments don't change that much.

NANCLEDRA
A hamlet mid-way between north and south coasts and ideally situated for exploring the winding streets, art galleries and lovely beaches of St Ives, 3 miles to the north , or the bustling harbour town of Penzance 4 miles south and the stepping-off point by sea or air to the Isles of Scilly.

NEWLYN
Largest fish landing port in England and Wales, adjoining Penzance. Home of Newlyn School of Artists. Contemporary art gallery. Pilchard Works, a re-creation of the pilchard packing industry.

NEWQUAY
Cornwall's most popular and liveliest resort with fine beaches. Major centre for surfing. Zoo, golf course, Trenance Leisure Park, Waterworld, Sea Life Centre, Tunnels Through Time and plentiful night life. Balloon Festival and Celebrate the1900s week in July. Nearby, Elizabethan Trerice Manor (NT), DairyLand Farm World and Lappa Valley Steam Railway.

NEW POLZEATH
A glorious headland just north of the surfing beach of Polzeath, with lovely views over the beach and the Camel Estuary to Daymer Bay and Trevose Head. Mostly National Trust land, there are coastal walks, viewpoints and New Polzeath beach merely a few minutes drive down the hill.

PADSTOW
Once ecclesiastical capital of Cornwall, built on hillside overlooking Camel Estuary. Many intact medieval buildings fringing busy harbour. 15thC Abbey House, 16thC Court House of Sir Walter Raleigh, Tudor mansion of Prideaux Place. Home of the centuries-old 'Obby 'Oss May Day dance. Fine beaches at St George's Well and Trevone Bay. Camel Trail follows former railway line. Nearby Animal Playland farm attraction.

PAR
Developed as a mineral port by Joseph Treffry between 1829 and 1841. The harbour has been owned by English China Clay since 1964, with around a million tons of clay now being exported through the port, though the port is now in decline.

PENDEEN
The village of Pendeen outside of St. Just on the coast road to St.Ives.

PENRYN
Ancient Cornish town at head of Penryn river with a wealth of charm, character and history. Mentioned in Domesday Survey 1086, and sheltered port of significance in 15thC. Many interesting buildings and courtyards

PENZANCE
Bustling town and harbour. Cornwall's only promenade. Open-air art deco seawater Jubilee Swimming Pool. Ideal centre for touring Land's End. Rail network terminus. Maritime Museum, Cornwall Geological Museum, Egyptian House (Landmark Trust), Trinity House Lighthouse Centre, Penlee House Art Gallery & Museum and Acorn Theatre. Home of Mazey Day and Golowan Festival, with music, theatre and carnival processions. Morrab and Trengwainton (NT) gardens. Stepping-off point for Isles of Scilly, by ferry or helicopter, or Skybus (fixed-wing) from Land's End aerodrome at St Just (5 miles).

PERRANPORTH
Family resort on 3-mile beach, popular for surfing and sand yachting. October Celtic music and dance festival - Lowender Peran. Folk museum, golf course, boating lake. Celtic cross on cliffs. Chapel of St Piran buried beneath sands. First Poldark novel written here by Winston Graham. Local airfield popular for gliding. Tourist Information Centre

PHILLACK
This peaceful village with its ancient church, sits on a sunny hill overlooking the Hayle Estuary Bird Sanctuary, and backs on to the extensive sand dunes of Mexico Towans which leads to the three mile sandy beach which runs from the mouth of the Hayle Estuary to Godrevy Lighthouse

PHILLEIGH
Pretty village on Roseland Peninsula near River Fal. Nearby Tolverne and Smuggler's Cottage with D-Day embarkation memorabilia, and summer passenger ferry to Falmouth.

POLPERRO
Showpiece harbour village. Picturesque and tightly packed cottages tumble down to fish quay on inner harbour, once packed with pilchard luggers. Many houses of interest, Couch's House (1595), House on Props, Old Watch House. South West Coast Path to bays and beaches.

POLYPHANT
This pretty and unspoilt rural village, with its village green, an unusual feature for a Cornish village, lies on the eastern edge of Bodmin Moor. Surrounded by farmland it offers a quiet and relaxing base from which to explore the surrounding area, an ideal place for the walker yet almost equidistant from both coasts which are approximately a 25 minute drive. The old capital of Cornwall, Launceston, with its Castle, shops, golf and a swimming pool, is about four miles.

POLZEATH
Betjeman country, extolled in his verse. Poet buried at the church of St Enodoc on sand dunes. Daymer Bay and Trebetherick are fine bathing and surfing beaches. Good walking. (See also New Polzeath).

PONSANOOTH
In the 18th and 19th Century the banks of the Kennall River were throbbing with industry, ranging from corn milling to iron founding. In a 7-mile stretch of the river there were 48 water wheels. It may be doubted if, within the same short distance, another such stream can be found in England.

PORTH
Situated at the end of a valley between Newquay and Watergate Bay, Porth offers a safe sandy beach and large car park as well as a pub and a small shop.

PORTHALLOW & PORTHOUSTOCK
Former pilchard fishing villages. Secluded shingle coves, notable for angling and diving, on east of Lizard. Close to Manacles reef.

PORTHCURNO
Exquisite beach with tortuous approach road, south-east of Land's End. Famous clifftop Minack open-air Theatre, founded by Rowena Cade, performances May to mid-Sept, overlooking Logan Rock. Museum of Submarine Telegraphy.

PORTHGWARRA
Quaint fishing village on southern tip of Land's End peninsula. Beach. Coast walks.

PORTHLEVEN
Holiday centre and working fishing harbour with storm booms, granite pier and small beach. Waterfront inns, restaurants, fish centre, galleries and craft shops. Nearby Loe Bar separates largest freshwater lake in Cornwall from the sea. Excellent coastal walks to east and west, inland to Helston via Loe Pool and Penrose Estate (NT).

PORTHOLLAND
The tiny hamlets of East and West Portholland are inhabited by a total of approximately forty permanent residents. Clinging to the coves in which they are situated during winter gales, and they bask in the glorious sunshine that comes in spring and often lasts through autumn.

PORTHPEAN
Porthpean is a small coastal village, three miles from the centre of St Austell town. John Betjeman said of it ' but at Porthpean and Trenarren beyond it, unexpectedly the old Cornwall survives. Here are Cornish elms and fields sloping down to the sea and at Porthpean a charming beach under a yellow stone cliff from which the long outline of Gribben Head may be seen across the bay'. The beach itself, which is sandy, is extremely popular with local dinghy sailors. The Sailing Club is said to make visitors very welcome. Not a particularly well known one, the beach is not over commercialised. A nine hole golf club and driving range looks out over the bay.

PORTHSCATHO
On the south coast of the Roseland Peninsula but backed by the Percuil Estuary only a mile away, this little village sits on the cliffs above a sandy bay looking out across Gerrans Bay to Nare Head and Gull Rock. It is an uncomplicated place with good bathing, boating and fishing, a pub, a few shops and of course, inland the glories of Roseland. Porthcurnick beach with sand and rock pools is on the spot but there are 3 other sandy beaches within a couple of miles. The Percuil Estuary gives access to Falmouth Bay by boat as well as providing sheltered water for sailing and wind surfing.

PORTHTOWAN
Typical cove, set in cliffs on north coast, west of St Agnes. Good beach. Surfing.

PORT ISAAC
Narrow twisting streets, fish cellars, geranium-filled alleys ('drangs'), small beach. Fishing harbour since Middle Ages. Fine church and twice-yearly music festival at nearby St Endellion. Nearby Long Cross Victorian Gardens.

PORTLOE
Portloe, tucked far down in the Roseland Peninsula, is one of those small fishing hamlets that escaped the tourist boom of the 50's and 60's. Stoutly built cottages with slated grey roofs cluster around the shores of a small Cornish cove and along the lower slopes of the well sheltered and secluded valley. The National Trust own much of the surrounding land and there are walks to suit all tastes - that along the Heritage footpath to Nare Head is particularly recommended - a kaleidoscope of ever changing seascapes. The Luggar Hotel with a countrywide reputation is down the valley by the foreshore.

PORTREATH
Thriving holiday centre with family beach, north of Camborne. 18thC harbour with narrow entrance, built by Basset family for coal imports and copper exports, served by steep railtrack. Starting point for Mineral Tramway walks. Good cliff walks and Tehidy Country Park close by.

PORTSCATHO
Pleasant, secluded Roseland village and beach. TV drama The Camomile Lawn filmed near here.

PORTWRINKLE
Tiny resort on Whitsand Bay, originally developed around medieval harbour. Beaches, golf course, South West Coast Path.

Is a picturesque village just one mile northeast of Bude and winner of the Best Kept Village award on a number of occasions. The church of St. Olaf is one of the treasure houses of Cornwall, from its Norman font and wonderful collection of bench-ends (78 in all) telling the story of the Passion in remarkable detail, to the pair of immense 15th Century paintings of St. Christopher facing each other across the nave. The old Iychgates are kept in the tower and the huge Royal Coat of Arms is dated 1655, a reminder that the Headquarters of Sir Bevil Grenville, during the Civil War, was at nearby Stowe Barton.

Three miles north-west of Week St. Mary, is the site of Penfound Manor, the oldest inhabited manor house in Britain. Part Saxon, part Norman with Elizabethan and Stuart additions, it was mentioned in the Domesday Book and even boasts a friendly ghost. Unfortunately this fascinating Manor is not open to the public. The 14th century Guildhouse, restored in 1919, is the only one still in use in Cornwall, the upper floor of the two storey cob and stone building has a lofty timbered roof and medieval doorway.

PRAA SANDS
Mile-long family beach on Mount's Bay. Golf course. Walks to clifftop mine houses at Rinsey.

PROBUS
Probus grew as a wool town, which funded the tallest church tower in Cornwall. 123 ft of carved moonstone, it was built in the 16th century and it dominates the small village. Large Georgian houses and old granite cottages line the broad main street leading to the church. Nationally recognised demonstration gardens. Trewithen House and Gardens nearby with nursery and cafe. (See also Grampound)

PRUSSIA COVE
Tiny cleft in cliff-face, haunt of famous 18thC smuggler, John Carter, self-styled King of Prussia. Location of the International Musicians Seminars.

REDRUTH
Architecture bears testament to rich mining history, celebrated each June with Murdoch Day festival. Town centre has cinema and range of shops. Cornish Studies Library. Derelict stackhouses abound in surrounding countryside. Overlooked by granite tor of Carn Brea, crowned with monument to mine-owner Francis Basset, with panoramic views, stone age hillfort and renovated castle. Circled by Great Flat Lode walking trail. Nearby Shire Horse Centre at Treskillard, Mineral Tramways Discovery Centre and Cornish Mines & Engines (NT) at Pool.

ROCHE
Pronounced Roach , the village gets its name from a granite outcrop east of the village. On the rock is a hermitage chapel of St Michael, built in 1409. The ruins of the chapel were last occupied by the family of local landowners when they contracted leprosy, and stayed here so that they would not infect the village. Admission to the chapel is free.

ROCK
Village in small estuary inlet, centre for dinghy sailing and windsurfing. Passenger ferry across Camel Estuary to Padstow. Beaches at Daymer Bay & Polzeath.

ROSE
A small hamlet about 1.5 miles from the long sandy surfing beach of Perranporth, the golf course and the wide expanse of dunes which offers lovely open walking. Rose has a small post office, the nearest shops and pub are at Goonhavern about 1 mile away. The County town of Truro is about 8 miles to the south, Newquay again 8 miles, is an easy 15 minute drive.

ROSELAND
Landscape artists and photographers alike talk of The Roseland as a grail of unspoilt beauty on the Cornish Riviera, with a variety of scenery unparalleled even on this spectacular coast.

RUAN LANIHORNE
Two houses in a fold of a rolling hill in one of the most delightful country settings in Cornwall. They nestle comfortably in lawned gardens which run down to the river Ruan, a little stream about 5 ft wide, bubbling over a bed of pebbles. The two houses are separated by a path, a flower bed and the tiny mill stream which flows under a private bridge between these two houses. The King's Head, which offers pub food, is two hundred yards down the road.

ST AGNES
Charming village, north of Truro, retaining links with industrial past. Famous for Stippy Stappy row of sea captain's cottages and surrounded by mine engine houses. Craft shops and art galleries. Two good surfing beaches, Chapel Porth (NT) and Trevaunance, once a busy port. Wheal Coates, on cliffs, exceptional engine house. Village museum, Presingoll Barns craft centre and Blue Hills Tin Streaming Works at Trevellas Coombe.

ST ANTHONY (ROSELAND)
Magnificent headland with lighthouse, WW2 battery observation post (NT) and beaches. Splendid views across Carrick Roads to Falmouth, Lizard Peninsula and infamous Manacle Rocks.

ST AUSTELL
Capital of 'Cornish Alps', ethereal white mini-mountains of china-clay industry. Bustling town with 15thC Holy Trinity church, market hall. St Austell Brewery Visitor Centre. Wheal Martyn China Clay Heritage Centre. Nearby, Mid-Cornwall Craft Centre at Biscovey, Automobilia motor museum at St Stephen, Charlestown Shipwreck & Heritage Centre. Tregrehan Garden and Pine Lodge Garden.

ST BREWARD
A typical Cornish moorland village with church, pub and a few shops. To the west the ground falls away sharply to the lovely Camel Valley and the well sheltered waters and sands of the estuary. The beaches there, at Rock and Daymer Bay, are about a 12 mile drive away, whilst the coastal sands of Trebarwith and Port Gaverne are 9 miles. The high untamed moorland of Bodmin Moor hugs the eastern edge of the village - but circles show that Stone Age Man was here about 3000 BC.

ST BURYAN
15thC church with rood screen, granite tower a daymark for shipping around Land's End. Film Straw Dogs shot here. Bronze & Iron Age relics, including 19-stone Merry Maidens circle.

ST CLEER
Moorland village with 15thC church and enclosed well. Neolithic Trethevy Quoit, inscribed Doniert Stone, Siblyback Lake and Golitha Falls nearby.

ST CLEMENT
A pretty hamlet south of Truro, on the wooded tidal Tresillian River. it has thatched whitewashed cottages, and a 13th century church which has a lych gate with a upper story room, used as a schoolroom in the past.

ST COLUMB MAJOR
The attractive village of St. Columb Major boasts an impressive Parish Church, with an unusual four-tier tower. Each year on Shrove Tuesday the villagers play the traditional medieval game of ‘Hurling the Silver Ball’, in which two teams of several hundred people attempt to carry a silver painted ball between two goals set two miles apart. Nearby Castle Downs is the site of an Iron Age Hill Fort called Castle-an-Dinas, and is well worth climbing for the spectacular views it offers at the top.

ST DAY
Mining village adjacent to Gwennap Pit, where Wesley preached. Heritage Trail takes in historic sites in St Day and nearby Lanner and Carharrack.

ST ERTH
This peaceful village has a mixture of traditional cottages and modern houses. It is ideally situated for touring local beauty spots and the beaches of the north and south coasts, as this is effectively the narrowest part of the Cornish Peninsula.

ST EWE
An attractive village, west of Mevagissey with a 14thC church with octagonal spire, inside the church are the village stocks, and a rood screen that is the only one in Cornwall to have survived the attentions of Cromwell's soldiers. Village stocks. Polmassick vineyard grows grapes in the wooded valley below the church and can be visited by the public.

ST GERMANS
Rural village with outstanding church, former Augustinian priory and cathedral church of Cornwall. 16thC almshouses. Tudor gateway leads to family home of Eliots.

Is a delightful little village perched 400 feet up on the cliff side just above Crackington Haven - it clings to the hillside and looks out to the great headlands which drop sheer down to the sea. The churchyard is so steep that one of its paths is almost level with the roof. Much of the church is as it stood in Norman England.

ST IVES
Magnificently situated, overlooking spectacular crescent of beaches. Fishing quarter a warren of stone cottages and cobbled alleys. Artists' colony for almost 100 years: Sickert, Whistler, Nicholson, Lanyon. Tate Gallery, Barbara Hepworth sculpture garden, Bernard Leach Pottery and numerous art galleries. Major arts and folk festival each September. Local museum and golf course.

ST JUST IN PENWITH
Mainland's most westerly town, next to Cape Cornwall (NT). Iron Age village of Carn Euny, Geevor mining heritage centre at Pendeen, Levant Beam Engine (NT), Crown engine houses at Botallack, Pendeen lighthouse. Flights to Isles of Scilly and pleasure flights from Land's End aerodrome at St Just.

ST JUST IN ROSELAND
Here you will find Cornwall's most photographed church, the 13th century St Justus church built right beside the water. On the site of a 5th century chapel, the churchyard slopes steeply upwards behind the church. A 19th century vicar brought in many tropical plants, and the combination of the church on the water's edge and the wonderful flowers and shrubs in the churchyard are pure magic

ST KEVERNE
Pleasant village with square on Lizard Peninsula. 400 shipwreck victims of nearby Manacles reef buried in churchyard. Statue celebrates leaders of 1497 Cornish rebellion. Annual August Ox Roast. Beaches at Porthallow, Coverack and Kennack Sands. Nature trails at Tregellast Barton Farm shop.

ST MAWES
Sheltered, popular sailing centre on Roseland, overlooking Falmouth. Three beaches and fine clover-leaf Tudor castle, sister to Pendennis castle. Ferries to Place Manor (summer) and Falmouth.

ST MAWGAN
The village of St Mawgan is just two miles up the vale from the beaches of Mawgan Porth. In a county that has many delightful villages, this must be one of the most attractive. There is a granite and slate manor house, once the home of Richard of Arundel, Marshall of England some 700 years ago, and two shops, also the Falcon Inn with its granite pillared porch which must have one of the lovliest gardens of any English pub. Although popular in high season, St Mawgan never loses its identity as a village and provides an excellent base for holidays. The two miles of golden sands of Watergate Bay are just over two miles away. Newquay with its many holiday entertainments is six miles away.

ST MERRYN
A cluster of gray slate cottages round the church of St Marina. Around is Trevose head with its lighthouse, and a number of good surf and swimming beaches. Mother Ivy's Bay is the home of the Padstow lifeboat, and Rick Stein, the TV cook. Between this bay and Harlyn Bay is Cataclews Point, which was quarried for the greenstone used for church fonts and windows. On the other southern side of Trevose Head is Constantine bay and Booby's Bay.

ST NEOT
Once thriving on wool, now famed for 15thC church with magnificent stained glass. Slate Caverns, Colliford Lake Park Education & Adventure nearby. Pottery and craft

ST NEWLYN EAST
Pretty village south of Newquay. Trerice Manor & gardens (NT), Lappa Valley Steam Railway nearby

ST TEATH
St Teath is one of those pleasant Cornish villages, typical of this part of the County, being set back a couple of miles from the north coast to secure the shelter of high ground from winter gales. Situated on the slopes of the lovely Allen Valley, the village is centred around a square with a clock tower, a handsome church, mostly 15th Century and, of course, the village Inn. St Teath is well place for a variety of beaches, coves and holiday activities. Trebarwith Strand is four miles away and the picturesque Port Isaac, 5 miles.

ST TUDY
Nestling close to Bodmin Moor in North Cornwall, lies the picturesque parish and village of St Tudy, which has a long and distinguished history. It has grown around the original Celtic graveyard (God's acre) now containing the beautiful Grade 1 listed parish church and interesting 'Clink' building to the north. The village name is derived from Tudy a 6^th Century monk and missionary strongly associated with the founding of monasteries and churches in Brittany.

SALTASH
17thC Guildhall, Mary Newman's cottage (home of Mrs Francis Drake). Tamar river cruises. Brunel's iron railway bridge (1859), suspension road bridge (1961). Nearby Trematon Castle (restricted access) associated with Black Prince.

SANCREED
An attractive inland village in the Lands End peninsula. It has a 15th century church with a carved rood screen and two noteworthy crosses in the churchyard. Above the village is Sancreed beacon with extensive views. A little to the west s the Iron age fort of Caer Bran, reached by footpath from Grumbla.. There is a well preserved Iron Age courtyard village at Carn Euny, reached from Brane.

SEATON
A notorious smuggling area in the last century because it was wild and remote. Brandy, silk and spices were brought in from Brittany.. Today the sheltered coast between Looe and Nare Head has a number of sandy tourist beaches. There is a monkey sanctuary at Murraytown a mile east of Seaton which has the first protected breeding colony of Amazonian Woolly monkeys in the world.

SENNEN
Far west village and bathing beach, voted 'cleanest in Britain' 1998. Popular with surfers. Lifeboat slip and former windlass house, now a crafts gallery. Cliff castle. Cliff walks to Land's End.

SHEVIOCK
This charming village, situated on the beautiful Rame Peninsula, is the perfect base for exploring an area of great natural beauty and secluded beaches. This is a popular area for sea angling and bird watching, and nearby Antony House is one of Cornwall’s most impressive stately homes.

STITHIANS
Inland rural village with nearby reservoir for watersports, south of Redruth. Second-largest agricultural show in Cornwall every July.

The parent town of Bude, probably dates back to Roman times, but it was as the stronghold of King Charles and the Royalists that it made its mark in history. During the Civil War the 7'4" Cornish giant, Anthony Payne, was enlisted as a bodyguard to the Royalist Sir Bevil Grenville. He fought beside Sir Bevil, Who commanded the King's army in the victorious battle at nearby Stamford Hill in 1643. Payne lived and died in the Grenville manor house at Stratton - now the Tree Inn. It is said that, when the giant died, the house had to be restructured to allow his huge coffin to be carried in and out. Many of the very fine churches of Cornwall still bear the Royal Crest decreed by the King in gratitude to his loyal Cornishmen during the Civil War.

TINTAGEL
Iron Age castle and Celtic settlement preceded the 13thC castle, legendary birthplace of King Arthur. Old Post Office (NT), 14thC.

TORPOINT
Antony House and Woodland Gardens (NT). Mount Edgcumbe Country Park nearby. Car ferry to Plymouth. Views of Royal Navy Dockyard and home of HMS Raleigh naval training centre.

TREBARWITH STRAND
The only easily accessible beach between Polzeath and Crackington Haven. Car park, beachside inn and good surfing spot.

TREGONY
A rotten borough which sent two MP's to Westminster until 1832. On the River Fal, which used to be navigable up to Tregony, limestone and coal were imported and hides exported. Eventually the river silted up and the port declined. Of note in the village are a steep row of balconied almshouses built in 1696 and rebuilt in 1895.

TREGREHAN MILLS
A small rather forgotten village close to the boundaries of the Tregrehan Estate. Now bypassed by the main road it retains a small post office/ store, chapel and village playing field. Local bridle and footpaths can be reached easily and the Britannia Inn, good food and a golf links are within a few minutes drive together with a wider range of shops, garden centres and local markets. There are several beaches within a ten minute drive.

TREKNOW
This small village is one of the seven Parishes of Tintagel. Its main attraction is that it is only a 15 - 30 minute walk across the fields to glorious Trebarwith Strand. The pleasant Mill House Inn is a short walk away as is a small general store. Tintagel is two miles away.

TRELIGGA
An unspoilt secluded hamlet within sight of the sea and surrounded by fields, reached by a winding narrow lane. About six miles by road from Port Isaac and about 15 minutes drive from Rock and Polzeath, it has two 'local' beaches. Trebarwith Strand, which can also be reached by footpath, about 1.5 miles away and the little known Tregardock about a mile away. The latter has sand and rocks but a rather difficult access for younger children

TRENALE
A pretty hamlet of cottages around a small green, which has a telephone box, about half a mile from Tintagel and 2.5 miles from the sandy beach at Trebarwith Strand. Bossiney, a steady 20 minute walk. It has a sandy beach at low tide and with the picturesque harbour village of Boscastle about 2.5 miles to the North East it provides a pleasant rural base from which to explore.

TRENARREN
A hamlet standing at the gateway to Black Head, which separates St Austell and Mevagissey Bays, and mid-way between Porthpean and Pentewan. It has remained rural and remarkably unchanged, and consists of half a dozen pretty cottages and gardens, a large house and a post box, all nestled in a coombe that slips down to a tiny cove between lovely cliff walks on the headland.

TRESILLIAN
Once the lowest bridging point on the Truro River, and the highest navigable point from the sea. In 1646 the Royalist and parliamentarian forces signed a cease-fire. The Wheel Inn was the headquarters of the Parliamentary army - the inn has a spoked wheel of straw on its thatched roof. On the other bank is the Tregothan estate, home of Lord Falmouth (not open to the public).

TRURO
Cornwall's commercial and administrative centre, with three-spired cathedral completed 1910. Impressive Georgian town houses. Royal Cornwall Museum & Art Gallery and The Hall for Cornwall, a major performing arts venue with year-round programme. Cornwall County Music Festival. Excellent pedestrianised shopping centre. Cinema, leisure centre, Victoria Gardens with summer events programme, Boscawen Park. City walks with Blue Badge Guides in season. Boat trips from Town Quay/Malpas to Falmouth. Bosvigo and Trelissick (NT) gardens nearby.

VERYAN
Described by Arthur Mee as 'A Cornish delight in a leafy dell', Veryan is a slightly haphazard grouping of cottages centered around an ancient 13th Century church and the traditional Inn. Famous for 19thC thatched round houses. Interesting church, art gallery. Caerhays Castle, designed by John Nash, has gardens open during Cornwall Gardens Festival. Tumulus at Carne supposedly grave of King Geraint. Vineyard. Certainly a village that retains its strong Cornish identity and shows every sign of much tender loving care. There are five curious round houses sitting under thatches, for all the world like some scaled-up version of the elusive piskey house. One could have a marvelous holiday here without straying more than a mile from the village green. The sandy beach of Gwendra is just over a mile away.

WADEBRIDGE
Busy market town served by 15thC 14-arched road bridge. Victorian rail link to Padstow and Bodmin now 12 mile waterside Camel Trail for walking and cycling. Shires Family Adventure Park. Annual folk festival. Royal Cornwall Show every June. Pencarrow House at nearby Washaway and Long Cross Victorian Gardens at Trelights.

Is a quiet village about seven miles south of Bude. Its history dates from the time of Domesday when it was probably the religious centre of the district - a Harvest Revel is held every September. The great lady of Week St. Mary was Thomasine Bonaventure, a local shepherdess who was taken to London by a rich merchant. Here she married three Lords in turn, the last Sir John Percival who became Lord Mayor in 1497. When he died she came back to her village home as Lady Bountiful. She built a school which has now become a group of cottages, she endowed a chantry in the church and left the vicar of Liskeard a beautiful chalice.

Just south of Bude, lies in an area of outstanding natural beauty on the North Cornish coast. Facing the Atlantic, the beach is ideal for surfing and a paradise for children with its beautiful stretch of golden sand and innumerable rock pools to explore. The justly famous Coastal Footpath runs along the cliff-top in either direction and offers walkers a superb panorama of the coastline and surrounding countryside. There are two large car parks next to the beach, each with its own cafe and toilets.

ZENNOR
Enchanting moorland village west of St Ives, with 12thC church and famed mermaid bench end. D H Lawrence lived here, and described his experiences in Kangaroo. Wayside Folk Museum. Splendid walking country for the agile.