Top 10 Cornwall and Devon

130 Pages·2018·28.118 MB·English

by  D.K. Publishing

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL
TOP
CORNWALL
& DEVON
ROBERT ANDREWS
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Top 10 Cornwall The Top 10 of
and Devon Everything
Highlights
Moments in History .....................38
Welcome to Cornwall Museums ......................................40
and Devon ...................................5 Churches, Abbeys and
Exploring Cornwall and Devon .....6 Cathedrals ................................42
Cornwall and Devon Houses ..........................................44
Highlights ..................................10 Castles ..........................................46
Lanhydrock ...................................12 Writers ..........................................48
Eden Project .................................14 Gardens ........................................50
Dartmoor ......................................16 Beaches ........................................52
Falmouth and the Fal Estuary ....18 Walks ............................................54
Exeter ............................................22 Train Rides....................................56
Isles of Scilly .................................26 Children’s Attractions ..................58
Porthcurno and the Places to Eat ................................60
Minack Theatre.........................28 Pubs ..............................................62
St Ives ...........................................30 Shopping .......................................64
Penzance and St Michael’s
Cornwall and Devon for
Mount ........................................32 Free ...........................................66
Padstow ........................................34 Festivals ........................................68
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CONTENTS
Cornwall and Devon Streetsmart
Area by Area
North Devon .................................72 Getting To and Around Cornwall
South Devon .................................78 and Devon ...............................110
North Cornwall ............................88 Practical Information .................112
South Cornwall ............................94 Places to Stay .............................116
West Cornwall and
the Isles of Scilly .....................100 General Index .............................120
Acknowledgments .....................126
Selected Town Index ..................128
The information in this DK Eyewitness
Top 10 Travel Guide is checked regularly.
Every effort has been made to ensure that
this book is as up-to-date as possible at the
time of going to press. Some details,
however, such as telephone numbers,
opening hours, prices, gallery hanging
arrangements and travel information, are
liable to change. The publishers cannot
accept responsibility for any consequences
arising from the use of this book, nor for
Within each Top 10 list in this book, no hierarchy any material on third party websites, and
of quality or popularity is implied. All 10 are, in cannot guarantee that any website address
the editor’s opinion, of roughly equal merit. in this book will be a suitable source of travel
information. We value the views and
Front cover and spine Wheal Coates Tin Mine suggestions of our readers very highly.
in St Agnes, Cornwall Please write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness
Back cover The picturesque cove and village of Travel Guides, Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand,
Port Isaac, Cornwall London WC2R 0RL, Great Britain, or email
Title page Fishing boats in the harbour at [email protected]
Clovelly, North Devon
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Top 10 Cornwall and Devon ❮❮ 5
Welcome to
Cornwall
and Devon
Rocky coves with white-sand beaches and turquoise waters.
Mile-long strands where surfers skim Atlantic breakers.
Bleak moorland with standing stones silhouetted against vast
skies. Thatched cottages, flower gardens and cream teas. This
corner of South West England has all this and more. With
Eyewitness Top 10 Cornwall and Devon, it’s yours to explore.
The counties of Cornwall and Devon are among the most popular
holiday destinations in the UK. Visitors flock here for the spectacular
stately homes, whitewashed fishing villages, compelling towns and
cities, and traditional seaside resorts like Torquay and Ilfracombe.
Wherever you go, the old-fashioned pleasures of rock-pooling,
crabbing and building sandcastles fuse easily with more sophisticated
pursuits. Food and drink here is fantastic, with cafés, pubs and
restaurants ensuring the region retains its place at the forefront
of the movement towards sustainable, local produce. There are
vineyards, breweries, ice-cream makers, and even a chilli plantation.
There is something magical about this far-flung peninsula, which
has attracted and inspired generations of artists and writers. From
Sherlock Holmes seeking diabolical hounds on Dartmoor and the
riverside tales of The Wind in the Willows to Arthurian legend and
the works of the St Ives and Newlyn artists, the landscapes of
Cornwall and Devon have been imprinted on the world’s imagination.
Whether you’re visiting for a weekend or a week, our Top 10 guide
brings together the best of Cornwall and Devon, from foodie mecca
Padstow to the secluded Isles of Scilly. The guide gives you tips
throughout, such as ideas of what’s free and where to go with kids,
plus seven easy-to-follow itineraries. Add inspiring photography and
detailed maps, and you’ve got the essential pocket-sized travel
companion. Enjoy the book, and enjoy Cornwall and Devon.
Clockwise from top: Newquay beach; Eden Project; Dartmoor National Park; St Ives; Buckfast
Abbey stained glass; surfboards; Prideaux Place
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6 ❯❯ Top 10 Cornwall and Devon
Exploring Cornwall and Devon
Cornwall and Devon are packed with magnificent beaches,
picturesque villages and historic towns, to say nothing of the area’s
vast moorlands, idyllic countryside and miles of coastal and rural
paths. To help you make the most of your visit, here are some ideas
for a two-day and seven-day break in the region. To see the Isles of
Scilly when time is short, book speedboat transfers in advance.
Gyllyngvase is one of the
region’s most popular beaches,
with gently shelving sands
and rock pools at low tide.
ExEexteetrer
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Two-day itinerary
BOBAOTAT
StS Mt Marayr’ys’s Seven-day itinerary
AFTERNOON
Two Days in Falmouth From St Mawes, follow the path along
the banks of the River Fal to the
Day 1 subtropical gardens of the church
MORNING of St-Just-in-Roseland (see p43).
Start with the National Maritime
Museum (see p19), then head up
past Pendennis Castle (see p19) to Seven Days in Devon
sandy Gyllyngvase Beach (see p19). and Cornwall
AFTERNOON
Take a pleasure boat trip up the Day 1
River Helford, or make the short Explore magnificent Exeter Cathedral
drive to Helford Passage (see p104) (see pp24–5), with its gloriously intri-
for lunch at the Ferry Boat Inn (see cate Gothic façade and breathtaking
p106). It’s then just a five-minute fan-vaulting, then drive to the idyllic
drive to magnificent Trebah (see p18). Dartmoor village of Widecombe-in-
the-Moor (see p16) for lunch. For
Day 2 some more atmosp heric moorland
MORNING scenery, visit the evocative Bronze
Visit Falmouth Art Gallery (see p19), Age village of Grimspound (see p17),
then browse the antique shops then head to pretty Dartmeet (see
before catching a ferry to St Mawes p17) at the meeting point of the
(see p19) for a fish and chip lunch. East and West Dart rivers.
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Exploring Cornwall and Devon ❮❮ 7
Falmouth St-Just-in-Roseland beaches of Gyllyngvase, Swanpool and
Falmouth Art Gallery BOAT River Fal MaSwtes McCaoafnéet nainpnuoder a tih ns,lw asintmodp itpfo it nhsgep efwonerda latuh ncecorhu is p a lgte oa oo fd .
National Maritime hours at lush Trebah (see p18). Drive
Museum Pendennis
Castle to Penzance to see St Michael’s
Gyllyngvase Beach Mount (see pp32–3) at suns et, then
SMt oMuincthael’s Swanpool Beach head to the idyllic fishi ng village of
Mousehole (see p33) for dinner.
Helford Maenporth Beach
Passage
Day 5
Trebah
0 km 2 Take a 15­minute flight from Land’s
HFeelrfroyr dB oRaivte Irnn 0 miles 2 End airport to the Isles of Scilly (see
pp26–7). Transfer by speedboat to
ExEexteetrer Tresco, explore the Tresco Abbey
GGrimrimspsopuonudnd CaCtahtehderdarlal Garden (see p27), then stop for lunch
PaPdasdtsotwow at the New Inn (see p106). Catch a ferry
WWataetregragtaet eB aByay CViaCVnmiaenmyeealye rVald arVdlalellyey DDaratrmtmeeetet WthWtiehd-ieeMd-ceMoocomoorombreb-ein-i-n- aton sdp faorlsloewly tinhhea cboitaesdt Bparythh etor (Hseeell pB2a6y),
NNewewquqauyay LaLnahnyhdyrdorcokck with its Atlantic breakers. Stay over­
DDEEVVOONN night here or return to Tresco.
EdEedne nP rPorjoejcetct
Day 6
CCOORRNNWWAALLLL
StS Itv Ievses Take a boat to St Martin’s (see pp26–7)
0 0k ikloilmometeretrses2020 and snorkel with seals or walk the
LaLnadn’ds ’Es nEdnd PePneznaznacnece 0 0m mileilses 2020 sandy beaches, then catch a boat
AiArpiroprotrt to St Mary’s for lunch with a view
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Two-day itinerary into life in a country house, then move to Land’s End.
BOBAOTAT
StS Mt Marayr’ys’s Seven-day itinerary on to the Eden Project (see pp14–15).
After lunch in one of its cafés, devote Day 7
the afternoon to the vast Rainforest Drive to the white sands of Porthcurno
and Mediterranean biomes. and see the Minack Theatre (see pp28–
9), an open­air amphitheatre carved
Day 3 into the granite cliffs. Head to St Ives
Drive to the Camel Valley Vineyard (see pp30–31) to see the painti ngs
(see p89), where you can taste and and sculptures held at the Tate and
buy fant astic wines. Head on to the other galleries. Dine at the Pedn
fishing village of Padstow (see pp34– Olva (see p106), a hotel restaur ant
35), Cornwall’s most famous foodie perched between the two beaches.
destination, and perhaps treat your­
self to a seafood banquet at Rick
Stein’s flagship Seafood Restaurant.
After lunch, follow the coast road to
Newquay (see p90), with its dramatic
cliffs and sweeping sands, making a
stop at the surfer’s haven, Watergate
Bay (see p52). Drive on to Falmouth.
Day 4
Get a taste of Falmouth (see pp18–19)
and Cornwall’s seafaring past at the
National Maritime Museum (see p19), Hewn into the cliffs, Minack Theatre
then follow the coastal route past the provides a stunning natural backdrop.
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Top 10 Cornwall and
Devon Highlights
Exeter Cathedral’s magnificent
rib-vaulted nave
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