The Cornwall Blog

Bren the Border Terrier at Par Beach It's a Wednesday morning and we find ourselves in England in our third lockdown. As previously we have to stay home and only go out for essentials, thankfully this includes exercise. I have never been more grateful than this past year for living somewhere so beautiful. Although many of the gardens and establishments are closed to visitors there is still plenty of parkland to explore. Near me we have Lanhydrock House, although the house and garden are closed the estate remains open with a lovely walk at Respryn also still available.  Last light at Lerryn Woods After the storm at Polkerris Beach Best of all we can access the coast, last week I took a stroll at the little beach of Polkerris. Love it there, the harbour wall hugs the beach like a warm embrace. Though it has to be said not much was warm that day! Bitter wind softened slightly by the beautiful sunshine. There was sculptural driftwood strewed here and there and a fair amount of dogs hap...

    Hello, it has been a little while since my last post so I thought I would show you some of beautiful things I've seen whilst on lockdown. Cornwall along with the rest of the country is respecting the stay at home advise because of COVID-19. We are being encouraged to stay home, and rightly so, which makes bringing you the beauty of this county far and wide not possible right now. Events, exhibitions and festivals may have been suspended but there is still plenty to revel in right on our doorsteps! Many businesses are still offering slightly tailored services or are available online so I would encourage you to support this beautiful place and its entrepreneurs where you can. I thought today I would share some pictures I've snapped on my daily exercise walks. I live in Lostwithiel and am blessed to have woodland right on my doorstep. Steep country lanes, farmland and forests, I have really enjoyed taking the time to explore what my corner of Cornwall...

Trerice  December has got off to a cracking start here in Cornwall, with stunning pink sunrises and burning gold sunsets. There is a different feel to the county in the Winter season, a combination of bracing walks with family and friends, empty beaches and very happy dogs (so many beaches become available to dogs out of season) coupled with the cosiness of traditional pubs and the plentiful craft markets. The Longstore, Charlestown Last weekend I headed to Trerice, a National Trust house near Newquay. Despite being mainly closed for the winter you can go on a guided tour of the house with the conservationists. This is quite fascinating, seeing a different side to the grand operation and hearing the more recent history of this ancient home that inspired the writer of Poldark. learning about the centuries-year-old-clocks and precious paintings was a lovely way to spend a grey day. Most of the National Trust houses have events going on through the winter, the private h...

I visited the wonderful Restormel Castle at the weekend. Just outside the ancient statuary town of Lostwithiel, this Medieval ruin is a lovely and peaceful spot to wile away a few hours. We started our day at the Duchy Nursery coffee shop, with some delicious cakes and puds. You can see the castle from the cafe and it is a charming walk through the fields up to it, though because of the limited walking ability of my mum we decided to drive and save our energy for exploring! Rarely busy, (and free for Lostwithiel and Lerryn residents with some photo ID), this English Heritage treasure can provide a place of solace on hot day. When everyone heads to the coast I often like to wonder inland. The castle is in remarkably good nick considering it is from the 13th Century. You can walk almost all the way around the top and work out which room use to house what. The views down the valley to Lostwithiel are beautiful and with plenty of benches this is an ideal place for a pi...

It seems you can't move for festivals these days - and Cornwall is no different! Having said that they are loads of family friendly fun. This month, Sunday 15th May, we have Lostfest , in my neck of the woods, Lostwithiel. The event raises money for FLEET, a charity who provide equipment for emergency services in Cornwall. For those who don't know, Lostwithiel is a charming ancient stannary town which is nestled quietly a little in land in a wooded valley. Well, normally quiet, but come Lostfest the streets are buzzing with life. Expect delicious food lining the streets, traditional crafts, handmade gifts, medieval re-enactments, a vintage fair and a couple of local bands. From by the river, to under the trees, the church yard, museum, the shops and cafes - all over this little town fun is unleashed. Lostwithiel is such a pretty place to visit, just up the hill you will find the Restormel Castle. There are two parks that follow the Fowey river and the Tudor bridge is a...

The 2012 CORNWALL Summer BEAR FAIR will be staged at the Lostwithiel Community Centre (PL22 0HE) on Sunday 17th June. This will be the sixteenth Bear Fair in Cornwall involving organisation of Teddies of Trenode and the second involving the new partnership with Urchins Bears of Boscastle and the 2012 Fair promises to be even better than the previous ones! Tweet The Community Centre, situated alongside the A390, which runs through Lostwithiel – ‘The Antiques Centre of Cornwall’ – is a very popular venue and has very good catering facilities, with free parking outside and throughout the town itself. The Fair will once again feature over 45 stands with hundreds of teddy bears - old and antique – new artist and designer, handcrafted by national, international and top local artists - with many from Cornwall and Devon. Urchins Bears and Apple Pie House will have their superb stocks of well known international trademark bears and friends Bear Basics and Mohair Bear Making Supplie...