The Cornwall Blog

What we refer to as 'clay country' in Cornwall is the rugged landscapes that sits above St Austell. A landscape that has been mined and carved since the early 18th century. The richness of this landscape was discovered by William Cookworthy, and the fine white china clay is still mined today. There's a hotchpotch of villages with tight-nit communities where rugged hills provide far-reaching views and dug out valleys provide pools of turquoise waters.  After a stunning drive through these villages on a sunny day I wanted to delve a little deeper into the history, and what you can do here. When we first moved to Cornwall over 20 years ago, my dad joked that the little clay mound seen from many vantage point was my mum's 'mountain'. She had always wanted to live near mountains, and it seemed finally she would be! This relatively little mound is part of the legacy of an industrial past, but it's the glistening water-filled pits that really catch the eye on a sun...

I am completely loving this Spring weather! It was a really lovely Easter weekend in Cornwall, and as the holidays roll on the sun is still smiling on us.  One of the best ways to enjoy the landscape is definitely by bike, we have lots of trails all over the county that make use of the disused railway lines or tram ways. A place I want to explore more is the Pentewan valley, it always looks so inviting when I drive past the cyclists below peddling along the pretty river, it is actually really ideally located for cycle hire in Cornwall .  Pentewan itself is a lovely little village, two cafes that provide delicious ice cream and gorgeous cakes. The pub as well is always popular and looks the perfect spot for a cool shandy on a sunny day, watching the ducks in the pond.  At the holiday park you have Hubbox, such a yummy burger bar that I often return to with friends. Right on the beach, you can't beat it for location. The other asset this pretty village has is cycle hire. Th...

We have just had a beautiful October half term with warm sun and golden leaves. Sadly this can't always be guaranteed in Cornwall! There is still plenty to see and do in November. I think the real benefit to living in somewhere as picturesque as Cornwall isn't just those balmy summer days, but the rogue and surprising sunny moments gifted to us out of season. Walking on the beach as the sun dips behind the gently bobby horizon is truly special. Or exploring the ancient woodlands and wild moorland with those slightly hilarious long-haired cows, not a soul in sight.  As well as Cornwall's natural benefits, the cultivated ones are a treat in November too. True, many of our gardens are at their finest in spring or early summer, but Pinetum gardens in St Austell was actually designed as a winter garden and well worth a visit. With leaves a blaze with autumnal colour, bright berries, stunning bark, colourful foliage and sweet smelling...

St Austell Brewery are hosting their 18th annual Celtic Beer Festival in the depths of their ancient cellars. There will be almost 200 beers to sample, along with favourites Tribute, Proper Job and Korev. Live bands will be playing day and night and 100% of the profit goes to the breweries charities in the South West. Taking place on November the 26th it proves to be a must for beer lovers out there. The brewery itself was founded in 1851 by Cornishman Walter Hicks, and the company is still family owned and independent. According to their website - and it is changing all the time - they have produced 981,792,168 pints since 1851! Find out more about the festival here.

Tall ship at Charlestown The cycle trail around Pentewan Historic St Austell The Eden Project If you have ever visited Pentewan you would know what a sweet village it is. Delicious ice creams, great pubs and a beautiful sandy beach, what more could you want! Well from Pentewan Cycle Hire you can rent a bike and explore even more of this great county. There are many routes to choose from, cycle to the traditional fishing port of Mevagissey , or to the world famous Eden Project or even see the tall ships at Charlestown . The Lost Gardens of Heligan Around Pentewan Mevagissey Ideal for a one day hire, see Cornwall from a different angle. They provide a large range of quality bikes and accessories for hire and purchase. There are just so many routes all catering to different levels, all from this beautiful corner of Cornwall. Pentewan Cycle Hire The Pentewan Valley

Twelve brave Cornwall based business owners and employees will be skydiving for charity on the 25 August, 2010 in aid of the Precious Lives Appeal to help build ‘Little Harbour’ in St Austell, a hospice for life limited children. The individuals taking on the challenge are aiming to raise over £4,000 between them for the charity. The ‘LESW Charity Skydive Challenge 2010’ has been organised by local event management company Live Events South West (LESW) as a means to facilitate and encourage local businesses to kick start, or build on, their corporate social responsibility by supporting local charities. The extra support is encouraged and backed by Children’s Hospice South West. Emma Lloyd, Head of Fundraising for CHSW’s Precious Lives Appeal, says “The LESW Charity Skydive Challenge is a great idea and a brilliant way to get local businesses involved in helping our local cause whilst undertaking something exciting and challenging. We wish the courageous but caring skydivers all the b...

St Austell’s £75 million town centre scheme, White River Place, has joined an elite group of the UK’s top buildings by becoming one of the most environmentally-friendly developments in the country, it has been announced today. Assessors working on behalf of BREEAM, the world’s most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings, have given White River Place a score of 74.16% and an ‘Excellent’ rating. Only a handful of the country’s retail schemes have reached this level. The South West RDA (Regional Development Agency) is investing £31.5 million in the scheme, with the remainder of the funding from White River Developments, a subsidiary of Elan Homes. Once completed, the re-development will include new shops, restaurants, a 550-space multi-storey car park and 69 apartments. The new four-screen White River Cinema and restaurant chain Frankie & Benny’s have already opened to the public, with others retailers in the process of fitting out their shops. The scheme, wh...

Two new shops have been completed and handed over as part of St Austell’s £75 million town centre redevelopment scheme – White River Place. The final stages of construction are well underway and Sir Robert McAlpine, the scheme’s main contractor, currently has a work force on site of around 280 with building work taking place 12 hours a day, seven days a week. £31.5 million is being invested in the scheme by the South West Regional Development Agency (RDA) with the remainder of funding from White River Developments. Wilkinson and HBoS have taken possession of their units to enable them to start fitting out the interiors - other retailers will move in over the next few months to begin their fit-outs. The 550-space car park for the scheme is virtually complete with lighting, line markings and services all fitted, ready to hand over to operator APCOA for the final stages. Significant progress is being made on the residential blocks which will accommodate 69 apartments when finished – the e...

Cornwall’s first new cinema complex for over 70 years – White River Cinema in St Austell is gearing up for a busy Easter and will be preparing to welcome its 50,000th customer since opening. Owners WTW Cinemas is reporting ‘consistently strong’ business with ‘record’ admissions during the first quarter of this year (January-March 09) and over the Christmas and New Year period. The two most popular films to date have been Academy award winning ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and children’s feature ‘Bolt’. White River Cinema has been a huge success with local people and visitors to St Austell since the £3.5 million building on Trinity Street was officially opened on Friday 19 December last year. Mark Williams, General Manager of White River Cinema said: “Our initial forecasts for business have been more than exceeded. We are absolutely delighted with the first few months of trading and have been overwhelmed by the support, both locally and regionally and from customers who have visited our...