The Cornwall Blog

Pencarrow's Snowdrop Weekend is such a happy fixture in the calendar. It marks the promise of spring and the soon to be end of winter. This year the event falls on the 11th and 12th of February with a suggestion of £5 per person supporting two great charities. The Pearl Exchange and CLEAR, both focussed on helping young people.  Great causes but also a beautiful place to explore. If you don't know Pencarrow House and Gardens , just outside Wadebridge, then you are missing out! This ancient house is still family owned by the Molesworth-St Aubyns and is a wonderful day out. The snowdrop weekend makes the most of the sprawling grounds and woodland, but I would encourage you to come back when the house if fully open to book a tour and see the layers of history in every room. The gardens are charming with grottos, and iron age fort and Italian styled vistas with a cafe that serves delicious light lunches and cakes. I just love the wondering peacocks showing off their plumage.  ...

There is so much to see in Cornwall, I have lived here 20 years (so not a proper local!), and there are still many corners I haven't explored. Our county is vast, varied and stunning, so it really helps to have local knowledge if you really want to see the treasures of coast and moor. Barry Pengelly and his company, Cornwall Discovery Tours, are a brilliant way to tour Cornwall. He has the local experience, insight and historical knowledge that makes tours so memorable. You only have to take a look at his Tripadviser page to see that. His tours are favoured especially by our friends across the pond–American's can sometimes be stunned by our tiny twisting roads–but anyone from out of county can be overwhelmed when driving here! His bespoke guided tours of Cornwall can be tailored to your needs. Barry is even happy to collect you from the airport and take you to your accommodation, and he'll venture out of county if that's helpful too! Whether your interest is seeing Cor...

January is here and winter is in full swing. Coastal walks and village wanderings are perfectly fitting for this season, however I don't know about you but I require somewhere cosy to warm myself after too much fresh Cornish air. Although it's not the cold snap we were experiencing, still, here are a few of the best pubs in Cornwall to retreat to, when looking at the view is as welcome as walking in it. We do love a good pub in the UK don't we. From local ales to home cooked food (and gastro excellence more often than not). A favourite from my neck of the woods is the Rashleigh Inn at Polkerris beach. It has it all, that sea view, roaring fire and resident cat. You could walk from either direction, I often park up at Par beach and walk the short distance across the coastal path ending at the pub for a drink. Or go for the longer walk from Fowey (a fab little town whatever the season). But here are a few other favourites to enjoy at the end of a walk this January. Back in m...

Amy Cooper Lucy Spink There is an exhibition currently showing at Wheal Martyn , running until December the 20th, that seeks to explore the idea of being 'rooted'. Posing the question of what that means in Cornwall, and in particular, looking at what these Cornish artist's emotional response was to the atmosphere and history of china clay. Bridget Macklin  The responses are varied, like Joe Fenwick's ceramic pills inspired by the use of ground China clay found in everything from paracetamol to aircraft engines. There is Paula Downing's ceramic response which borrows from the Cornish landscape, and Reece Ingram's characterful pieces and the lovely textures of Lucy Spink. Reece Ingram  Joe Fenwick Wilson Worth a visit I would say, most definitely. Entrance is included in the normal gallery admission and works are in the Roger Preston Gallery and dotted around the site.  Paula Downing

Autumn walks are what this season is all about! I recently with my mum, popped down the road to Lerryn as the last light was just fading. Such a calm and peaceful place, and one I always enjoy visiting. We just managed to grab an ice cream before the post office and shop closed (yes, I know, weird in winter but that's just how we roll!) We sat by the river watching the water sparkle in the golden light. We didn't have much time so we just wandered a little way by the bank of the river, pausing to watch the swans and to admire the boats.  Lerryn is the kind of place that feels like you are stepping into a story book, understandably though, as it is said to have inspired The Wind in the Willows stories as Kenneth Grahame holidayed here.  There are woodland walks on both sides of the river, and at low tide you can cross by the stepping stones. There is a small free carpark just by the green, a charming village school and a friendly pub. With a well kept public toilet and a beauti...

We are coming into Autumn, a season I truly love, and in which Cornwall shines - woodland walks to stunning sunsets, everything is aglow. From October through to December is also the best time to catch starling murmurations, the name given to the strange phenomena of flocks of starlings creating undulating shapes as they move through the sky. There is another reason why birds are on my mind, I have been working on our latest poster calendar at work as a graphic designer which has a bit of an ornithological theme. I have always found these strange clouds of black somewhat fascinating, experts are still not sure why the birds chose to do this. Is it to exchange information, to keep warm, to ward off predators - or perhaps just for the shear joy of it! Starlings are actually on the British birds at risk list, with numbers 80% down on what we had in the 1970s. In Cornwall though, we did see an increase last year, with areas such as Marazion Marsh seeing thousands of the birds returning....

Our island nation is a rich hotch-potch of culture, history and heritage. There is so much to explore, especially in Cornwall. This September why not visit one of the county's Heritage Open Days , they are all free and there's lots of opportunity to get involved, running from the 9th - 18th September. Just a few of the places open to you this month are: Gribbin Daymark : This is an instantly recognisable landmark is in my neck of the woods that I love to spot on coastal walks or at the beaches along the south coast. Built in 1832, the views are worth the climb! The historic tower is open Sunday the 11th September, 11am - 5pm.  Godolphin : This house and gardens near Helston will be holding some specialist guided tours looking at Godolphin's mining history. The garden will also be free to enter between the 9th - 18th September.  Cypres Well : Up in Launceston you can visit the home of Cornish poet Charles Causley CBE, normally closed to the public but used for writers as a r...