January 2006 www.classic.co.uk
classic news | Cornwall North Coast In this Newsletter, we see the North Coast of Cornwall afresh through the eyes of one of our Property Managers. Jo and her family are recent ‘incomers’, having decamped to the shores of the Camel Estuary from the big smoke of London a couple of years ago.
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Pinch me. Am I dreaming? Each Property Manager thinks they have the best area to look after, but I know I’m the luckiest with north Cornwall on my doorstep.
Buzz, tweet, woosh – the sound of silence in north Cornwall Two years on from leaving the streets of London behind, I am still amazed to find myself waking up every day to Cornish skies and the sound of birdsong. (Well, rooks to be more accurate, but there weren’t many of those on Wandsworth Common.) Working for Classic takes me many miles around the countryside and I still catch my breath at the sight of the sea as I set off for work or snake my way down tiny lanes to hidden cottages. During those years of yearning to move, we made many trips to the area where we have finally settled, near Wadebridge in north Cornwall, but Classic has sent me on a voyage of discovery during which I have unearthed lots of unexpected finds. The days I have to go ‘up country’ make me anxious, as if someone’s going to say I can’t return (a bit like the dream where you have to retake your A levels!) and I’m always happiest heading towards the sunset. The skies are big, the views are astounding and one of my favourite vistas spreads out before me as I hit the hill just before Kilkhampton, driving west down the ‘Atlantic Highway’. Another route where I have to remember to breathe heads down the hill to Boscastle – the road appears to vanish into the waves while the church above the village clings to the hillside. Any day when I have time on my hands, I weave along the coast road from Padstow to Watergate Bay, past Harlyn and its rushing surf, Porthcothan where the sand covers the road and
Bedruthan Steps where the cliffs call you to the edge of the world. Windows down, scent of gorse in the air, waves a background roar – the magic’s at work... Best sight from any direction is the Camel Estuary stretching out to sea with ‘Tracey Island’, as my kids call it, at its mouth – I’m nearly home. Of course, some of my greatest discoveries have been made on foot. To clear my head and make my heart sing, I hike the path from Rock to Polzeath via Daymer Bay and the cliff above Greenaway, at its best in the winter in a stiff breeze – I watch the waves roll in the width of the bay and the windsurfers race the fishing boats, and feel my shoulders drop. I cross the beach at Polzeath at low tide, carry on to the end of Pentire and count the headlands up and down the coast; walking on to Port Isaac, I scramble down through the wild flowers to Lundy Bay and play in the shadows of the arching cliffs. A little further and dolphins will keep pace with me from Port Quinn past Doyden Castle to Port Gaverne – basking sharks here in the summer mean nature lessons on the cliffs for local schoolchildren, while the Bonfire Night fireworks over the cove are awesome. Where else do I think about when I can’t get to sleep? The lurching cliffs near St Gennys and Crackington Haven where blobs on a shingle beach far below may be a group of snoozing seals, and a peregrine may swoop past through the summer air. The vertiginous drop to the deadly
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fingers of rock scouring the sea at Morwenstow, the wall of sea when the tide is in at Sandymouth, the expanse of empty sand at Northcott Mouth on an early spring morning. Further down the coast, the coast path from the gem that is Crantock village, west past Polly Joke beach and on to the dunes at Holywell and Perranporth. The moody track down to the cove at Chapel Porth with the mine shafts behind you. Is there a word for the magnetic pull of the sea? I suffer badly from it! However, inland and still north, Cornwall is bewitching. An easy skip past the wild ponies up the stones of Rough Tor on Bodmin Moor to the highest point in Cornwall and a very satisfied feeling. A splash in the ice cold stream at Delphy bridge or a picnic in a flowerfilled meadow off the Camel Trail between Wadebridge and Blisland are tempting options when the beaches are crammed. The Saints’ Way between Padstow and Fowey offers a different and uncrowded path through the quietly beautiful Withiel valley. Tiny hamlets and stately homes fill the landscape but only butterflies and bees fill the air. This is timewarp world where the clock has stood still for years. Let’s be realistic though – what do we do with three children under seven when it rains? Secret weapons (should I really be sharing these with you?)
This page from left: Breathe in the gorse. Settling in for the day at Sandymouth. Page 1: George and Izzy check for surf at Sandymouth. Page 4: Keeping an eye on the surfers at Watergate Bay.
include the following: The Regal cinema in Wadebridge – a spacious and comfortable old fashioned treat where windows open at the sides of the screen to sell you sweets. For a real nostalgia trip, try the tiny picture house in Padstow! The Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay is well laid out and full of fun and information. Lanhydrock has themed walks to encourage budding historians to spot clues and find answers. The National Lobster Hatchery in Padstow is, perhaps, a choice of alternative seafood for lunch from Rick Stein’s fish and chip shop! Hunt out strange and quirky museums such as the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, the Museum of Bicycles at Slaughterbridge or a Museum of Lawnmowers at Trerice house near Newquay! If all else fails, a cone of hokeypokey ice cream or a trip to a fudge shop usually does the trick. Surfing knows no weathers and we favour lessons from Pete at Surf ’s Up at Polzeath. Eating and drinking too are weather independent and here we really are in heaven! And the awards for nicest pubs go to – The St Kew Inn, for its sunny garden, crackling fireside and succulent steak, The Smugglers Arms near Cubert for great chips and atmosphere and The Golden Lion in Port Isaac for a proper childrens’ menu and most probably a live celebrity to classic news | Cornwall North Coast page 3
spot. Most historic pub – the ancient Bush Inn at Morwenstow, a celtic stone in the floor belying centuries of sunken ale! Best sunset supper award goes to – the cheesy chips on offer at The Atlantic in New Polzeath and the grown up menu at The Edge in Port Isaac. Best view of the waves from your pint – The Bowgie Inn at Crantock or The Blue Bar at Porthtowan. Best live music – folk night at the Trewarmett Inn near Tintagel or weekends at The Watering Hole in Perranporth. Best beach cafes – both of the cafes at Crackington Haven, the home of designer pebbles, and the cappuccino stop at Trevone. Best place for a treat – Lewinnick Lodge on Pentire Head at Newquay; great view but it won’t matter if it rains. For your Michelin starred nights out, try Ripley’s in St Merryn – I prefer a barbecue on the beach at Hawkers Cove any day and will probably try to have Christmas dinner on the sand at Daymer Bay! Year round, our calendar is filled with events – ‘Obby ‘Oss day in early May in Padstow, three days of wonderland at the Royal Cornwall Show in Wadebridge in June, and the Burning of the Beast at Colliford Lake in late October are among the highlights. For someone who’s not religious, the churches of north Cornwall have
worked a strange spell on me. Our first Christmas Eve squeezed amongst the candles and evergreens in the tiny church of St Enodoc, John Betjeman buried outside the door, was very special and the sight of the church’s wonky spire above the dunes is always one to make me smile. Marhamchurch near Bude has a handsome tower too and Advent’s tiny church on Bodmin Moor is worth wiggling towards in your car. The lost church of St Piran at Perranporth reminds me that I’m not the first Irish person to come to Cornwall and feel at home – at least I didn’t have to float here on a millstone! But for me it is really the beaches that provide inspiration, and the little tidal coves such as Treligga and Bossiney are amongst my favourites – a new beach washed clean twice a day, ready and waiting for your footprints, new treasures to be found in the rock pools, and if you’re lucky, the whole place to yourself. Buzzards sit on nearby fences, clifftop firs are bent flat by the wind, invisible birds sing in the air... pinch me again. No, I’m not dreaming. I’m in north Cornwall. When are you coming down?
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Activities Surfing Lessons Surf’s Up Surf School 21 Trenant Close, Polzeath, PL27 6SW Tel: 01208 862 003 www.surfsupsurfschool.com
Pubs, Cafés and Restaurants Rick Stein’s Café Middle Street, Padstow, PL28 8AP Tel: 01841 532 700 www.rickstein.com
Extreme Academy Watergate Bay, TR8 4AA Tel: 01637 860 840 www.extremeacademy.co.uk
Blue Tomato Café Ferry Point, Rock, PL27 6LD Tel: 01208 863 841 www.bluetomatocafe.com
Cycling Camel Trail Cycle Hire Eddystone Road, Wadebridge, PL27 7AL Tel: 01208 814 104 www.thisisnorthcornwall. co.uk/camel_trail.htm
The Edge 6 New Road, Port Isaac, PL29 3SB Tel: 01208 880 090 www.theedgecornwall.com
Bridge Bike Hire The Camel Trail, Wadebridge, PL27 7AL Tel: 01208 813 050 www.bridgebikehire.co.uk Golf St Enodoc Golf Club Rock, Wadebridge, PL27 6LD Tel: 01208 863 216 www.st-enodoc.co.uk Trevose Golf Club Constantine Bay, Padstow, PL28 8JB Tel: 01841 520 208 www.trevose-gc.co.uk Holywell Bay Golf Park Holywell Bay, Newquay, TR8 5PW Tel: 01637 830 095 www.holywellbay.co.uk/golf
Rojano’s 9 Mill Square, Padstow, PL28 8AE Tel: 01841 532 796 www.rojanos.co.uk St Kew Inn St Kew, Bodmin, PL30 3HB Tel: 01208 841 259 The Watering Hole Perranporth Beach, TR6 0JL Tel: 01872 572 888 www.the-wateringhole.co.uk The Blue Bar Beach Road, Porthtowan, TR4 8RD Tel: 01209 890 329 www.blue-bar.co.uk The Bowjie Inn West Pentire, Crantock, Newquay, TR8 5SE Tel: 01637 830 363 www.bowgie.com
Attractions
Galleries
Historic Sites
General Information
Crealy Adventure Park Tredinnick, Wadebridge, PL27 7RA Tel: 0870 1163 333 www.crealy.co.uk
Tristan’s Gallery 49 Molesworth Street, Wadebridge, PL27 7DR Tel: 01208 815 767 www.tristansgallery.com
Lanhydrock Bodmin, PL30 5AD Tel: 01208 265 950 www.nationaltrust.org.uk
The National Lobster Hatchery South Quay, Padstow, PL28 8BL Tel: 01841 533 877 www.nationallobsterhatchery. co.uk
Chase Art Centre Trevanson Street, Wadebridge, PL27 7AW Tel: 01208 816 880 www.chaseart.fsnet.co.uk
South West Tourism A variety of useful information from the region’s tourist board – particularly good for local events. Tel: 0870 4420 880 www.visitsouthwest.co.uk
Blue Reef Aquarium Towan Promenade, Newquay, TR7 1DU Tel: 01637 878 134 www.bluereefaquarium.co.uk Newquay Zoo Trenance Gardens, Newquay, TR7 2LZ Tel: 01637 873 342 www.newquayzoo.org.uk Dairyland Farm World Newquay, TR8 5AA Tel: 01872 510 246 www.dairylandfarmworld.com The Cornish Birds of Prey Centre Meadowside Farm, Winnards Perch, St Columb, TR9 6DH Tel: 01637 880 544 www.cornishbirdsofprey.co.uk Eden Project Bodelva, St Austell, PL24 2SG Tel: 01726 811 911 www.edenproject.com
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St Kew Pottery Hale Farmhouse, St Kew, PL30 3HE Tel: 01208 880 836 www.cornwallceramicsand glassgroup.co.uk/whitten.htm
Cinemas
Trerice Kestle Mill, Newquay, TR8 4PG Tel: 01637 875 404 www.nationaltrust.org.uk Prideaux Place Padstow, PL28 8RP Tel: 01841 532 411 www.prideauxplace.co.uk Pencarrow House Bodmin, PL30 3AG Tel: 01208 841 369 www.pencarrow.co.uk
The Cinedrome Lanadwell Street, Padstow, PL28 8AN Tel: 01841 532 344 www.wtwcinemas.co.uk The Regal at Wadebridge The Platt, Wadebridge, PL27 7AD Tel: 01208 812 791 www.wtwcinemas.co.uk
classic cottages The specialists for coastal and country cottages of distinction throughout the West Country Leslie House, Lady Street, Helston, Cornwall TR13 8NA Telephone 01326 555 555 Facsimile 01326 555 544 Email enquiries@classic.co.uk www.classic.co.uk www.classicguide.co.uk
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