April 2003 www.classic.co.uk
classic news | The Moor to River Tamar For this Newsletter we go to the secret area between Bodmin Moor and the River Tamar. Jacqui, one of our team of Property Managers, lives there so this really is the inside line on the perfect place for a truly relaxing holiday even in the height of the summer.
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In this edition Jacqui, one of our team of Property Managers, brings you a local view of the area where she has lived for fifteen years.
Hidden & unspoilt – the land between the moors This area is crying out to be explored; it has some of the most beautiful countryside in the West Country. To the east the high wild expanse of Dartmoor and to the west the equally spectacular, although smaller, Bodmin Moor. On a clear day it is possible to see both coasts from the top of the Cheesewring on Bodmin, and the tors and hills of Dartmoor have some marvellous views stretching for miles to the sea in the far distance. The borders are marked by Tavistock in the east, Bodmin in the west, Launceston to the north and Saltash to the south. Several rivers criss-cross the countryside; The Tavy, The Lynher, The Tiddy and of course The Tamar, which forms the border between Devon and Cornwall. The Tamar rises high in the county near Bude and widens to flow out to the sea under Brunel’s impressive Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash, built way back in 1859. The new road bridge was not built until the 1970’s; before that the only bridges connecting the counties of Devon and Cornwall were at Gunnislake and Horsebridge, both still in operation, and the latter a particularly fine example of a 15th Century packhorse bridge. The Tamar Valley has recently been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and it is easy to see why. Tiny lanes bordered by high hedges meander down from the moorland to tree-filled valleys. Little villages of stone cottages with slate-topped roofs cluster classic news | The Moor to River Tamar page 2
around the pub or busy local shop. The latter, which from necessity, often stocks everything from stamps and balls of string to bottles of wine and fresh local vegetables. Although almost impossible to imagine now as one drives through the peaceful countryside, at one time there were 100 silver, tin and copper mines along the River Tamar. The old chimneys and ruins throughout the valley remind us of this bustling industrial past. Morwellham Quay on the river’s edge has been developed as a living history museum and shows just how life would have been in Victorian times. For the gardeners among you, or anyone who enjoys visiting old properties, there are several well-known historic houses
in the area. Buckland Abbey, the former home of Sir Francis Drake at Buckland Monachorum, The Garden House, also at Buckland Monachorum, Endsleigh Gardens at Milton Abbot, Lanhydrock near Bodmin, Cotehele just outside Callington and Mount Edgcumbe House down on the Rame peninsula. All have marvellous gardens, especially in the spring when the camellias and then the rhododendrons are at their most colourful and flamboyant. The hedgerows also, in April and May, are full of wild flowers, but take care as the mass of greenery often conceals one or two lumps of local granite. Primroses appear first, peeping through the damp verges at the bottom of ancient stone walls, followed by bluebells which give a haze of blue to all the hedges and walls lining the lanes. In to May and the white
This page from left: The 15th Century packhorse bridge at Horsebridge. A pub lunch. A spring-time woodland walk. Page 1: The path leading to the Cheesewring on Bodmin Moor. Page 2: Enjoying the view on Bodmin Moor. Page 4: Top: The bridge at Horsebridge. Bottom: One o’ clock, two o’ clock. . . seventy-eight o’ clock.
of wild garlic is offset by the bright pink campion. This is often a quiet time of year, a time when visitors can stop, stay a while and visit some of the local pubs, many of which provide excellent food. Farmers’ Markets are now very much a feature of country life and such markets can be found at Tavistock, Stoke Climsland, Upton Cross and Callington as well as other venues – just ask at the local shop or look at the village notice boards. There are also one or two good restaurants in the most unlikely settings. The Springer Spaniel at Treburley is ideal for both lunch and dinner. Eating places range from the ordinary to the very swish, for example, Jack and Jill’s the excellent fish and chip restaurant in Tavistock to the much grander Horn of Plenty in the small hamlet of Gulworthy. As an alternative to the more rural pursuits, all the towns in the area have plenty to offer. An ancient Stannary town, Tavistock has a daily pannier market (not Sundays) well worth a visit for local food, crafts and bric-a-brac. Today the market is little changed from the original building in the 1850s – although a market has been held here since 1105 – and is possibly one of the finest examples of a traditional pannier market in the south west. classic news | The Moor to River Tamar page 3
Launceston was the original capital of Cornwall and its impressive castle ruins, dating back a thousand years and now managed by English Heritage, dominate the town. The town itself is still more or less confined inside the remains of the original walls and is a cheerful bustling little town with a rather lovely old church, one or two interesting shops and a small art gallery in what was once one of the old town gates. The Launceston Steam Railway puffs its way through some lovely countryside and is an unusual way to see the area. There is also a very picturesque rail route from Gunnislake down through the Tamar Valley to Plymouth. Why not leave the car at the station, take a train to Plymouth and then return on one of the pleasure boats plying back and forth along the river? If you are lucky sometimes they have a band on board and the trip back along the river is made even more enchanting by the musical accompaniment. As well as art galleries in most of the towns and the occasional pottery or blacksmith found down small country lanes, the arts in general are not neglected. The Wharf in Tavistock is a very popular local theatre acting as a venue for not just theatre, but music of all kinds
– classical, jazz and rock. They show current films on a regular basis and the bar and small café also doubles as a gallery for local artists to show their work. Further west on the edges of Bodmin Moor is the Sterts Centre, an open-air theatre in-the-round which is visited by many professional touring theatre and dance groups, orchestras and bands of every size and style. Again, the café and bar is a gallery for local artists. What better memento of a holiday than to take home a painting or print by a local artist? Last, but not least, the old naval city of Plymouth is undergoing a tremendous amount of regeneration and the Barbican area of the town, with its fish quay and the National Marine Aquarium, is well worth a look. Whatever your pleasure; walking, riding, eating and drinking, arts and crafts, or merely unwinding a little and returning to a style and pace of life that has changed little over the years, the countryside from Bodmin Moor to the Tamar has something to offer almost everyone and, once visited, we are sure you will wish to return time and time again.
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Activities
Places of Interest
Gardens
Attractions
Historic Sites
General Information
Walking On Your Left (guided walks, talks and tours on the area) Tel: 07768 165 022 www.kithill.com
Morwellham Quay Morwellham, Tavistock, PL19 8JL Tel: 01822 832 766 www.morwellham-quay.co.uk
Pencarrow Bodmin, PL30 3AG Tel: 01208 841 369 www.pencarrow.co.uk
Tamar Valley Donkey Park St Ann’s Chapel, Gunnislake, PL18 9HW Tel: 01822 834 072 www.donkeypark.com
Buckland Abbey Yelverton, PL20 6EY Tel: 01822 853 607 www.nationaltrust.org.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
Riding Timberdown Riding School Lidwell, Callington, PL17 8LJ Tel: 01579 370 577 Boat Hire Calstock Boatyard Lower Kelly, Calstock, PL18 9RY Tel: 01822 835 968 www.imecalstockboatyard.co.uk Boat Cruises Plymouth Boat Cruises Sound Cruising, Hexton Quay, Hooe, Plymouth, PL9 9RE Tel: 01752 408 590 www.westcountrylinks.co.uk/pbc
Tavistock Pannier Market Tavistock Tel: 01822 611 003 www.tavistockpanniermarket. co.uk Theale Crafts (ceramics and ironwork) Theale, Tavistock, PL19 0LH Tel: 01822 810 027 www.thealecrafts.co.uk Countryman Cider Felldownhead, Milton Abbot, Tavistock, PL19 0QR Tel: 01822 870 226 www.tamarvalleytourism.co.uk
The Garden House Buckland Monachorum, Yelverton, PL20 7LQ Tel: 01822 854 769 www.thegardenhouse.org.uk
Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership Tamar Valley Line (between Gunnislake and Plymouth) Tel: 0870 6082 608 www.carfreedaysout.com Launceston Steam Railway St Thomas Road, Launceston, PL15 8DA Tel: 01566 775 665 www.launcestonsr.co.uk The National Marine Aquarium Rope Walk, Coxside, Plymouth, PL4 0LF Tel: 01752 600 301 www.national-aquarium.co.uk
Cotehele St Dominick, Saltash, PL12 6TA Tel: 01579 351 346 www.nationaltrust.org.uk Lanhydrock Bodmin, PL30 5AD Tel: 01208 265 950 www.nationaltrust.org.uk
Tamar Valley Tourism Association Tel: 0845 0580 621 www.tamarvalleytourism.co.uk
Launceston Castle Launceston, PL15 7DR Tel: 01566 772 365 www.english-heritage.org.uk Mount Edgcumbe House Cremyll, Torpoint, PL10 1HZ Tel: 01752 822 236 www.mountedgcumbe.gov.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 classic news | The Moor to River Tamar page 4
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