BODMIN MOOR - INTRODUCTION
Cornwall is a county filled with history, folklore and legend, and on Bodmin Moor the past is etched into the very landscape. One of the last great unspoilt spaces left in the south west it retains its prehistoric legacy in the ancient standing stones and savage landscape. Walking across Bodmin Moor you can lose yourself in the mist and mystery that hangs over the sweeping moorland and windswept tors and then come back to reality as you enter a different realm. Streams become roaring rivers and the marshes of the high moor draw away into beautiful wooded valleys. Refresh yourself after a hard day’s hiking by following one of the leafy lanes or ancient tracks into a village. Call at the local Inn for a pint and a genuine Cornish pasty or stop for a clotted cream tea at a roadside tearoom. Take a piece of real Cornwall home with you from one of the numerous farmer’s markets held regularly, or pay a visit to one of the many galleries, workshops and studios to find that perfect gift or souvenir. Once you have experienced the intense beauty of Bodmin Moor for yourself, you’ll understand why so many artists and crafts workers have tried to capture its image in their own medium.
SECTION ONE -
BODMIN / LANHYDROCK AND PENCARROW
Founded in the sixth century and named as the county’s only town in the ‘Domesday Book’, Bodmin is the perfect place to begin your holiday on the moors. The town is a pleasant bustling place, filled with activities for the holiday maker. A good selection of shops and restaurants as well as the largest church in Cornwall will keep you busy, while the town’s museums and exhibitions are a great way to learn more about the area. At the town museum you can discover the truth about Bodmin’s turbulent history, they even have the town stocks on show! There are also art exhibitions at the Shire Hall, the opportunity to watch the recreation of a famous nineteenth century murder trial or unravel a murder mystery on the Bodmin and Wenford railway.
As you leave Bodmin behind drop into Lanhydrock House to experience a stunning forty nine roomed mansion with a mid-seventeenth century external design. The house is constructed around a central courtyard and is complete with battlements and corner pinnacles. Particularly impressive is the Grand hall lined with family portraits and features such as William Morris wallpaper. Be sure to stop at the former owner Lady Robartes’ room, which affords a simply magnificent view. Interestingly the tour also allows visitors an insight into the contrasting lifestyles of those above stairs with those below.
From Lanhydrock make your way through the Camelford Valley along the A39. For a relaxing break along the way, stop and have a picnic in the Riverside park in Camelford, or pop into the North Cornwall museum and gallery. From here plan a stop at Pencarrow, an eighteenth century country house. Oozing all the elegance of the Georgian period, Pencarrow is filled to bursting with interesting art and architecture. An impressive collection of the Molesworth-St Aubyn family portraits grace the walls, by artists such as Arthur Dervis and Joshua Reynolds. Look out too for Chippendale and Henri Jacob furniture. The music room has an imposing Roccoco ceiling, its grandness contrasted by the black painted furniture. Outside the gardens are full of wildlife, from graceful peacocks to bantams and guinea fowl. You can hail the arrival of Spring at Pencarrow with ‘Bluebell Sunday’, and be sure to enquire ahead about summer events as both Lanhydrock and Pencarrow play host to open-air concerts that are simply spectacular.
SECTION TWO -
BROWN WILLY / BOLVENTOR AND JAMAICA INN
As you enter the central sector of Bodmin Moor plan your route via St Tudy. This village is rich in traditional beauty and is worth an amble round as well as the odd photo. Enjoy the peace and quiet and pause to admire the pretty Cornish cottages of this charming village. In contrast to cosy cottages, make your way to Cornwall’s highest peak, Brown Willy. Oddly named though it is (Brown Willy comes from the Cornish ‘bronwella’ = highest hill), there is an excellent view when you get to the top. From its peak you can see for miles around and begin to grasp the vastness of this stunning landscape. For the experienced walker it makes for a pleasant wander and for everyone else it’s just about ‘do-able’ at only 1,375 ft.
From ‘Brown Willy’ head for the centre of the moor, marked by ‘Jamaica Inn’ at Bolventor, made famous by Daphne Du Maurier’s novel of the same name. Originally built as a coaching house in the sixteenth century for people crossing the moors, you will now find it crammed to the rafters with tourists in the summer. Out of season it is quieter but the views remain equally stunning. For those unfamiliar with the novel there is a Du Maurier exhibition that should tell you all you need to know while the locals will fill you in about the legend of the ghost of wicked lawyer Jan Tregeagle!
Bolventor itself lies between Cornwall’s highest peaks, ‘Brown Willy’ and Roughtor to the north while to the south lies the mystical waters of Dozmary Pool.
SECTION THREE -
DOZMARY POOL / ST NEOT / BLISLAND / MINIONS / THE CHEESWRING
As you look on the waters of Dozmary Pool try not to notice the cows paddling about and think King Arthur. In other words shining swords, mist shrouded legends and valiant knights. For Dozmary Pool is reputed to be the lake into which King Arthur returned the sword Excalibur to the lady of the lake. By tradition the pool is bottomless but this hasn’t stopped it drying up from time to time. Nevertheless there is certainly a strange beauty about the place and it has long been an attraction for birds. So if you aren’t lucky enough to see a silvery arm thrusting out of the lake you might spot a Pin Tailed Duck, Dipper, Grey Wagtail or Sand Martin.
Going south of Dozmary Pool, Minions is the highest village in Cornwall and a heritage hotspot. From there you can enjoy the views or experience the magic of the prehistoric stone circle, The Hurlers. Don’t miss out either on the rather scary looking rock formation of the Cheesewring.
From the highest village to one of the prettiest, St Neot is simply a delight. Packed into this neat little village is a fifteenth century church with an impressive stained glass windows, a village pottery and an old rum store of Carnglaze Caverns. The village itself is made up of tawny stoned houses and is reached via a beautiful wooded valley surrounded on all sides by magnificent sweeping hillsides.
As you head back into the centre of the moor a must see is the village of Blisland. The first thing you notice is a village green more suited to the home counties than a stretch of Cornish moorland, but beside it is a church that Betjeman called ’dazzling and amazing’. of Norman and medieval origin and it boasts an absolutely beautiful Rood Screen that is worth a look. A major attraction of Blisland has long been the award winning Blisland Inn. After a days walking, step into the Blisland and choose a drink from their selection of 1,350 local and speciality ales.
The village also contains a Neolithic stone circle, ’The Striple Stone,’ and two charming stone bridges, Delphi and Bradford, both of which cross the De Lank river. This area has recently been designated as a ‘Special Area of Conservation’ by English nature due to its Otter and Bullhead fish population.
SECTION FOUR -
ALTARNUM / LAUNCESTON
Altarnum is a pretty little granite village nestled into the eastern heights of the moor. There you will find the church of ‘St Nonna’, also known as ‘The Cathedral of the Moors’, separated from the village by the ‘Penpont Water.’ The village itself is sheltered by the valley, and seems like a pleasant little oasis in the midst of the bleak landscape of Bodmin. There are plenty of leafy lanes to explore around the village as well as the River Inney which you can cross via the fifteenth century packhorse bridge.
North east from Altarnum along the A30, the town of Launceston is perched high on the border of Cornwall and Devon. The narrow twisting streets are a delight to explore, the buildings a mix of periods from Georgian and half timbered Tudor houses to the more non-descript styles of the twentieth century. Dominating the skyline is Launceston Castle, founded in the eleventh century by William 1st’s brother Robert of Mortain, it was once the most important castle in the province. Though now no more than a ruin, its presence still dominates this bustling little town. It is worth a visit as it affords an archer’s eye view of the medieval city gates and fourteenth century perpendicular church of St Mary Magdalene. From the castle tower the view of Dartmoor and Bodmin (including Brown Willy and Roughtor) is simply stunning. Launceston is an excellent place to shop and hunt for gifts and souvenirs and you can also enjoy a four mile ride into the Kensey Valley, hauled by a Victorian Locomotive of the Launceston Steam railway.