%$$# %%#&'"(###(#&"'-(# )'##'*"(#(# #+"'(#"'"-#) '#) (#."+(*&-#)""#"#(! %"#$ ''"(#*-#) #& *#""#&"+ ')'("+"(##"+("#((#!''"" )') '(# $$# "#!'###&$&$&()&"#&!(#""#(&$&( (' %$(&'#*& *#""#&"+ '&#"'"$('(&(" +( ('$" "(&#)(#""!$(# $-#)$ "-#)&&#)( $($#'(#". '-#)"#"'(#&-+ (&('"##' + "*) %"#"$#"(&#)('"#&"''( ' ###" )'+( (#!"$" )"( '##+ (#'"")$('"#&&(#"'"#!$&"'*( #$"$ !%#) $) '&'")(#&'*#"(&'((#"')&()&-" )&&"-# ("#&!(#""#))(# *#""#&"+ #+*& (-"$("#&'$#"' (-#&"- #''")&-#&"#"*""')'("- "-(&* &'&') (#"#&!(#"#&*#"(""() The Rough Guide to Devon & Cornwall written and researched by Robert Andrews with additional contributions by Peter Hack NEW YORK • LONDON • DELHI www.roughguides.com Contents 8 South Cornwall coast........ 223 Colour section 1–24 9 The Lizard and Penwith peninsulas......................... 255 Introduction ............................... 5 G The Isles of Scilly .............. 297 Where to go ............................... 7 H North Cornwall coast ........ 317 When to go .............................. 12 I Bodmin and Bodmin Moor..351 Things not to miss ................... 15 Contexts 369–392 Basics 25–48 History ................................... 371 Getting there............................ 27 Wildlife ................................... 377 Getting around ........................ 30 The arts.................................. 384 Accommodation ...................... 34 Books .................................... 387 Food and drink ....................... 37 The media ............................... 39 Travel store 393–396 Festivals and events ................ 40 Outdoor activites ..................... 42 Travel essentials ...................... 45 Small print & Index 397–408 Guide 49–368 1 Exeter and mid-Devon ........ 49 The Sea, The Sea... colour section following 2 East Devon.......................... 73 p.168 3 South Devon ....................... 95 4 Dartmoor........................... 125 5 Plymouth and around........ 155 Cornish castles colour 6 Exmoor ............................. 175 section following p.264 7 North Devon and Lundy .... 199 3 컅컅 Surfing at Woolacombe 컅 Sunset at Godrevy, Cornwall | CONTENTS | Introduction to Devon & Cornwall Pointing away from England into the Atlantic, the dangling limb of land holding Britain’s westernmost counties of Devon and Cornwall has long wielded a powerful attraction for holiday-makers – not to mention second-homers, retirees, artists, writers and anyone keen on rugged landscape and ever-changing coastal scenery. The two counties have a markedly different look and feel: Devon’s rolling swards of pasture, narrow lanes and picturesque thatched cottages are a striking contrast to the craggy charms of Cornwall, imbued with a strong sense of Celtic culture. The essential elements, however, are shared: first and foremost the sea – a constant theme and the strongest lure of the place – whether experienced as a restless force raging against rocks and reefs, or as a more serene presence, bathed in rich colours more readily associated with sultry southern Mediterranean shores. You’re never very far from the coast in Devon and Corn- wall, where the panoramic sequence of miniature ports, placid estuaries, embattled clifs and sequestered bays are linked by one of the region’s greatest assets, the South West Coast Path, stretching from the seaboard of Exmoor to the Dorset border. Most visitors are primarily drawn to the magnificent beaches strewn along the deeply indented coast, ranging from grand sweeps of sand confronting 5 ranks of surfer-friendly rollers to intimate creeks and | INTRODUCTION | WHERE TO GO | WHEN TO GO coves away from the crowds and Fact file holiday paraphernalia. The resorts • With an area of 2,591 square miles catering to the armies of beach fans and a population of nearly 1,075,000, Devon is almost twice the size of that inundate the South West every Cornwall, which has an area of 1,376 summer also come in all shapes and square miles and a population of just sizes, from former fishing villages over half a million. to full-blown tourist towns ofer- • The chief administrative centres are Exeter in Devon and Truro in Cornwall. ing every facility, and from sedate Politically, the counties are solidly Victorian watering-holes to spartan Conservative and Liberal Democrat beaches backed by caravan parks and in complexion – with the exception of Plymouth and Exeter which have sub- hot-dog stalls. It is this sheer diver- stantial Labour majorities. sity which accounts for the region’s • Devon and Cornwall receive more enduring popularity, and which has tourists than any other area in Britain made it the destination of travellers after London, with Cornwall receiving an average of around 4.5 million visi- since the Napoleonic Wars forced tors per year and Devon between 4.75 the English to look closer to home million to 5 million. for their annual break. • Agriculture suffered long-term Inland, the peninsula ofers a damage from the foot-and-mouth epi- demic of 2001, but the region still has complete contrast in the form of roughly twice the national average of three of the country’s most dra- workers in the fields of agriculture, hun- matic wildernesses, Exmoor, Dart- ting, forestry and fishing. moor and Bodmin Moor, whose • Cornwall has an unemployment appeal extends to cyclists, riding rate of 3.3 percent, and the average gross pay is around 25 percent less enthusiasts and nature lovers as well than the national average. In Devon, as to walkers. Alongside these bar- the unemployment rate is around 2.5 ren tracts, Devon and Cornwall also percent. boast supreme specimens of English 6 5 Beach huts at Paignton, South Devon | INTRODUCTION | WHERE TO GO | WHEN TO GO rural life – unsung hamlets of the beaten track, where clustered cot- tages and brilliant flower displays perfectly complement the lush meadows and tidy dells surround- ing them. But even these idyllic places can be invaded and spoiled in high season, and therein lies the rub: the millions of tourists who descend on the M5 motor- way every summer are the biggest threat to the beauty and integrity of the West Country. Though tourism represents a godsend for the local economy at a time when both farming and fish- ing – which traditionally provided the main employment in these parts – are in the doldrums, the seasonal nature and fluctuating trends of the work leave many without much backup. Moreover, the demand for 5 St Michael’s Mount, West Cornwall second homes and inflated prices have meant that many locals are literally priced out, and you’ll find hotels and B&Bs managed and stafed by people with every kind of accent except the local one. The pressures of the holiday industry have also given some places an artificial veneer, apparent in a few of Devon’s cosily gentrified villages and Cornwall’s quainter fishing ports, where the nostalgia is underpinned by a sharp commercial sense. On the plus side, though, the South West’s popularity has meant that zealous care is taken to preserve some of the prettiest sections of coast and countryside in a more or less “natural” condition, limiting development and unconsidered exploitation. Where to go here you go in Devon and Cornwall will depend on your primary interest. If beaches are the priority, you can pick just about any stretch of coast with a guarantee of finding a patch of sand or Wrocks to swim from. As a rule, the clifer northern littoral has 7 fewer beaches, though some of these are first choice for surfers, notably at | INTRODUCTION | WHERE TO GO | WHEN TO GO 5 Beach at St Ives, Cornwall Woolacombe and Croyde in Devon and, in Cornwall, those around Bude, Padstow and Newquay. Devon’s most popular seaside towns are on the more sheltered southeast-facing coast, where there is superb swimming to the north and south of Torquay, self-styled capital of the “English Riviera”. Elsewhere in Devon, you’ll find less coming and going around the classic resorts of the East Devon coast, where the predominantly shingle shores are backed by eroded sandstone-red clifs and interspersed with classic old resorts such as Sidmouth. In Cornwall, crowds home in on St Austell Bay and the Falmouth locality, but the beaches are far more inviting at the western end of the region, where the twin prongs of the Lizard and Penwith peninsu- las are liberally studded with small sheltered bays such as Porthcurno and Kynance Cove, as well as more extensive surfing beaches such as Sennen Cove and 5 best pubs Poldhu. All, however, pale into insignificance Blisland Inn, Blisland when compared with the dazzling white-sand (Bodmin Moor) p.359 strands found in abundance on the Isles of Blue Anchor, Helston Scilly, where the sea can take on a tropical (West Cornwall) p.261 brilliance, though the water temperatures are Peter Tavy Inn, Peter decidedly chilly. Tavy (Dartmoor) p.150 Likewise, hikers need only head for the near- Royal Oak, Winsford (Exmoor) p.194 est coast to find some of the choicest walking Swan Inn, Sidmouth in Britain. Circling the entire peninsula, the (East Devon) p.87 coast path allows endless opportunities for long-distance or shorter jaunts, and links up with other routes such as the Tarka Trail, around Barnstaple and Bideford in North Devon, and the Camel Trail, which goes inland from the coast at Pad- stow to Bodmin Moor. Unsurprisingly, it is the moors that hold the greatest range of paths and bridleways, and of these Dartmoor has the densest con- 8 centration, though the walks and rides on smaller, more cultivated Exmoor should not be discounted. | INTRODUCTION | WHERE TO GO | WHEN TO GO