The why and the when

Festivals in date order

• St Endellion Easter Festival 30th March - 7th April ‘24
• Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show 6^th-7^th April ‘24
• Port Isaac Shanty Festival 19^th – 21^st April ‘24
• Padstow Obby Oss 1^st May ‘24
• Open Studios Cornwall 25^th May – 2^nd June
• Royal Cornwall Show 6^th-8^th June ‘24
• Rock Oyster Festival 25^th – 28^th July
• St Endellion Summer Festival 30^th July – 9^th August ‘24
• Camelford Show 14^th August ‘24
• Cornwall Folk Festival 22^nd – 26^th August ‘24
• North Cornwall Book Festival 26^th – 29^th September ‘24
• Boscastle Shanty Festival 8^th-10^th November ‘24
• Various dates: Endelientia Arts, St Endellion host a range of concerts, theatre & workshops throughout the year

Michelin Guide restaurants closest (5 mins) to furthest (30 mins)

• Pilchards, Port Gaverne (recommended)
• Outlaw’s New Road, Port Isaac (1 star)
• Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen, Port Isaac (1 star)
• St Kew Inn (recommended)
• The Mariners, Rock (recommended)
• The Dining Room, Rock (recommended)
• The Rocket Store, Boscastle (recommended)
• Barnaby’s, St Issey (recommended)
• Paul Ainsworth at No 6, Padstow (1 star)
• Caffe Rojanno, Padstow (recommended)
• Rick Stein’s Café, Padstow (Bib Gourmand)
• The Prawn on the Lawn, Padstow (recommended)
• The Seafood Restaurant, Padstow (recommended)
• The Rising Sun, Altarnun (recommended)
• Coombeshead Farm, Lewannick (Green Star)
• More Cornish Michelin Guide listings can be found here, where the above can also be viewed.

Destination gardens 

Both the Lost Gardens of Heligan and The Eden Project are just a 45 minute drive from Tom’s Cottage. Other Great Gardens of Cornwall tend to be on Cornwall’s South Coast but most aren’t more than an hour’s drive away (both Caerhayes and St Michael’s Mount have already made it into our Heritage list).

The National Garden Scheme has a healthy Open Gardens leg in Cornwall, while more elusive private gardens are accessible by opening for charity: such as the Cornish Wildlife Trust and Cornwall Heritage Trust

We also highly recommend a visit to the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery, Lostwithiel and Bodmin Nursery Both grow exceptional seedstock, have extensive nurseries and very good cafés.

The flower tent at the Royal Cornwall Show (6^th-8^th June ‘24) and Cornwall Garden Society’s Spring Flower Show (6^th-7^th April ’24) are annual pilgrimages for many horticulturalists: both being RHS acknowledged and held at the Wadebridge Showground (10 minutes from Tom’s Cottage).

Galleries

• Cliffside Gallery, Port Isaac
• Secrets, Port Isaac
• The Harbour Gallery, Boscastle
• The Picture Parlour, Boscastle
• The Old Forge Gallery, Boscastle
• Circle Contemporary Gallery, Wadebridge
• Rock Road Gallery, Rock
• Quay Art Gallery, Padstow
• North Shore Gallery, Tintagel
• Open Studios Cornwall 25^th May – 2^nd June
• Rock Institute Summer Exhibition 19^th -26^th July ‘24
• Various dates: Endelientia Arts, St Endellion host a range of concerts, theatre & workshops throughout the year

Country walks

There’s so much more to North Cornwall than the coast, although we’d never knock a good blast of sea air. River walks often include woodland, here’s our go-to favourites –

• St Nectan’s Glen SSSI and stunning; easy going most of the way but series of steps to the main waterfall (the part that has an admission fee)
• Golitha Falls ancient woodland along the Draynes Valley, just wow!
• Lanhydrock we tweak this one a bit by parking at Respryn Bridge, walking up the drive and back down the Lady Walk (beech avenue)
• Lady Vale Walk, Cardinham Woods scenic and accessible but can get busy in peak periods. Wonderful Woodland Café
• The Camelford Way we recently discovered this walk and the promise of bluebells will certainly draw us back in April/May! Riverside meadow paths squelchy after prolonged rain.

Heritage

• The Old Post Office, Tintagel (National Trust)
• Tintagel Castle,*Tintagel (English Heritage)
• Pencarrow House and Garden, Washaway (Pencarrow Estate)
• Lanhydrock House and Gardens, Bodmin (National Trust)
• Restormel Castle, Lostwithiel (English Heritage)
• The Old Duchy Palace, Lostwithiel
• Launceston Castle, Launceston (English Heritage)
• Caerhays Castle, Gorran (Caerhays Estate)
• St Michael’s Mount, Penzance (National Trust/St Aubyn Estate)                   
• *Tintagel Castle has long been associated with the legend of King Arthur as his birthplace. Bodmin Moor is home to Dozmary Pool (of Excalibur and Lady of the Lake fame) and King Arthur’s Hall (a scheduled monument). The Vale of Avalon at Slaughterbridge, near Camelford is reputed to be the site of King Arthur’s final (fatal) battle.