Trevenna

Best picnics

Dozmary Pool off Colliford Lake is where legend would have it where the lady of the lake caught the sword – there’s a little sign indicating where. It’s lovely and quiet here. Or try the banks of Fowey River.

Best beaches

Drive south for about 40 minutes and you'll hit the coast; we particularly loved untouched Talland Bay.

Best walks

Bodmin Moor is fantastically unspoilt, and based at Trevenna you’re slap bang in the centre of it.

Shopping

St Neot only has a tiny post office, so you’ll need to drive for at least 15-minutes to get to any more substantial shops. Taste of the West Country (www.tasteofthewestcountry.co.uk) is a local farm shop offering fresh fruit and veg to meat and dairy goods. Otherwise, the closest hub is Liskeard, a market town. For a supermarket, it’s a half-hour drive to Bodmin, where there’s a Sainsbury’s. If you’re after some artworks, head to Padstow Gallery (+44 (0)1841 532242; www.padstowgallery.co.uk). if you hanker for high-street offerings, it’s off to Truro you go.

Activities

The concierge service at Trevenna can organise all sorts of activities, including open canoeing on the River Fowey; sea kayaking off the Cornish North Coast, surfing lessons with a professional coach; coasterring off the Cornish North Coast. Trevenna is a short distance from top-hole golf courses, including St Mellion, St Enedoc and Lanhydrock.

Visit the house, garden estate, shops and restaurant at National Trust’s Lanhydrock House (+44 (0)1208 265950; www.nationaltrust.org.uk) which has 900 acres of glorious grounds, filled with rhododendrons, camellias and magnolias in spring; much of it is accessible for wheelchairs or strollers.
Camel Trail cycle path goes from moor to sea, but take it from Wadebridge to Padstow; you can arrange to hire bikes. Climb to the top of Brown Willy, Cornwall’s highest peak, for the ultimate viewpoint – you can see the sea to the south and to the north.

Go wine tasting at family-owned Camel Valley Vineyard, and try their award-winning sparkling wine. (+44 (0)1208 77959; www.camelvalley.com)
Don a hardhat to explore Carnglaze Caverns (www.carnglaze.com) on your doorstep in St Neot; comprised of three huge caves and an underground lake it’s worth a butcher’s. The tour guide told us some people like it so much they get married here – we think Trevenna nicer for that; there’s also an enchanted woodland trail which is great for little people.  As in your kids, unless you believe in fairies…

Jamaica Inn (www.jamaicainn.co.uk) is probably too touristy to be really enjoyable, but if you’re a devote du Maurier fan it’s only a 10-minute drive away.

Near St Austell, the ‘global garden’ Eden Project (www.edenproject.com) offers the chance to take a tour inside those totally tropical foliage filled biodomes.

Pubs

The London Inn

+44 (0)1579 320263

A traditional little village pub next to the Church, formerly a coaching inn in a tiny one-horse town. For a generous serving of scampi or ham, egg and chips washed down with local beers, it’s perfect.
St Neot

For a full list of eating and drinking recommendations in Cornwall, check out our Cornwall restaurant guide

For a full list of recommended activities in Cornwall, check out our Cornwall destination guide

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