46
Above The still waters of Padstow’s harbour
reflect yachts and wharf buildingsLiterary Connections
Westward Ho! is the only town in
England to be named after a book- and to have an exclamation mark!
Charles Kingsley wrote his historical
romance while living in Bideford;
after its publication entrepreneurs
developed the resort. Daphne du
Maurier found inspiration for her
novel Jamaica Inn while staying at
the coaching inn on Bodmin Moor,
a notorious smugglers’ haunt, in
- Henry Williamson’s 1927 story
Tarka the Otter is set in North
Devon. The places he describes in it
are now linked by a 180-mile-long
trail, including a section between
Bideford and Great Torrington.
WHERE TO STAYPADSTOW
Old Ship Hotel moderate
Centrally located hotel with estuary
views whose bar has live music.
Restaurant noted for its fresh fish.
Mill Square, PL28 8AE; 01841 532 357;
http://www.oldshiphotel-padstow.co.uk
St Petroc’s Hotel expensive
A short walk uphill from the harbour,
this 10-room hotel in a white wisteria-
clad Georgian building is one of Rick
Stein’s properties.
4 New Street, PL28 8BY; 01841 532
700; http://www.rickstein.com q Bodmin
Cornwall; PL31 2DQ
Guilty or not guilty? Visitors to
Courtroom One in Shire Hall (tours
Mon–Sat), the old county court, can
decide the verdict in a realistic re-
enactment of a famous murder trial
held here in 1844, and then visit the
cells. The life of an 18th-century
prisoner is depicted in the former
Bodmin Gaol, a forbidding building
which now houses various eateries.
The 500-year-old St Petroc’s Church,
which has a 12th-century font and
the saint’s ivory casket, is the largest
medieval church in Cornwall.
ª Take B3268, signed Lostwithiel, out
past the station. Lanhydrock is signed
to the left after 3 km (2 miles). Park in
the car park.0 Pencarrow
Washaway, Cornwall; PL30 3AG
Tall conifers from around the world
soar above the long drive leading to
this Georgian mansion, owned by
the same family since it was built in
the 1770s. In spring, rhododendrons,
camellias and azaleas create patches
of vivid colour in the gardens. The
house is notable for its Adam
furniture, upholstered in rose silk
damask that matches the curtains –
“treasure” captured from a Spanish
ship in 1762. Joshua Reynolds
painted many of the portraits on
show (open Easter–mid-Oct: house
Sun–Thu; gardens daily).
ª From Pencarrow, continue to
Bodmin on A389. Several car parks
signposted, one on left as you enter
town, at end of Camel Trail.BACK ROADS GREAT BRITAIN
Where to Stay: inexpensive, under £80; moderate, £80–£150; expensive, over £150Below The imposing façade of Bodmin Gaol,
which now houses a pub and brasserie9 Padstow
Cornwall; PL28 8AF
Fame has been bestowed on this
small port on the Camel Estuary
thanks to a fish restaurant opened in
a Victorian drill hall in 1975 by a local
chef, Rick Stein. Now famous for his
TV appearances, he has four
restaurants in the town, plus gourmet
shops and a cookery school, making
it a gastro heaven. Alternatives to
eating include clifftop walks, a ferry
trip across to Rock, a stop at the
intriguing fishery (open daily), where
lobsters are hatched, or a visit to
Prideaux Place (open May–Oct, Sun–
Thu). This sumptuously furnished
family-owned Elizabethan manor has
often been used as the location for
period films, among them Oscar and
Lucinda, Trevor Nunn’s Twelfth Night
and several Rosamund Pilcher novels.
From Padstow bikes can be hired to
cycle along the River Camel to Bodmin.
ª From Padstow, return to the A389
past Wadebridge towards Bodmin.
Pencarrow is signposted off to the left
6 km (4 miles) after Wadebridge. Park
in the car park.VISITING PADSTOWParking
Park on the quay, or at Prideaux Place.
Tourist Information
Red Brick Building, North Quay, PL28
8AF; 01841 533 449; http://www.padstow-
cornwall.co.uk
Padstow Cycle Hire
South Quay, PL28 8BL; 01841 533 533;
http://www.padstowcyclehire.com