# North Cornwall

North Cornwall is in Cornwall. It includes much of the Cornish coast along the Celtic Sea and some top surfing areas.

## Towns and villages

* 50.466-4.7181 Bodmin - Former adminstrative centre of Cornwall and home of Bodmin Jail
* 50.422-4.6712 Lostwithiel — home to Restormel Castle, notable for being almost completely cylindrical
* 50.824-4.5423 Bude — fishing village and holiday resort on the north coast of Cornwall
* 50.635-4.3544 Launceston — home of the 11th-century Launceston Castle, and the Launceston narrow-gauge heritage steam railway
* 50.412-5.07575 Newquay — former fishing village, now surf capital of the UK and home to Cornwall's principal airport
* 50.538-4.9386 Padstow — fishing village and holiday resort on Cornwall's north coast
* 50.3437-5.15467 Perranporth — a seaside resort town backed by extensive sand dunes which reach nearly a mile inland
* 50.432-4.948 St Columb Major — one of only two places where you can watch Cornish hurling, a medieval game once common throughout Cornwall
* 50.517-4.8359 Wadebridge — it has a 12-arch bridge, built in 468, and has hosted the Cornwall Folk Festival since 1962
* 50.684-4.692910 Boscastle — scenic fishing village with the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic
* 50.5938-4.8311 Port Isaac — seaside village, often used as a filming location
* 50.233-5.22412 Redruth — world capital of tin mining
* 50.5437-4.918213 Rock — a popular base for holidaymakers, and a well-established centre for water sports
* 50.312-5.20414 St Agnes — part of the Cornwall Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site
* 50.663-4.7515 Tintagel — legendary birthplace of King Arthur and seat of the Kings of Cornwall

## Other destinations

* 50.913889-4.4527781 Tamar Valley — an area of outstanding natural beauty on the border with Devon
* 50.5654-4.61082 Bodmin Moor — a bleak moor to the east of Bodmin made famous by Daphne du Maurier's book Jamaica Inn

## Understand

The north coast on the Celtic Sea, part of the Atlantic Ocean, is more exposed than the south coast, and therefore has a wilder nature. The High Cliff, between Boscastle and St Gennys, is the highest sheer-drop cliff in Cornwall at 223 metres (732 ft).
Beaches, which form an important part of the tourist industry, include Bude, Polzeath, Watergate Bay, Perranporth, Porthtowan, Fistral Beach, Newquay, St Agnes, St Ives, and on the south coast Gyllyngvase beach in Falmouth and the large beach at Praa Sands further to the south-west.

## Get in
### By train

Regular trains run on the main line from London Paddington (8 daily all the way through Cornwall to Penzance, 5 hr 30 min), Bristol, Birmingham etc. to Penzance. There is also an overnight sleeper train which runs Su-F nights from London Paddington and Penzance.

### By car

Cornwall can be accessed by road via the A30 which runs from the end of the M5 at Exeter, all the way through the heart of Devon and Cornwall down to Land's End. It is a grade-separated expressway as far as Carland Cross near Truro (the expressway is expected to be open as far as Camborne (between Redruth and Hayle) by March 2024). You can also get to Cornwall via the A38, crossing the River Tamar at Plymouth via the Tamar Bridge, which levies a toll on eastbound vehicles. On summer Saturdays and during bank holiday weekends roads to Cornwall are usually busy.

### By plane

50.440833-4.9952781 Cornwall Airport (NQY) in Newquay is the main airport for the county, with year-round flights only from Aberdeen, Alicante, Dublin, London Gatwick, and Manchester. During the summer season, more flights arrive from a wider range of UK and EU airports.

## Get around
### By bus

Thanks to Transport for Cornwall, all bus tickets are interchangeable across the different companies. The Cornwall All Day ticket allows unlimited travel for a calendar day. As of 2023, fares are £5 for adults and £4 for under-19s. Payment is by cash or contactless. The two main bus companies are:
* Go Cornwall Bus covers all parts of Cornwall and connects with Plymouth (in Devon).
* Kernow (part of First Bus) covers western and central Cornwall.
Buses only serve designated stops when in towns; otherwise, you can flag them down anywhere that's safe for them to stop.

### By train

CrossCountry Trains and Great Western Railway operate regular train services between the main centres of population, the latter company also serving a number of other towns on branch lines. For train times and fares visit National Rail Enquiries. The Cornwall Ranger ticket allows unlimited train travel in Cornwall and Plymouth for a calendar day. As of 2023, this costs £14 for adults and £7 for under-16s.

## See

Within the 208 km$^2$ of the Bodmin Moor, is King Arthur's Hall, a megalithic monument and Brown Willy, the highest point in Cornwall at 417 m (1,368 ft). Dozmary Pool is a small beautiful lake where, according to legend, King Arthur was entrusted with the sword Excalibur. There is also a reputed Beast of the Moor, a large wild-cat that haunts and stalks at night, but is similar in fantasy to the Loch Ness Monster, in that no one can prove it exists, though sightings, theories and track-marks abound.
Tintagel Castle is the legendary birthplace of King
Arthur and seat of the kings of Cornwall. Earl Richard of Cornwall and King of the Romans built the present medieval castle at the site. Ongoing excavations are revealing a Cornish royal seat of the period 400 to 700 AD.
Pencarrow House and Gardens is a large house near Wadebridge built in 1760 with extensive gardens.
Prideaux Place is a large house near Padstow.

### National Trust properties

Cotehele House and Gardens is a medieval house with Tudor additions located in the Parish of Calstock on the western bank of the Tamar.
Lanhydrock near Bodmin is a magnificent late Victorian country house with garden and wooded estate.
Trerice - Kestle Mill, near Newquay, is an Elizabethan manor house with fine interiors and delightful garden.
East Pool Mine, Pool near Redruth, has an impressive Cornish beam engine and industrial heritage at the heart of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site.
Tintagel's Old Post Office: one of the Trust's most delightful medieval buildings, enhanced by a cottage garden.
Hawker's Hut is the smallest National Trust property in the country. It's in Morwenstow, north of Bude.
The Hurlers (Cornish: Hr Carwynnen) is a group of three stone circles similar to but smaller than Stonehenge. The site is half-a-mile (0.8 km) west of the village of Minions on the eastern flank of Bodmin Moor, and approximately four miles (6 km) north of Liskeard. Each stellar alignment was given with tabulated declinations at a date in the range of 2100 to 1500 BC!

## Do

Cornwall, in particular Newquay, is the UK's surfing capital, with equipment hire and surf schools present on many of the county's beaches, and events like the UK championships or Boardmasters festival.
The South West Coast Path runs along the coastline of Britain's south-west peninsula. The Cornish section is supposed to be the most scenic (unless you talk to someone in Devon, in which case the Devon part is most scenic). It is particularly scenic around Penwith and the Lizard. The trail takes walkers to busy towns, remote cliffs, beaches, heaths, farms and fishing villages. Walking along it is a great way to experience the region in all its variety. (Walking the entire path takes several weeks, walking on a choice part of it is easier.)
The Camel Trail is an 18-mile (29 km) off-road cycle-track that follows the route of a former railway line along the scenic estuary of the river Camel from Padstow to Wenford Bridge via Wadebridge and Bodmin.
The Cornish Film Festival is held annually each November around Newquay.
The Royal Cornwall Show is an agricultural show at the beginning of June each year. It is one of Cornwall's major tourist attractions.
Camel Creek Adventure Park, Tredinnick, Wadebridge offers great family days out at Cornwall's top theme park.

### Festivals

Mummer's Day, or "Darkie Day" as it is sometimes known, is an ancient Cornish midwinter celebration that occurs every year on Boxing Day and New Year's Day in Padstow. Now considered somewhat "un-PC" as people will paint themselves black.
'Obby 'Oss is held annually on May Day (1 May), mainly in Padstow, with large marching bands and traditional music. It attracts large crowds, so show up early.
St Piran's Day (Cornish: Gool Peran) is the national day of Cornwall, held on 5 March every year. There is large parties widespread across the whole of Cornwall, with people dressing in the black, white and silver national colours.

## Drink

* Haywood Farm Cider in Bodmin.
* Camel Valley Vineyard northwest of Bodmin offers guided tours.

## Stay safe

North Cornwall is relatively crime-free, though of course one should take the normal safety precautions. Car drivers who are used to driving on narrow lanes should be aware that at any time they might have to reverse back to a passing spot should they meet an on-coming vehicle.
The moors - Bodmin Moor and Exmoor should be treated with caution as one can become disoriented should a fog descend. If walking on the moors alone, make sure that somebody knows your route and your expected time of arrival at your destination. Likewise, treat the beach with respect. A cove that looks attractive at low tide might be cut off at high tide. One should also be aware of rip currents in the sea: unless you are an experienced swimmer, make sure that you do not go out of your depth.