Day 10. Fowey & Lanhydrock Estate, Cornwall

On By Little Miss TravellerIn Cornwall 2020, South West, United Kingdom

The final day of our Cornish holiday had come around all too quickly and as we’d enjoyed ourselves so much the time had just sped by.  After checking out of our hotel in Bodmin we drove into the town centre for breakfast and to have a short walk through the town.  Earlier in the week we’d visited Bodmin Jail but had not had an opportunity to explore the Shire Hall where the assize courts were held before being moved to the county town of Truro.

Shire Hall, Bodmin
Bodmin Shire Hall

Nowadays the Shire Hall is home to the local tourist information office and a Courtroom Experience attraction where visitors learn about the history of the building and can participate in a mock trial.  We took part in a similar activity a couple of years ago at the National Court of Justice in Nottingham which we found to be great fun.  Hopefully the attraction in Bodmin will be able to re-open again soon for people to enjoy.

Bodmin & Wenford Railway
Bodmin heritage railway station

A ten minute walk from the town centre lies the Bodmin & Wenford Railway and as we love steam trains, we just had to take a look at the station despite trains not running at present.

Platform, Bodmin & Wenford Heritage Railway
Platform at Bodmin General Station

This heritage railway operates along a six mile line between Bodmin General and Boscarne Junction.  Volunteer staff were on hand enabling us to explore the heritage station, inspect the rolling stock on the platforms and admire the Cornish art-deco railway posters along fences and walls.

Vintage Luggage, Bodmin Station
Vintage Luggage on the Station Platform

A working signal box stands at the end of the platform and when staffed, visitors are able to look inside and learn about how it works.  It’s a very well preserved station with the original waiting room resplendent with old leather cases and the adjoining office utilised as a small gift shop selling railway models, books and toys.  Sometime in the future hopefully we may have an opportunity to return to enjoy a nostalgic ride on a steam train through the Cornish countryside.

Bodmin General Signal Box
Bodmin General Signal Box

Setting off in the car, it was then just a 20 minute journey to the Lanhydrock country house and estate which is maintained by the National Trust.  Standard adult admission £10 or free for NT members.  For visitors just wishing to explore the extensive grounds car parking is £1 per hour or £5 for the entire day, again free for NT members.

Lanhydrock Estate, Cornwall
Lanhydrock Estate, Cornwall

As it was a lovely morning the car park was already getting quite busy with families out for a walk or a cycle ride.  The estate is ideal for cycling as there are numerous designated off-road trails on mostly flat terrain suitable for families or novice cyclists.

Entrance gateway to Lanhydrock, Cornwall
The ornate entrance gateway to the Lanhydrock Estate

The house is approached along a sweeping, tree lined driveway which in turn leads through an ornate archway into the formal garden surrounding the property.  We had pre-arranged a timed entry to the house and our tour commenced with a short video documenting the history of the house and of the Agar-Robartes family who made it their home.  After a devastating fire in the 1880’s, the Jacobean house was refurbished in Victorian style and fitted with all the latest mod-cons of the time.

Lanhydrock Stately Home, Bodmin, Cornwall
Lanhydrock Stately Home

Due to COVID-19 measures, not all parts of the house were open which was a little disappointing but we were able to view several rooms including the elegant dining hall and long gallery with its Steinway piano.

THe Dining Hall, Lanhydrock COrnwall
The formal Dining Hall

Adjacent to the house stands St. Hydroc’s church dating from the 15th century.  The Robartes family crypt lies beneath the old family pews situated nearest to the house.  Regular Sunday services still take place in the church when restrictions permit.

St. Hydroc's Church, Lanhydrock
St. Hydroc’s Church, Lanhydrock

After a pleasant walk through the grounds on our way back to the car, we set off again, this time for the charming small town of Fowey which lies on the west side of the Fowey estuary, ten miles from Lanhydrock.

Fowey town centre
The quaint streets of Fowey

Fowey is characterised by its quaint cottages and narrow streets winding their way down to the harbour.  Being situated at the mouth of the River Fowey it’s a popular centre for sailing as could be seen from the many boats anchored in the estuary.

Fowey Harbour
Fowey Harbour

The Town Quay has a quintessential Cornish feel and is the beating heart of this picturesque little town.  It links with Fore Street, Fowey’s high street which has a selection of interesting small shops and cafes.  A small museum detailing the town’s history is located on the quayside in a 15th century house, thought to be the oldest in town.

Town Quay, Fowey
Town Quay, Fowey

In summer, pleasure boat trips can be taken from the quayside along the attractive Fowey river whilst a regular ferry service operates across the water throughout the year to the idyllic fishing village of Polruan.  The ferry, with a journey of just a few minutes departs from either Town Quay or Whitehouse Pier depending on times of day/ season, further details can be found here.

Fowey quayside, Cornwall
Fowey Quayside

A highlight of visiting the town must surely be to take a walk along the Esplanade to Readymoney Cove.  We set off up Market Street passing Fowey Parish Church and then climbed the steep Lostwithiel Street until we reached a left turn onto the Esplanade.  This scenic road runs parallel to the harbour behind waterfront houses.

Views from Fowey across to Polruan
Looking across to the village of Polruan

After passing the lane that comes up from Whitehouse Quay, the Esplanade has stunning views over gardens and across the harbour to Polruan.  We paused to take some photos then continued along the narrow road which rises above low rocky cliffs.  The views were spectacular as the road curved around behind the sheltered, sandy beach of Readymoney Cove.

Readymoney Cove, Cornwall
Readymoney Cove

Perched on the clifftop, overlooking the small cove stands St. Catherine’s Castle, a well preserved fort that was constructed to protect Fowey harbour.  The castle is one of a series built along the south coast during the reign of Henry VIII to defend the coastline.

Views of Fowey Estuary from the Esplanade
Views of the estuary from the Esplanade

After spending a short time on the beach looking out to sea and examining rock pools we retraced our steps back along the Esplanade into the centre of Fowey.  There was still some time to spare before we needed to return to the car so we enjoyed another look around the town.

Fowey quayside
Fowey quayside

The end of our holiday was drawing near but we still had one place left to visit.  As the market town of Liskeard was conveniently located just off the A38 on our way back home, we decided to have a meal there and buy some Cornish pasties to take home with us.

Liskeard town centre
Liskeard town centre

Liskead is a pleasant town and boasts several attractive buildings including its Guildhall and Town Hall.  Several shops along Fore and Pike Streets have retained their original Victorian shopfronts making them look very characterful, the only problem being that they were all closed.

Liskeard town centre
Liskeard town centre

It was a Sunday afternoon, and whilst shops in nearby Fowey were bustling with activity, Liskeard was sadly quiet.  Fortunately, the King Doniert pub was open so we popped in there for a meal but our plan to call into the Liskeard branch of Malcolm Barnecutt’s bakery for some packs of frozen traditional Cornish pasties to take home with us failed as unlike its other Cornish branches we hadn’t realised that the Liskeard shop did not open on Sundays.

Liskeard town museum, Cornwall
Liskeard town museum, Cornwall

We said goodbye to Cornwall as we left the county along the A38, crossing the Tamar Bridge into Devon on our way home.  It’s necessary to pay a £2 bridge toll (fee for cars) when leaving Cornwall but there is no charge for incoming traffic.

Tamar Bridge linking Devon & Cornwall
The Tamar Bridge linking Devon & Cornwall

The pandemic might have clipped our wings and prevented us from travelling to faraway destinations but our 10 day Cornish road trip had been lovely which just goes to prove that U.K. holidays are equally nice too!  Our visit was supported by Visit Cornwall and as always all views and opinions are entirely my own.

 

If you have enjoyed reading this series of posts on Cornwall you may also like:

Land’s End, Porthcurno & St. Ives, Cornwall

Truro & a visit to Bodmin Jail, Cornwall

 

If you use Pinterest consider sharing and pinning the image below or follow me here:Fowey & the Lanhydrock Estate

 

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90 thoughts on “Day 10. Fowey & Lanhydrock Estate, Cornwall”

  1. jasonlikestotravel

    What a wonderful way to round off the trip / series. The Lanhydrock Estate looks great and I can imagine it’s a really nice place to walk and cycle through on a day as nice as that.
    Fowey looks such a lovely little place too!

    Shame you weren’t able to take any pasties home with you though 😦

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  3. Pingback: Day 10. Fowey & Lanhydrock Estate, Cornwall – Entertainment world

  5. Pingback: Day 10. Fowey & Lanhydrock Estate, Cornwall – Blogul lui Roman

  8. Oh, it was great reading about your Cornwall trip (I’m sad it’s the last one now) 👀.
    Your visit to Lanhydrock estate was beautiful – that archway at the entrance is really stunning! It was great to see all your beautiful photo’s of the quaint towns and the ocean views were equally delightful.
    Thanks for taking me along on your Cornwall holiday – I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the pictures and history on this beautiful stretch of UK coastline 🌸.

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  10. What a great end to your trip. The Lanhydrock Estate looks gorgeous. I wonder what it would have been like to live here back in the day. It’s too bad some of the rooms were closed due to COVID-19. What rooms you did manage to see all looked very elegant and regal.

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  12. I was sure I read and commented on this one yesterday Marion, but perhaps something went awry. In any case, thanks for taking me to Cornwall during this current pandemic. It was a very informative and entertaining trip. Stay well. Allan

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      1. Just picking up on an earlier question/comment, about where the name “Cornwall” comes from. I think it’s just an Anglicisation of “Kernow”, which is of course the Cornish name for Cornwall. I think that’s right, but if I’m wrong, someone should let me know!

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    1. Thanks Shane for your inspiring thoughts. It really was a splendid road trip and breaking it up with two bases meant we had relatively short drives each day. Hope your Easter weekend is going well. It’s turned very chilly here.

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    1. Lovely to hear from you! We managed to fit in a 10 day road trip to Cornwall last October and enjoyed it very much and think you would do also. Let’s hope we will be able to start travelling again soon and get our old lives back. Take care and eat lots of roast lamb and chocolate eggs tomorrow ! Marion

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  23. My partner and I stayed in Fowey! It was so lovely and we sat by the harbour, just where you took the picture and had some fish and chips. We also went to Lanhydrock, it was such an amazing trip. I have very fond memories of Cornwall.

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  24. Cornwall is such a beautiful area of England. Was fortunate to be able to visit there years ago and would love to spend more time exploring there. Just love the winding streets and those views of the ocean. Thanks for sharing!

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  25. I have a close friend who has spent the last three Christmas breaks in Fowey. She rents a flat overlooking the estuary and it looks to be a fantastic place to stay, even out of season. The more I read your posts, the more I want to return to Cornwall!
    Happy Easter, Marion.

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    1. What an idyllic little place for your friend to spend Christmas June. Hope you are enjoying the Easter weekend. It’s still sunny here but has turned bitterly cold, I needed my hat and scarf when we went for a walk today! Marion

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  26. I have only had quick daytrips to Cornwall from Bath where I spent several summers, but its charm had already impressed me. I didn’t know Lanhydrock House, the kind of place I particularly like. Thank you for your interesting post.

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  31. Brings back memories of our honeymoon 30 years ago! We also visited Lanhydrock. We had some amazing seafood dinners in Cornwall
    Was there anywhere you visited where they filmed Poldark

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    1. So pleased to read that these posts brought back fond memories of your honeymoon. I think most of the Poldark filming took place around Charlestown with scenes shot in other places in the county we visited. Interested to know if you came over from Australia for your honeymoon or were you perhaps living in the UK then. Marion x

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                  1. I went back to the UK to have my daughter but had my son in HK..we left for Australia in 2003 when they were 11 and 8. It was a hard transition for my daughter and took her years to settle down. She’s 29 now and has two babies of her own, so very settled now 🥰

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  32. I have definitely enjoyed your thorough series of Cornwall! It’s really wonderful you got to visit the interior of Lanhydrock Estate, especially during the pandemic. Can’t wait to see where else you’ve gone to in this world!

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