Cottages updated today Friday 3 February 2012
Spring had sprung and we yearned to clear out the cobwebs of winter and welcome the new season. So it was off to Cornwall we went. We took the M5 to Exeter then the scenic A38 to Plymouth before hooking north up the delightful Tamar Valley , the destination our Cornish holiday cottage. We chose Calstock, because it was in the south and would provide a good starting point for the valley.
After a hearty 'full English' breakfast on our first morning in our cottage, we discovered that Calstock is a small village dominated by a big viaduct. This is the engineering marvel that carries the picturesque Tamar Valley Railway. Leaving our holiday cottage on foot, we soon discovered nearby Cotehele house after a steep climb and, after wandering around the delightful gardens, enjoyed a light lunch in the warm spring sunshine. Then a relaxing boat trip up the Tamar from Cotehele Quay to pass the afternoon. We came home to our cottage which was thankfully fully central heated, but we put on a log fire in the traditional stone fireplace, and toasted our toes, along with some traditional English muffins and lashings of melted butter.
Our favourite tourist attractions in Tamar:
It was a good start. The next day we travelled further afield from our holiday home, and took the Tamar Valley Railway north to Gunnislake. The journey passed through some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable - lush green valleys, verdant pastures, dappled woods and glimpses of the sparkling Tamar River along the way. Gunnislake clings to the steep valley sides, torturing calf muscles yet providing spectacular views of the surrounding area.
The rest of the week was filled with beautiful scenery, fantastic meals in local pubs and inns we had discovered along the way and relaxing picnics on the banks of this beautiful Cornish river. Throughout our touring, there were plenty of craft shops to browse and buy. We even stocked up on a locally-made Yarg cheese we would enjoy on our return.
The Tamar Valley contains some of the most unspoilt and beautiful scenery in the West Country of England. The valleys of the Tamar River and it;s tributaries the Tavy and Lynher are designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or AONB.
Local towns and villages:
One of the high points was an afternoon knee-deep in the Tamar further upstream, casting an exotic 'fly' onto the smooth-flowing waters. While I caught nothing, it nevertheless taught me the rudiments of fly fishing and provided some idyllic photographs that I could impress friends with later.
Our holiday cottage turned out to be ideally placed, because we could get to most of the local places easily on foot, so it had the benefits of a traditional walking holiday, but without the trials and tribulations of staying in youth hostels. If we return to the same part of Cornwall again we would probably have a rental holiday cottage for two weeks rather than one, because we felt that while we had plenty of exercise, we had only just started to relax before it was time to end our holiday and come home.
Now you have read about self catering holiday cottages in the AONB Tamar Valley, go back to the main Cottages-to-Let Cornwall page or read on: