Trerice

Introducing Trerice

Built in 1751, the charming Elizabethan manor of Trerice (NT; 01637-875404; admission £6; 11am-5pm Sun-Fri Mar-Oct, gardens from 10.30am) is famous for the elaborate barrel-roofed ceiling of the Great Chamber, but has plenty of other intriguing features, including ornate fireplaces, original plasterwork and a fine collection of period furniture. There’s also an amusing lawnmower museum in the barn, with over 100 grass-cutters going back over a century.

Trerice is 3 miles southeast of Newquay. Bus 526 runs from Newquay to Kestle Mill, about a mile from the manor house.

Padstow

Wind the clock back a decade or two and Padstow was just another quiet fishing village along Cornwall’s north coast, but over recent years this little harbour has been transformed into the capital of Cornish cuisine, with some of the poshest restaurants and swishest boutiques this side of the Tamar. The transformation is almost entirely due to the efforts of one man, celebrity chef Rick Stein, who opened his first seafood restaurant on the harbourside back in the mid-’70s and has since expanded his property portfolio with a second café, a couple of hotels, a seafood school, a delicatessen and even a fish and chip shop. Hardly surprising, then, that the locals often wryly refer to the town as ‘Pad-stein’ – but despite its chichi provenance, it’s still a pretty place to visit, with a cluster of cafés and fishermen’s cottages nestled around its old harbour.

The tourist office (533449; www.padstowlive.com; North Quay; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat) charges £3 to book accommodation.

Much favoured by directors of costume dramas, the stately manor house of Prideaux Place (532411; admission £6; 12.30-4pm Sun-Thu Easter Sun–mid-Apr & mid-May–Oct) above the village was built by the Prideaux-Brune family (who still reside here), purportedly descendants of William the Conqueror.

The disused Padstow to Bodmin railway line now forms the Camel Trail, one of Cornwall’s most popular cycling tracks. The trail starts in Padstow and runs east through Wadebridge (5¾ miles), Bodmin (11 miles) and beyond. Bikes can be hired from Padstow Cycle Hire (533533; www.padstowcyclehire.com; South Quay; 9am-5pm) and Brinhams (532594; South Quay; 9am-5pm) for something like £10 to £15 per day.

The Jubilee Queen (521093) offers boat trips (adults £6) around the bay and offshore islands, leaving from the harbourside.

Padstow is surrounded by some excellent beaches, including the ones at Polzeath and Treyarnon Bay.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009