While most people head for the better-known woodlands of Cardinham, there's actually another wonderful patch of forest near Bodmin, much older and much quieter. Consisting mainly of ancient stands of coppiced oak and hazel, and carpeted with bluebells in spring, Cabilla and Redrice Woods are where the real nature-seekers should go. They're about a mile east of Bodmin parkway station on the A38; take the left-hand turn signed to Cardinham, and the track to the woods is on the right.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
8.38 MILES
Looking like a cross between a lunar landing station and a James Bond villain's lair, the gigantic hemispherical greenhouses of the Eden Project have…
3.14 MILES
This magnificent manor, 2.5 miles southeast of Bodmin, offers a fascinating insight into Upstairs, Downstairs life in Victorian England. The house was…
15.5 MILES
Famous as the supposed birthplace of King Arthur, Tintagel's epic clifftop castle has been occupied since Roman times and once served as a residence for…
14.36 MILES
This is Cornwall's real-life secret garden. Formerly the family estate of the Tremaynes, Heligan's magnificent 19th-century gardens fell into disrepair…
24.32 MILES
Grandly located at the head of the Fal estuary, 4 miles south of Truro, Trelissick is one of Cornwall's most beautiful aristocratic estates, with a formal…
22.98 MILES
The UK's biggest – and perhaps best – aquarium is lodged beside the Barbican harbour. There's a huge amount to see, but the highlight is the impressive…
28.81 MILES
Two miles from St Agnes is one of Cornwall's most beautiful coves, Chapel Porth, a wild, rocky beach framed by steep, gorse-covered cliffs, owned by the…
22.97 MILES
Around 60,000 tonnes of fish pass through this market, making it the second biggest by volume in England after London's Billingsgate. It's an amazing…
Nearby East Cornwall attractions
2.1 MILES
Just outside Bodmin, this large public forest is a great spot for a woody wander, and also has a network of mountain-bike trails if you're feeling more…
3.05 MILES
High on a hilltop above Lostwithiel, 9 miles from St Austell on the A390, the ruined castle of Restormel was built by Edward the Black Prince (the first…
3.14 MILES
This magnificent manor, 2.5 miles southeast of Bodmin, offers a fascinating insight into Upstairs, Downstairs life in Victorian England. The house was…
3.47 MILES
Slate was once an important local export on Bodmin Moor, and these deep caverns were cut out by hand by miners, leaving behind an atmospheric network of…
5. Charlotte Dymond Courtroom Experience
3.94 MILES
Located inside the Shire Hall, Bodmin's old county courtrooms house an exhibition retelling the story of Charlotte Dymond, a local girl who was found…
4.32 MILES
Once the county's main prison, this forbidding place is now notorious for the numerous ghosts said to haunt it. Though much of the original jail has…
4.5 MILES
A lively animal park a couple of miles outside Looe, with wild denizens including macaws, parakeets, owls, lemurs, meerkats and zebras, as well as a…
5.2 MILES
Four miles southeast of Lostwithiel is another quaint and ancient village, Lerryn, which sits on the banks of the picturesque creek with which it shares…