Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WORTH A TRIP
PORT ELIOT
Stretching across the far eastern end of Cornwall,
Port Eliot
( 01503-230211;
www.porteliot.co.uk
;
house &
grounds adult/child £8/4, grounds only £4/2; 2-6pm Sat-Thu Mar-Jun & 1 week in July) is the family seat of
the Earl of St Germans. The 6000-acre estate had been off-limits to the public for many years, but since 2008 has
opened its doors for 100 days every year. The highlight of the house is the amazing
Round Room
, whose walls
are almost entirely covered by a characteristically Bacchanalian mural by the late Plymouth artist Rovert Len-
kiewicz. Outside, the Grade I-listed estate was part improved by Humphrey Repton, and offers dramatic views
towards the Tamar estuary.
Port Eliot has also found notoriety thanks to its annual outdoor bash, the
Port Eliot Festival
(
www.porteliotfestival.com
)
, a quirky literary and musical shindig in late July.
Occasional trains from Plymouth stop at the tiny station of
St Germans
, on the edge of the estate; otherwise,
you'll need your own transport. The vehicle entrance is along the B3249, about 9 miles east of Looe.
TOP OF CHAPTER
The Rame Peninsula
Flung out on Cornwall's eastern edge, the Rame Peninsula receives so few visitors it's of-
ten dubbed as 'Cornwall's forgotten corner'. Despite its proximity to Plymouth, which sits
just across the River Tamar, and the regular ferry traffic from the Torpoint Ferry, the Rame
Peninsula remains one of Cornwall's most unspoilt pockets, and it's a fine place to head
when you want to give the crowds the slip. It's worth making a detour to the cute-as-a-
button villages of
Kingsand
and
Cawsand
, both full of smuggling history.
Nearby, the impressive 3-mile expanse of
Whitsand Bay
provides one of the largest
stretches of sand in southeast Cornwall.
Sights
Mount Edgcumbe
( 01752-822236;
www.mountedgcumbe.gov.uk
;
adult/child £7.20/3.75; 11am-4.30pm Sun-Thu Mar-Sep)
En-
compassing 865 acres, this Grade I-listed estate was built for the Earls of Edgcumbe, but
is now owned by Cornwall and Plymouth City Councils. It's one of the earliest of Corn-
wall's estates, liberally sprinkled with follies, chapels, grottoes, pavilions and formal gar-
dens. The house was built between 1547 and 1553, but was practically destroyed by Ger-
man bombing in 1941. It's since been restored in lavish 18th-century style. The gardens
HISTORIC BUILDING
