Escape to the Tamar Valley

The River Tamar twists its way through the fertile landscape of the West Country, separating Cornwall from the rest of Britain. Discover traditional farmland, gentle hills and ancient woods by rail, ferry and foot

  Photo: Visit BritainYoung rivers will not be told: they always think they know best. If the infant River Tamar would just glance over its shoulder, it would see the waves of the Atlantic less than four miles away to the west. Perversely, it heads south, aiming for the distant gap between the ancient granites of Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor, punching its way through these hard rocks to the south coast 70 miles later.

For those 70 miles, the River Tamar forms the boundary between Cornwall and the rest of England with two tiny exceptions: one square mile of Devon lies on the Cornish side at Bridgerule and a square mile of Cornwall is surrounded by Devon at Venton.

The people of the Tamar Valley, like the river that runs through it, are natural non-conformists. At Morwenstow, near the source of the Tamar, a Victorian vicar raised non-conformity to an art form. Reverend Robert Hawker refused to wear clerical black, preferring to preach in scarlet gauntlets, a purple cloak and a yellow poncho. He smoked opium and went about with a large black pig and ten cats, one of whom he excommunicated after it caught and ate a mouse during his sermon. But he was far from mad: he invented the custom of celebrating harvest festival in church and wrote The Song of the Western Men, the anthem of Cornishmen.

Queen Victoria’s reign saw another form of madness at the other end of the Tamar. When the river carved through the bands of volcanic rock, it exposed rich deposits of copper, tin and arsenic. In the middle of the 19th century, the sleepy fishing hamlets beside the lower Tamar burgeoned into boisterous mining towns. Thousands of miners toiled in the dark, smelting chimneys and arsenic flues belched fumes, and, for a while, the Tamar was “the greatest copper port in Queen Victoria’s Empire”.

Walking the Tamar
A century on, the raw scars of its industrial age have softened and sunk back into the leafy valley of the Tamar. The red deer have returned to the wooded slopes, peregrine falcon hunt above the cliffs and crags and the otters are back (visit the Tamar Otter Sanctuary, 01566 785646; www.tamarotters.co.uk). Old mine buildings and chimneys lurk as romantic ruins along the 30 miles of the Tamar Valley Discovery Trail (Plymouth Tourist Office; 01752 306330) from Plymouth to Launceston. Village walks in Gunnislake pass Clitter’s Mine, Drakewall’s Mine and the evocative Tamar Manure Navigation Canal. Views over the Tamar can also be enjoyed at Kit Hill Country Park (01579 370030), with its 400 acres of heath and wetland.

The romantic remains of another canal can be explored from Tamar Lakes near the source of the river. The Bude Canal (www.bude.co.uk) was constructed in 1825 to carry mineral-rich sea sand from Bude to fertilise the poor farming country of the upper Tamar. It closed in 1891 with the coming of the railway.

Riding the rails
The lovely little Tamar Valley branch line crosses the river by the spectacular Calstock Viaduct on its way from Plymouth to Gunnislake. The Tamar Valley Discovery Trail visits stations along the line, should your feet or ambition fail. The Tamar Belle at Bere Ferrers station is a restaurant and tearoom in a restored British Rail dining car (01822 840044; www.tamarbelle.co.uk).

The Launceston Steam Railway (01566 775665; www.launcestonsr.co.uk) chuffs its narrow-gauge way along the pretty valley of the River Kensey beneath the walls of Launceston Castle (01566 772365). You can ride even smaller rails at Morwellham, where a mine tram threads its way deep into the George and Charlotte Mine at Morwellham Quay (01822 832766; www.morwellham-quay.co.uk), past mining tableaux and an extraordinary underground waterwheel.

Take to the boats
Between early April and late September, you can explore the twisting course of the Tamar on the Tamar Passenger Ferry (01822 833331; www.calstockferry.co.uk), which carries walkers between Calstock and Ferry Farm in the shadow of the towering viaduct. The friendly, open clinker boat also ferries passengers down the river to Cotehele Quay and Cotehele House.

Cotehele House
This 15th-century fortified manor house (01579 351346), owned by the Edgecumbe family for nearly 600 years and adopted by the National Trust in 1947, is one of the least-altered medieval houses in the country. The ancient rooms around the cobbled courtyards, unlit by electric light, are furnished with exquisite tapestries. The gardens and woods tumble down a steep bank to the river with its Saxon quay, a busy port in Victorian times. The harbour offices now house a maritime museum, tearoom and gallery of arts and crafts.

Arts & Crafts
The wooded walk from Cotehele back to Calstock along the river passes the tiny Danescombe Pottery (01822 832267) where Anne-Marie Hopkins creates pots and tiles. At the Cowslip Workshops (01566 772654; www.cowslipworkshops.co.uk), Jo Colwill runs superb craftwork courses in a bewildering variety of techniques while, at Welcombe, the Yarner Trust (01288 331692; www.yarnertrust.org.uk) runs courses on traditional country crafts and explores a greener way of living.

At Capeltor, Colin Foxhall crafts elegant Windsor chairs from local oak, ash and beech in the cider house of an old copper mine (01822 832216, www.windsorchair.co.uk).

Tastes of Tamar
Apples from the orchard behind Capeltor’s cider house are still used for cider. They are collected each autumn by Countryman Cider (01822 870226) and are fermented on the farm in the hamlet of Felldownhead where you can sip and sample. Collect your local honey and clotted cream from Dorothy’s “honesty fridge” at Little Overwood Farm in Langore (01566 775366). Tala cheese from North Beer Farm (01566 785607) is a deliciously resilient ewe’s milk cheese, plain or smoked.
Tamar Organics (01822 834887; www.tamarorganics.co.uk) specialises in mail-order supplies for the organic gardener: everything from organic seeds to savage, aphid-eating ladybirds.

Where to eat
Horsebridge
•    The Royal Inn (01822 870214; www.royalinn.co.uk)
Built in the early 1400s, the inn has wisteria in the summer and log fires in winter. In summer, try fresh scallops with salad and new potatoes (£9.95). Desserts include delicious sticky toffee pudding (£3.50).
Metherill
•    Carpenters Arms (01579 350242)
This building in the heart of the village dates from the 15th century and has plenty of warm polished panelling and flagstones. Try the locally sourced rib-eye steak with all the trimmings (£12.50), followed by elderflower jelly (£3.95).
St Ann’s Chapel
•    Rifle Volunteer Inn (01822 832508; www.riflevolunteerinn.co.uk)
A local favourite for pub grub. Try fresh crab mornay (£11.75) or lemon-and-lime cheesecake with clotted cream (£4.25).
•    Annie’s Place (01822 832880)
The queen of roadside cafés. Annie’s superb all-day breakfast (£1.95) has proper fried bread served piping hot. She also makes cream teas and even takeaway meals if you’re on the move. And she’s licensed. A gem.
Stratton
•    The Tree Inn (01288 352038)
Used as the headquarters of the Royalists who defeated the Ironsides at the Battle of Stamford Hill in 1643, this inn was the birthplace of Anthony Payne, the last Cornish giant, who stood 7ft 4in tall. Visit the back bar for delicious, locally sourced fish (prices vary). Local real ales are also quaffed here – it’s that sort of place.

Where to stay
Cotehele
•    Hall Court (book through the NT on 0870 4584422)
An apartment in the medieval court of Cotehele House, little changed from early Tudor times. It has small stone staircases and mullions, and is as romantic as they come. Sleeps two (one double bed), £257-£679 per week.
Horsebridge
•    Beera Farmhouse (01822 870216; www.beera-farm.co.uk)
A large Victorian farmhouse on a working beef and sheep farm on the banks of the Tamar. Splendid food: before settling at Beera, Hilary Tucker was a chef at the Arundell Arms, an acclaimed shooting and fishing hotel. B&B £30-£37.50, dinner from £16.
Latchley
•    Old Solomons Farm (01822 833242; www.oldsolomonsfarm.co.uk)
A small working sheep farm in a bend of the Tamar. B&B £28.
St Ann’s Chapel
•    Rifle Volunteer Inn (01822 832508; www.riflevolunteerinn.co.uk)
St Ann’s Chapel is more a road than a village, but the Rifle Volunteer is a real find dating back to 1860: a local inn with atmosphere and an imaginative menu. B&B £35.
Stratton
•    Cann Orchard (01288 352098; www.cann-orchard.co.uk)
A Grade II-listed farmhouse, mentioned in the Domesday Book, which manages the trick of being spacious and welcoming at the same time. It has three double bedrooms and is surrounded by four-acre gardens. Should guests stay for two nights or more, they can enjoy breakfast served in a secluded beach house on a small rocky cove nearby. B&B £25-£28.
Sydenham Damerel
•    The Count House, Capeltor (01822 832216; www.windsorchair.co.uk). A delightful cottage, once the office of a copper mine on the wooded banks of the Tamar. Sleeps two (one double and a single available in the living room if required). £245-£300 per week.

Hidden highlights

•    Kit Hill has stunning views over the Tamar Valley. Now bursting with wildlife, the hill, topped with an ornate chimney, has been mined since medieval times.
•    Try the medieval skills of field archery in the woods. Mike Hoddinott (01288 321328) introduces beginners to this fascinating sport at Broxwater.
•    Visit Cotehele House (01579 352711).
•    The best snack in Launceston’s vg.deli.co (01566 779494) is ricotta, sun-dried tomato and olive bocata, £2.40. Country Cheeses (01822 615035; www.countrycheeses.co.uk) is in my opinion the best cheese shop in the world, offering a bewildering array of local produce, from Exmoor Jersey blue to sharpham. Find it behind Tavistock’s Pannier Market.

A circular walk around the hamlet of Horsebridge
Length: 5 miles

•    Start at The Royal Inn (01822 870214) in Horsebridge, on the Devon side of the Tamar. Borrow a map of the walk from a box by the inn door.
•    Stand on the oldest bridge across the river, built by French Benedictine monks in 1437 and funded by the sinners of Devon and Cornwall in exchange for prayers for the remission of sins – something Railtrack might consider. Don’t cross the bridge: walk south, away from the inn. Just around the corner, find a footpath on the left between hedges and follow uphill beneath holly trees. Pass through three wrought-iron garden gates to reach the road at Townlake.
•    Turn right along the lane as it climbs above the river. At the crest, a lane bears off to the left. After the gate, follow the hedge ahead. Latchley lies across the hidden Tamar, with Kit Hill beyond.
•    Follow the hedge to a stile and cross the next field diagonally to a stile. Turn left, following the road down to a sharp left-hand bend. Take the track on the right, leading through woodland to Capeltor.
•    Follow the track down past the old orchards and cider house, now a Windsor chair workshop, to the wildflower meadows beside the little River Cat as it joins the Tamar. Otters haunt this beautiful spot.
•    Retrace your steps to the road and follow it downhill, turning left on to a track to Lower Brimble Brook before the bridge. At the second gate, climb the stile to the left beside an enchanting spring filling a circular trough buried in ferns and ivy. Climb to another stile and turn right. The path follows a fence, then an ancient wall, through the secluded valley of the River Cat.
•    The path climbs through woods to a field. A gate in the corner by a house leads to a crossroads. Bear right on the road towards Lane End. After 150m, take the farm track (Bartons) to the left. A stile at the sharp bend in the track leads straight on to Sydenham Damerel across three fields – plenty boggy when it’s wet. Find the road through the kissing gate and turn left into the village.
•    Turn into an impressive colonnade of yew trees to visit St Mary’s church. For three years until 1957, services were held in the tiny tower, ten feet square, after fire destroyed the rest of the church. Turn left outside the gates and take the road down the hill to Horsebridge and back to the Royal Inn. And don’t forget to return the map to its box.

Don’t miss....
Morwellham Quay is a fascinating living museum of Victorian life (01822 832766; www.morwellham-quay.co.uk). All the trades of this busy port, farm and copper mine are brought to life by staff in period costume. You can experience being in a Victorian classroom and try authentic sweets – including real dairy fudge – from the chandler.

The vicar of Morwenstow
Reverend Hawker has left his mark on the village: the hut on the cliffs, where he smoked opium and wrote poetry reflecting his love for Cornwall and Cornishmen, is preserved by the National Trust. The chimneys of his bizarre home are replicas of his favourite church spires and his mother’s tomb. Discover more at St Morwenna’s church.

General information

Tourist information
The lower Tamar Valley is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Visit www.tamarvalley.org.uk. Tourist Information Centres at Launceston (01566 772321) and Tavistock (01822 612938) are open all year (winter 10am-4pm). The Bude Tourist Information Centre (01288 354240) publishes leaflets and guides to the Bude Canal, such as The Bude Canal, Past and Present (£5.50, plus 75p p+p).

Public transport
The Tamar Valley Line is a great way to access the lower river and the Tamar Valley Discovery Trail across the Calstock Viaduct. For all rail enquiries, ring 08457 484950. Alternatively, try the Tamar Passenger Ferry which runs Calstock-Cotehele-Devon (01822 833331; www.calstockferry.co.uk).

Maps and books
Ordnance Survey Landranger Series, map numbers 190 (upper Tamar) and 201 (lower Tamar). Devon County Council publishes an excellent information pack to the Tamar Valley Discovery Trail (which is in Cornwall) with village walks along the route and train and ferry timetables (£4.50 from tourist offices and stations, or the Plymouth Tourist Office; 01752 306330).

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