Poldark and what Ross is missing

We were as excited , even more so than many perhaps, about Poldark appearing on our television screens once more. It is all based in this area of Cornwall and for anyone that has not visited Rayle Farm Cottages as yet, you will be relieved to hear that it is just as beautiful today as it was 250 years ago. Indeed we hear that clouds needed to be added digitally after filming the series because it was just too darned sunny for the more brooding moments in the series. Well there is no pleasing some people!

A beautifully filmed opening to the series and let us hope that this will continue. However, one slight issue that I did have with it was that the people of Illogan came across as, shall we say, a bit rough and in desperate need of a visit to the dentist, although Demelza scrubbed up pretty well without too much trouble. Illogan is our local village and although to my knowledge it does not have an orthodontist in residence, it has many fine attributes which Ross Poldark would probably have taken full advantage of. For example, the delicious pasties that we provide for welcoming supper for those guests staying for a week or longer – well they come from, you guessed it, Illogan.

If Ross didn’t have his hands full, sprucing up his rather run down residence, he might well have taken the opportunity to enjoy eighteen holes at Tehidy Golf Course, which again is to be found in Illogan. It is an attractive and indeed friendly club which welcomes visitors throughout the year. This is incidentally right next door to Tehidy Country Park, quelle surprise, which is very popular with dog walkers. However to my mind it really comes into its own in the spring when larges tracts are carpeted in bluebells.

Illogan Woods (guess where they are!) provides a lovely route to walk your dog, away from the roads all the way down to the sea at Portreath. In its day, this would have been a busy route for workers heading to the harbour as this was the principal port in the area for shipping out the tin and copper ore to the smelters in Wales. It is hard to imagine today how important this now, sleepy little cove would have been. Similarly though, if you head east out of Portreath and walk along the coastal path, you will walk towards St Agnes where the now derelict mine engine houses that featured Poldark are located. Perched on the cliff top, and striking in appearance, it is hard to grasp how important these buildings were in creating immense prosperity in the region, not that long ago. Ross Poldark seems none too impressed at this stage with the ones that he owns. With a bit of hard work though, I am sure that he will be able to do something with them although it might prove to be difficult given that they now have UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

For your information, Poldark Mine, does actually exist and is a tourist attraction but it is located over yonder at Wendron which is near to Helston, a good day’s journey in the saddle I would imagine. Certainly worth a visit I think but alarmingly I don’t believe that there is a dentist in Wendron either.

I am looking forward to the next episode, needless to say, if for no other reason but to get to the bottom of just where everyone in Cornwall went for their dental hygiene, back in the day.

Marli and Me and our trip down to the mineral tramway, Portreath

As Marli and I sashay nonchalantly down the mineral tramway to Portreath (me rather more than him), I for one am always struck by the beauty of this path that follows the valley towards the sea. Depending on the time of year, there are any number of wild flowers to be seen – honeysuckle, red campion, celandine or bluebells for instance and of course, in the summer there is the ever present coconut aroma of the gorse. This is a popular path although there is plenty of space for cyclists, horse riders, joggers and indeed dog walkers like me, all happy to share in the relative peace of this trail.

Marli and I join the path at Bridge which is just a tennis ball’s throw, or two from the beach but for the more intrepid, if you were to turn right instead of left, you would be able to enjoy the changing landscape as you go through the old industrial heartland of Cornwall to Devoran on the south coast.

Indeed it is not that easy to envisage this area when it was the centre of tin and copper production in the world. The leafy path that we use today was at one time, the main route from the mines, carrying ore to Portreath where in turn it was taken to Wales. The trail would have been choked full of mule trains - imagine the pong of such a dense population of hard working equines, with the sea breeze ensuring that the only fresh air would ever have been beside the harbour! I suspect that with this in mind, traffic jams could well have been invented in Cornwall although unlike other parts of the country, I like to think that we have rather outgrown those now! And the fact that this activity has captured the imagination elsewhere in the country paradoxically is I suspect one of the reasons that brings people down on holiday to Cornwall these days. Here at Rayle Farm we cater to those people keen to recharge their batteries and get away from the hustle and bustle for a while. And although it is peaceful, this does not mean that there is little to do. Obviously, a great many visitors use us as a base to try out the various coves and beaches in the immediate vicinity of the farm for swimming and surfing. However, at the other end of the tramway, around Devoran and beyond, the south coast of Cornwall is more closely associated with activities like sailing or fishing. Located close to us at Cambrose is Elm Farm Cycle Centre that hires bicycles to the more energetic of our guests who then can explore south of here.

Remember on a hot summer’s day, if you are tempted by this, you are likely to be a bit hot and sweaty. You will however be positively fragrant compared to any fresh fish you might purchase in Falmouth, place in your backpack and want to bring back with you. You know who you are Simon and Laura! Not even Marli would go near your purchases but I am hopeful that this year’s roses just might benefit from your folly!

But I digress. The mineral tramway and indeed the coastal path is all close at hand and if you can avoid being either downwind of mule trains or the Pattersons, it will be memorable outing for all the right reasons!

For more information on Holiday Cottages in Cornwall, visit the Rayle Farm website.

A little about Cornwall and Rayle Farm..

Cornwall is well known for some exceptionally good restaurants run by some of the country’s most notable chefs.  However the chances of you getting into a number of these without foresight and preemptive planning some six months in advance, is slim.  Luckily though, Rayle Farm Holiday Cottages are well placed for a great variety of good eating places locally, some of them dog friendly which does complement our dog friendly holiday cottages at Portreath.  

We are based at the top of the hill and 200 yards from the farm gate in the village, our local village pub The Bridge Inn offers a friendly welcome and traditional pub food with the occasional Quiz Night.   Carry on down the road to Portreath and you will find good fish and crab at the Portreath Arms Hotel.  For the big sporting events too, they cater to the fans who need to keep up with their teams activities.  Also in Portreath, the Bassett Arms  near the beach offers a good Sunday Lunch as does The Waterfront.   Actually, rather incongruously for a small Cornish coastal village there is also a Chinese take away, the Tung Sing which is surprisingly good.  However for an article about places to eat, perhaps it doesn’t count.

Heading left out of the farm gate and about half a mile away is Illogan where Richard Trevithick was born.  Known more for his high pressure steam engines than his interest in gastronomy but no doubt, were he alive today, I am sure that he would have enjoyed passing an hour or two at the Robartes Arms.  This pub has recently been refurbished and offers an excellent all-day menu ranging from breakfast, to morning coffee right through to evening meals, although Illogan is a large village now it is not well served by places to eat.  Therefore it is no surprise that the the Cornish Arms at Sparnon Gate, is always busy.  This is a lovely old traditional pub open in the evenings with an extensive menu of locally sourced food.

For our guests that visit Rayle Farm for family holidays in Cornwall, many of them come here to surf and naturally gravitate towards Porthtowan, just a few minutes up the coast.  Once they have worked up a decent appetite, most make straight for the Blue Bar  this is a rather chilled hangout for the young which does excellent food.  Although my presence impacts seriously on the mean age of the patrons, I can’t stay away too long because I really do like this place.

Cornwall as you probably know is becoming very well known, not only for its restaurants but also for some really delicious produce.  Therefore if you fancy a Cornish Brie, rocket and onion chutney sandwich head for the Godrevy Beach Café – a perfect way of rewarding yourself after a decent walk along one of my favourite beaches in Cornwall.  Alternatively, a steaming bowl of fish chowder at Hells Mouth Café is simply brimming with locally caught fish.

Pubs in the area that are keen to source their ingredients fresh from local farmers include.Tricky’s at the Tolgus Inn near Redruth.  Put aside any preconceived ideas that you might have about anywhere with this name and you will be rewarded with a large, welcoming pub with a good choice on the menu and heroic sized portions for Sunday lunch.   Additionally the Treleigh Arms near Redruth is a very well run pub providing excellent and imaginative food.  

There are many things to do in Cornwall but for a number of people eating out is an intrinsic part of holiday enjoyment.  When you visit us at Rayle Farm, you are very well placed to enjoy some truly special places to eat.  I have mentioned a number here already but the list is not exhaustive by any stretch of the imagination.  Because we are pet friendly at Rayle Farm, I do appreciate that many of our guests need to know where they will be able to take their four legged friends.  Next time, I will be outlining which restaurants I can recommend to you where Lupo, Bo, Sunny or one of their brethren will be welcomed

 I look forward to telling you more about our dog friendly holiday cottage other things to do in Cornwall soon.

This article was brought to you by Rayle Farm Holiday Cottages