The Bossiney House Hotel is ideally situated for discovering the many delights that Cornwall has to offer. It makes an ideal base for exploring Cornwall as there are a wide variety of attractions within easy reach of the hotel. This complements the stunning natural setting of the hotel itself which is positioned close to the Bossiney cliffs which form part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest on account of the stunning geological rock formations facing out onto the Atlantic Ocean.
| The Tintagel Castle is considered to be the second most popular attraction in the United Kingdom. Tintagel Island, where the remains of the 13th century castle stand, is famous as being the birthplace of the legendary King Arthur in the late fifth century. Legend has it that Arthur was the son of the outstandingly beautiful Igraine who was seduced by King Uther Pendragon through one of Merlin's spells, transforming Uther's appearance to appear like Duke Gorlois, Igraine's husband. Geoffrey of Monmouth writes, "that night she conceived Arthur, who afterwards became famous for his outstanding bravery." |
Merlin's Cave is a hollowed out area of rock which lies on the beach below the Castle, but can only be accessed at low tide. It runs right under the island courtyard of Tintagel Castle and legend has it that Merlin can still be heard there!
Merlin was a famous poet, prophet, shape-changing magician and advisor to King Uther Pendragon. He used his magic to arrange the prophesized conception of King Arthur and later the 'Sword in the Stone' test to confirm Arthur as the rightful King of England. |
Dozmary Pool is a small lake on Bodmin Moor which is claimed to be the home of the 'Lady of the Lake'. This is where in legend King Arthur rowed out to receive the magical sword 'Excalibur'. Upon his death Bedivere returned the sword here to the depths of the pool.
Jan Tregeagle made a bargain with the Devil for riches and power in his lifetime but on his death was condemned to the bottomless Dozmary Pool, where his tormented soul resides to this day! |
| This is said to be the location of the final battle of King Arthur, the Battle of Camlann, where he died fighting his arch enemy Mordred. The Arthur Stone with its Latin inscription lies near this site. |
| Pencarrow House and Gardens |
| Friendly family home privately owned by the Molesworth-St Aubyn family which is set in 50 acres of formal and woodland gardens. Ideal for families and dog owners. The gardens are open daily from 1st March to 31st October from 9.30am until 5.30pm, and the house, which is open Sundays to Thursdays from 11am to 5pm, can be visited by guided tour only with the last tour of the house departing at 3pm. The Pencarrow estate features a mile long drive through an Iron Age Fort, flanked by huge rhododendrons, blue hydrangeas and specimen conifers. The house itself is Georgian with a superb collection of pictures, furniture, porcelain and some antique dolls. The garden is Grade II listed. Sir Arthur Sullivan stayed here in 1882 and composed the music for 'Iolanthe'. You can enjoy marked walks through beautiful woodland gardens, past a Victorian rockery, Italian and American gardens, lake and ice house. |
| A six hundred year old medieval Cornish longhouse set in beautiful cottage gardens. It was built to the plan of a medieval manor house and used as the district letter-receiving office for 50 years in the 19th century. |
Bossiney Mound is famous for being the legendary burial place of the 'Round Table' and some of the Knights of the Round Table. Local mythology has it that the Round Table will rise again on King Arthur's return.
The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould wrote: "According to Cornish tradition, King Arthur's golden Round Table lies deep in the earth under this earthen circular mound; only on midsummer night does it rise, and then the flash of light from it for a moment illuminates the sky, after which the golden table sinks again. At the end of the world it will come to the surface again and be carried to Heaven, and the Saints will sit and eat at it ..."
In 1584 Sir Francis Drake gave his Parliamentary election speech from the Bossiney Mound. |
| King Arthur's Great Halls |
| Dedicated to the Arthurian legend, King Arthur's Great Halls house round tables and granite thrones dominated by 72 stained glass windows which depict the Arthurian Knights and their heroic achievements. |
'Sited near Tintagel in North Cornwall, this beautiful valley is hidden and is only accessable on foot. This unique 60 foot waterfall is at the head if the idyllic wooded valley of St. Nectan's Glen. St Nectan's waterfall has been described as amongst the ten most important spiritual sites in the country. The Kieve has been a place of reverence, worship and healing since pre-Christian times. People of many faiths have walked the ancient route to the waterfall to bathe in its mysterious and therapeutic atmosphere.' The Kieve is where the Knights of the Round Table allegedly swore their oath to find the Holy Grail and received blessing.
From Easter to the end of October the waterfall and tea gardens are open daily from 10.30am to 6.30pm. From November to Easter the waterfall and tea gardens are closed except for school and bank holidays. Entry costs £2.50 for adults and £1.25 for children. |
| One of the UK's most popular garden conservation tourist attractions. With its world famous architecture and its global gardens, the Eden Project makes a great day out whatever the weather. In addition to the amazing Rainforest and Mediterranean Biomes, about three quarters of the Eden Project's planting is based outside in thirteen hectares of grounds. The Eden Project has gardens that change from season to season providing horticultural attractions for visitors all year round. |
| This is a picturesque asymmetrical cottage in Boscastle which is believed to have been built in the late 19th Century. It is built out of slate stone rubble and used to be a derelict building. Since becoming Grade II listed in 1987 it has once again become inhabited by a wide range of Pixies! |
| Well worth a visit, this museum at Camelford Station is approximately three miles from the hotel and contains an evocative collection of modern and antique cycles and associated memorabilia. |
| This museum in Boscastle is over forty years old and houses the largest collection of witchcraft related artefacts and regalia. |
| The Lost Gardens of Heligan |
This award-winning garden restoration is well worth a visit and caters well for families of all ages.
The gardens are open every day from 10am to 6pm from 1st April to 30th September and from 10am to 5pm from 1st October to 31st March. Dogs are not allowed from 1st April to 1st September.
The tickets cost £8.50 for Adults and £5 for Children with under fives entering for free. |
| A large late Victorian country mansion home with extensive grounds over the river Fowey. It is now under the management of the National Trust. This is a very popular attraction and offers a two hour tour through 50 rooms in the house. |
| The Bodmin & Wenford Railway offers steam train rides from Bodmin along the Great Western Railway branch line to Bodmin Parkway (with access to Lanhydrock House) and Boscarne Junction (with access to the Camel Trail footpath). The line is Cornwall's only standard-guage steam railway. The trains run on selected dates only. |
| Horse Riding and Trekking |
| Tredole Trekking and Riding Stables in Trevalga is about three miles from the Bossiney House Hotel. |
| Widemouth Bay OA Surf School |
This popular surf school is within a short driving distance of the Bossiney House Hotel offering individual or group surfing lessons.
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| As the name suggests this is a converted quarry which boasts the UK's longest and fastest zip wire and also hosts 'Hoverworld' Hovercraft centre and 'Kartworld'. The zip wire costs £12.50 for the first go, and then £7 for subsequent goes, and the Hoverworld sessions are £50 per person. The karts are £10 per 10 minutes with £28 for half an hour sessions. For under 16 year olds there are infant, bambini and junior karts for hire. |
| National Maritime Museum, Cornwall |
This makes a good educational family day out.
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Trebah is Celtic for 'The House on the Bay'. The Gardens have origins dating back to the Doomsday Book and were first laid out as a 26 acre pleasure garden by Charles Fox.
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Trevarno Gardens & the
National
Museum of Gardening |
Over 70 acres of enchanting gardens and grounds featuring one of Cornwal's largest and most divere plant collections set within magnificent formal, informal and woodland areas. The gardens include numerous specimen shrubs and trees, a stunning bluebell valley, ornamental lake with picturesque Victorian Boathouse and formal cascade, Sunken Italian Garden, Serpentine Yew Tunnel, extensive Pinetum, Bamboo collection, atmospheric Rockery and Grotto, the Great Lawn and Summer Terrac plus many other interesting features. Following Cornwall's successful application during 2006 to become recognised and listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the Trevarno Estate has been selected as an official World Heritage Site visitor attraction.
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Trebah is Celtic for 'The House on the Bay'. The Gardens have origins dating back to the Doomsday Book and were first laid out as a 26 acre pleasure garden by Charles Fox.
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A hi-tech game of 'Hide and Seek' played in a darkened arena where the object of the game is to tag your opponents with your laser gun to score the most points.
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Family all terrain off-road fun with three circuits from 6 years upwards. Open 10am - 6pm from Easter to September and 10am - 5pm October to Easter.
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The Castle in Bude
Heritage Centre, Gallery and Restaurant |
Situated in the centre of Bude town, the Castle is the ideal starting place to explore the town, canal wharf, beaches and cliff walks. Open daily (except Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day). Under fives are admitted for free.
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An historic private estate boasting one of the loveliest gardens in England. It has a magnificent collection of camellias, rhododendrons and magnolias, it has wonderful woodland walks and a heritage family home.
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Situated in a secluded valley overlooking Porthluney Beach, this contains 100 acres of spring woodland gardens surrounding Caerhays Castle itself.
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One of only three Grade I listed gardens in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly and the only one open to the public all year round. It has over 7 acres of beautifully maintained gardens set in the dramatic landscape of the Rame Peninsula on the 865 acre estate.
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Lamorran is said to be the most northerly Palm Garden in the world having over 35 species of palms with over 200 specimens. The Garden is laid out in Mediterranean style with many streams, bridges and water features.
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Situated on the Lizard Peninsula, the Gardens have been recently remodelled and include a contemporary water feature around the delightful Georgian Manor, an eighteenth century Walled Garden with colour-themed herbaceous borders, a Potager with picking flowers and ornamental vegetables and Orchard filled with Cornish apple trees, through parkland to a series of small lakes in a sheltered valley.
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Located on the Isles of Scilly, the Garden has plants from five different continents under the influence of a Mediterranean and maritime climate. Day trips are available by sea and by helicopter from Penzance. The gardens are open all year round from 10am to 4pm.
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The above is just a small sample of the attractions that the local area has to offer. If you need information on any other Cornish attractions or would like more information on anything above then please call us on 01840 770240 or call in at the Hotel's Reception. |
