10 reasons to plan a visit to the Tamar Valley

Calstock Viaduct by Pete Davies courtesy of Tamar Marketing. Written and published in June 2022.

Well, it’s obvious isn’t it…it’s an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, uncluttered (most visitors to the South West zoom past on the A30 north of the valley and forget to turn left), there’s lots to do, and there’s the river at its heart, which breathes fresh air into the valley - twice, every day!

Historically, the valley bustled with industry; farming, mining, market gardening, growing, growing and more growing. Boats laden with cargo making their slow and winding way up and down the valley with every single tide, there probably wasn’t much peace and quiet to be found. With the advent of the railways, the river quietened down. Polytunnels, glasshouses and cheaper transportation meant that the market gardens were surpassed by cheaper fruit and vegetable imports from Europe, and many were turned over to forestry or other farming enterprises. Tourism started to sneak in with enterprising families (ours included) making the most of the fascinating industrial history, and the glorious scenery. For as long as anyone can remember, artists have been drawn to the clear light, open vistas, winding lanes and river meanders.

Today, we find ourselves with a multitude of wonderful reasons to explore this special valley, much of it designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It’s very easy to get to by both car, train, and bus, making it a convenient destination for visitors, yet incredibly hard to leave. Here are just some of our highlights…

1 - The River

The Tamar River and its catchment (which includes the rivers Tavy and Lynher), stretches almost all the way from the North Cornish and North-West Devon coast down to Plymouth, 61 miles south. We are most familiar with its southern section, but it has much to offer along its entire course.

You can join Canoe Tamar on an adventure up or down the Tamar as the tide ebbs and flows, or explore by SUP (Stand-Up Paddleboard) with Mel from Mai Adventures. Approach the birds and wildlife undisturbed, and explore the valley from an entirely different perspective. 

If you are arriving by sail, Cargreen, Weir Quay and Saltash yacht clubs all welcome visiting yachts - as do the boat yards at Calstock, and Weir Quay. Sammie is a keen river swimmer (with an Open-Water Swimming qualification) and will happily join anyone for a dip in the Tamar.

And if fishing is your thing, then get in touch with the team at the Arundell Arms in Lifton.

2 - Wonderful Walks

As an AONB, the Valley is home to a beautiful collection of Cornish gardens and endless footpaths across the many acres of peaceful countryside. One of our most local walks is a family favourite and involves ice-cream! It’s a relatively short woodland ‘out and back’ walk from Cotehele (National Trust) up the river to the village of Calstock and back. You can reward yourself with coffee and cake at Lish, or a delicious Gelato from the quayside at Valenti’s. It’s sadly not so wheelchair friendly, but any friends can meet you there for a treat themselves.

For longer adventures, how about taking the train from Gunnislake to Bere Alston. From there, you can walk along the Discovery Trail to Bere Ferrers, before lunch at the pub and the return train. More ambitious walkers can further explore the Discovery Trail, which stretches 35 miles along the Devon bank of the Tamar.

3 - Delicious Local Food

Cornwall is well known for its incredible food and drink, most famously the traditional Cornish Pasty. You can grab this tasty delight in most local stores and cafes, as well as a selection of local cheese, cider, wine and gin (our favourite is Trevethan) all produced in the Valley.

The team can also make plenty of recommendations for eating out locally, here are a couple of our favourites…

• Crocadon – once part of the estate, our neighbours are doing really exciting things with both food and agriculture; regenerative farming, calf at foot micro-dairy, veg all grown on site. They are due to open at the end of July 2022 – keep your eyes peeled.

• Reciprocity – is a new café at Port Eliot Stable yard. Think local, enchanting, delicious and shopping in the beautifully curated shop next door. Like the several locations on the Pentillie estate, it was used for the filming of Beyond Paradise.

• Two very different but equally tasty pubs – The Rod and Line in Tideford, who serve incredible seafood and steak, and a venture to Tavistock (worth a visit in its own right) to spend some time at the very deserving multi award-winning Cornish Arms.

4 - National Parks

Explore the wide open and nationally important spaces of Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor, with mission to search out Geo-Caches or Letterboxes. You can even take lessons in map-reading and navigation with Crag 2 Mountain. We also have a library of Ted’s favourite walks on the moors, that we are always happy to share with our Pentillie guests.

If the sea is more your thing, then dive beneath the waves in the UK’s first National Maritime Park, Aquanauts, or jump on a boat trip around the Sound with Plymouth Boat Trips.

5 - Beautiful Beaches

If you had wings or a helicopter, then the beaches of the South Coast are just 5 miles away, but the beautiful rivers make the trip about 25 minutes to the glorious Whitsand Bay. Check the tides before you go, as high water makes for a particularly tiny beach! And pack light as the walk down is not insignificant, but it does mean that the beaches are uncrowded and dog friendly all year round. For Surfing visit Dan and his team at Adventure Bay Surf School (Tregonhawke Beach), or book foraging or rock pooling adventures nearby.

It is also worth exploring the beaches at the northern end of our magnificent valley as Bude and its surrounding beaches are not only relatively quiet compared to many in Cornwall, but they are arguably some of the best… 

6 - Plymouth, Britain’s Ocean City

If history, the arts, or music are more your thing then why not explore Britain’s Ocean City. Plymouth guards the mouth of the Tamar Valley, and recent investments of money, energy, and the passion for this incredible city on the water’s edge, means that there is really something for everyone…

The Theatre Royal (one of the UK’s largest regional producing theatres), exploring the history of the waterfront through Walking Tours, delve into the links between America and Plymouth with the permanent exhibition at the Mayflower Museum, or visit the South West’s newest museum, The Box.

7 - Adrenaline Action

The steep wooded valleys of the river lend themselves to high adrenalin action; think Mountain Biking (Tavi Woodlands and Gawton) and Tree surfing. While within a 30 minute drive, you can try your hand at many other high energy activities. Catch blue sharks (or mackerel) with one of the boats from Looe, head out onto the water via Mount Batten Water Sports, fly through the skies (or bounce into the water, or fulfil your need for speed) at Adrenalin Quarry.

Or, time your stay to coincide with some of the more exciting events locally – Sail GP, the National Firework Championships, or Fowey Royal Regatta.

8 - Wet Weather Days

If you need something to keep everyone entertained indoors then The Climbing Hangar, or The Barn at Milton Abbott will whet your appetite for adventure on the moor. The Barcode and Vue provide big screen thrills, while The Box is the South West’s major new museum. The National Marine Aquarium is well worth a visit, especially now Plymouth Sound has been designated as the first National Marine Park in the UK. We can also arrange for massage therapists or nail technicians to visit you at the castle.

9 - Amazing Art

Watch out for the annual Drawn to the Valley exhibition - a weeklong exhibition that spreads across the valley, as artists open their home studios to visitors. You get to explore the wonderful corners of the valley and watch the artists at work, all whilst picking up a treasure to adorn your home. The Limekiln Gallery in Calstock offers a more permanent art offering, with exciting exhibitions by local artists held every few months.

10 - Charming Hedgerows

A meander through the lanes of the Tamar Valley with their tall and thick hedgerows, is a must. Spring is magnificent; daffodils bring early colour as they nod from almost every hedgerow, in a profusion of varieties. Daffodils were one of the principal crops of the market gardens, and when much of the land was given over to farming food during the war, many of the most prized varieties were planted in the hedgerows to keep their stocks safe. Daffodils give over to unfurling leaves of beech, oak and hawthorn, while primroses and English bluebells (with their fleeting scent, and blackthorn’s clouds of tiny white flowers - a promise of Autumn fruits and Sloe gin!) take over in the flower department. As they go to seed, the multi-colours of the clouds of cow parsley, pink campion, star of Bethlehem, and cleavers reach out.

Those are our 10 reasons to visit, but we also realised you might not have anywhere to stay, so here you go…

Where to stay in the Tamar Valley

Stay, hang out with us… we would be delighted to look after you. Otherwise let us recommend our neighbours – if you are a big group, head to Trematon Castle curated by the incredible talent of House of Hackney founders Frieda and Javvy. Or for somewhere smaller, explore the properties available via Visit Tamar, down the hill at Lower Marsh Farm, or this characterful bolthole nestled above the Lynher, Pur Dhu.