Page 166 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - England's South Coast

164  ENGLAND ' S SOUTH C O AST REGION B Y REGION

river to the villages of Flushing
and St Mawes. Towards the
town centre is the Falmouth
Art Gallery, which has rotating
exhibitions showcasing its
permanent collection and the
work of contemporary artists.
On the waterfront, the National
Maritime Museum Cornwall
dominates Discovery Quay, a
waterside complex with shops,
cafés and apartments. The
museum features Britain’s finest
public collection of historic and
contemporary watercraft. Exhibits
look at maritime themes and the
social impact of the sea on those
St Mawes Castle, built by Henry VIII to guard the harbour at Falmouth whose lives have depended on it.
From Discovery Quay, the
r St Mawes t Falmouth South West Coast Path heads
uphill to Pendennis Castle,
Cornwall. Map B6. * 850. @ Cornwall. Map B6. * 22,000. £ @
g to Falmouth, Trelissick Gardens, g opposite Visitor Centre. n 11 built by King Henry VIII. From
Truro & Place Creek. n Roseland Market Strand; 01326 741194. ( Tue. the castle the path continues
Visitor Centre; The Square; 01326 ∑ falmouth.co.uk along the coast to a series of
270440. _ Roseland Arts Festival: long sandy beaches. The most
Apr/May; Classic Car Festival: May. A vibrant university town, with popular are Gyllyngvase Beach,
∑ stmawesandtheroseland.co.uk a clutch of fine sandy beaches, with a lovely café-restaurant,
Falmouth owes its existence to and Swanpool, named after the
An idyllic village of whitewashed having the third deepest natural swans on the pool behind it.
cottages and townhouses with harbour in the world.
gleaming slate roofs, St Mawes The liveliest of Cornwall’s E Falmouth Art Gallery
has been an exclusive holiday towns, Falmouth has a packed The Moor. Tel 01326 313863. Open
retreat since Edwardian times. The calendar of festivals – celebrating 10am–5pm Mon–Sat. Closed 1 Jan, 25
village is set on the lush, rolling everything from sea shanties to & 26 Dec. ∑ falmouthartgallery.com
Roseland Peninsula in a sheltered, oysters – which bring visitors in E National Maritime
south-facing corner of the Fal all year round. The town is a fine Museum Cornwall
Estuary. Often described as sight, its hilly core stacked with Discovery Quay. Tel 01326 313388.
England's answer to St Tropez, multihued Victorian and Georgian Open 10am–5pm daily. Closed 25 & 26
St Mawes may be chic, but it is cottages and townhouses, and Dec. & 7 - = ∑ nmmc.co.uk
also the perfect place to enjoy topped by the distinctive tower + Pendennis Castle
muddy walks along the river. of a meteorological observatory The Headland. Tel 01326 316594.
Much of the area can be built in 1868. Open Apr–Oct: 10am–5pm daily;
explored by ferry and on foot. Falmouth's main street, lined Nov–Mar: 10am–4pm Sat & Sun.
The tiny Place Ferry connects with shops and cafés, follows the Closed 1 Jan & 24–26 Dec. & 8
the village to one of the most river. From the Prince of Wales 7 limited. - = œ ∑ english-
beautiful stretches of the South pier, ferries operate across the heritage.org.uk
West Coast Path, with walks to
the St Anthony headland, whose Environs
lighthouse appeared as “Fraggle To the south, Glendurgan and
Rock” in the famous 1980s TV Trebah gardens are both set in
series, and to Portscatho, passing sheltered valleys leading down
pristine sandy beaches such as to sandy coves on the Helford.
Towan. There is also a 1.5-km
(1-mile) walk along the river to Y Glendurgan
the church of St Just-in-Roseland, Mawnan Smith. Tel 01326 252020.
set within subtropical gardens Open mid-Feb–Oct: 10:30am–5:30pm
and deemed by John Betjeman Tue–Sun & public hols; Aug: 10:30am–
to be “the loveliest churchyard 5:30pm daily. Closed Good Fri. &
on earth”. To the west of the - = ø ∑ nationaltrust.org.uk
village is St Mawes Castle, the Y Trebah
best preserved of Henry VIII’s Mawnan Smith. Tel 01326 252200.
coastal fortresses. Ferry services Open 10am–5pm daily. Closed 25 &
operate to Falmouth, Trelissick Sailing crafts displayed at the National 26 Dec. & 7 - = ∑ trebah
Gardens and Truro (see p162). Maritime Museum Cornwall garden.co.uk
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp178–9 and pp190–91

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