This is the first in a series of articles, where our guides describe one of their favourite areas in Cornwall, Devon or SW England..First up James..
Not many area are simultaneously part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, A UK national Landscape (Formerly known as a Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) .The Tamar valley is just such a place! I am fortunate to call this area my home, and it is fantastic!
The River Tamar separates Devon from Cornwall, and the area around the middle reaches of the River is special. A UNESCO World Heritage site , part of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Districts) the landscape features many haunting relics of the former Tin and Copper industry , a fantastic history, now usually visited as part of lovely nature walks along the River, or on Kit Hill or the Tamar trails. The landscape is beautiful, with lots of pretty tiny villages, gorgeous country pubs , ancient stone bridges crossing the River, like Horsebridge dating from 1437!
The area features historic houses like Buckland abbey, formerly the home of Sir Frances Drake , and my personal favourite, Cotehele with its views along the River to Calstock with its impressive railway viaduct.
This is a really fertile area , and has been a centre for market gardening and the growing of flowers for generations…One story I like to tell is that in spring, you often come across random daffodils growing from a bank or hedgerow in the middle of nowhere. This is a legacy from WW2, as the flower growers had to use their land for agricultural food production to aid the war effort. Instead of discarding their daffodil bulbs, they planted them along verges and hedges with a view to returning to dig them back up after the hostilities ended. Of course not all the bulbs were recovered, and these seemingly random blooms are the ancestors of those wartime plants!
The Tamar Valley is a real gem, quiet, picturesque and not on the usual tourist routes in Devon and Cornwall…well worth a visit bur schhushhhh..Dont tell anyone!
