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explore further afield

These pages summarise the highlights of this unique area and are designed to enable you to get the very best out of your stay with us. We provide maps and more detailed information when you visit.

We've organised the pages into areas:

Our favourite places are marked with an asterisk * .You can plan your days by picking the things that interest you most.

Explore Further Afield

If you are prepared to travel that bit further, up to two hours drive into Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset, the possibilities increase exponentially. Below is but a sample of the places we like to keep returning to.


Padstow HarbourPadstow
For very good reasons, Padstow is extremely popular in the summer, so unless you like crowds, it's best to go out of the high season. It's a fascinating old fishing village updated by up-market shops and restaurants, so have a good look round the harbour and narrow streets of the old village. See the harbour webcam. For many people, a visit to one of Rick Stein's many food outlets is essential, the excellent fish and chip shop being the only we've tried so far. The walk seaward along the estuary is recommended, and along here you can pick up a ferry to Rock or take a trip on the Jubilee Queen with Brian Chapman as your guide to the wildlife, including (if you are lucky) dolphins and basking sharks. Distance from Raymont House 59 miles. SatNav for car park near the harbour PL28 8AQ.


Eden ProjectEden Project
This attraction is even more popular than Padstow, so plan your day carefully. Phone 01726 811911 to check the best time to arrive to avoid the traffic jams. Distance from Raymont House 58 miles. SatNav PL24 2SG.


St. Ives* St. Ives
There's plenty to see and do here, so it's worth the long trip. For us, the main attraction is the art, a legacy of the artists' colony which settled here in the 1930s and 1940s: Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth and others. Tate St. Ives is a must-see, the view out to sea from the front gallery being one of our favourite views in the south-west. Next on our list are the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, also run by the Tate, and the Leach Pottery Museum. If that's not enough art for you, there's a guide to the other galleries here. Walk around Porthmeor beach and refresh at the Porthmeor Café. Alternatively try the Alfresco Café Bar near the Hepworth museum, the Porthminster Beach Café, or The Loft Restaurant and Terrace. Distance from Raymont House 91 miles. SatNav for car park TR26 1HB.


Lundy * Lundy Island
We've only been here once, but it was very memorable. Lundy is about 12 miles from the north Devon coast. The best description of it is on wikipedia. There is not much to see and do except walking, views and wildlife, which is ideal for us. Refreshments at The Marisco Tavern. You have to catch a ferry early from Bideford, returning later in the day. Distance from Raymont House to the ferry 21 miles. Phone 01271 863636. SatNav for the long-stay car park just north of the quay EX39 2QS.