Whilst the World has been put on pause and we have all been encouraged to stay at home and take exercise and fresh air near to home, we have enjoyed exploring Cornwall right from our doorstep. Treseren is located deep in the countryside, surrounded by Trewithen farmland and fields, yet just a few miles from the coast. There is so much to discover without the need for getting in a car. We wanted to share some of our adventures with you, so that when you visit, you know as much as we do about all that there is to explore in the surrounding area.
Here are our top five tips for exploring on the doorstep at Treseren!
1. A walk up the lane next to Treseren to Newlyn Downs
In Spring, there are plenty of wild flowers, and wild garlic growing in the lane next to Treseren and in autumn, there are lots of blackberries to pick. Totally organic and free! It is lovely and peaceful to walk along in the midst of the Cornish countryside. A five minute walk up the lane takes you to a picturesque, historic granite bridge in our neighbouring hamlet, Fiddlers Green.
From there, you turn right and walk up the hill for approximately one hundred metres before finding an opening on the left which leads to Newlyn Downs. This walk takes you up on to a hill with wide open countryside vistas amongst the tall and imposing wind turbines that lead you through the landscape.
Beautiful bright yellow gorse bushes line the way in the Spring months and you discover little trails and walkways that lead to a quarry which is loved by local cyclists.
So there is also the option to cycle if you want more of an adventure! Great fun for children and adults alike.
This walk is highly recommended for those who bring a dog to their wedding, or on holiday.
2. A walk to the local village and the options to explore when you get there
As before, walk through the lane bordering Treseren, then when you get to the little bridge, turn left. After approximately 100 metres, you will come to a crossroads, turn right and walk up the country road for approximately one mile before you reach the village of St Newlyn East.
Our local pub, The Pheasant Inn is a lovely stop off in the village for a pint, or a bite to eat. With tables outside in the sunshine for summer, it’s a good place to relax after your walk.
At the crossroads, you will find Crossways, the village shop, which is the heart of the local community. Run by Dave and Corinne and their team, a friendly face always greets you. You will find most things you need there, including most of the essentials, the local papers and lots of locally sourced produce. We love the salad leaves from the local farm and the milk from Trewithen Dairy and locally milled flour. They really go above and beyond here to provide great produce and service. When we were hit by lockdown, theirs was the only shop with flour on the shelves for miles around! And we loved that they provided such a support to the local community with deliveries to the older generation and those having to self isolate.
The local butcher in St Newlyn East, L George is pretty special. Established in the village for over 100 years, they rear their own beef locally at Nanteague Farm, which is renowned for miles around, and they offer the most friendly service. They also supply us at Treseren for bacon and sausages for breakfast and produce for our Welcome Feasts for weddings. We cannot say enough good things about them!
The surrounding streets with their pretty terraced cottages are a delight to stroll around and opposite the Pheasant Inn, the Church sits at the heart of the village and dates back to Norman times.
3. A visit to the Preaching Pit
Just outside of St Newlyn East Village, you will find the Preaching Pit, a grass Amphitheatre which was originally an old stone quarry on the edge of the village. Following the East Wheal Rose mining disaster of 1846, it was converted to a Preaching Pit as a memorial to those who had perished. This links with the history of Shepherds House at Treseren. East Wheal Rose was the mine that our very own Mine Captain, Middleton who lived at Shepherds House in the 1800s, was in charge of.
Still in community use, The Preaching Pit has been refurbished with the aid of Lottery grant money.
4. Cycle ride to Holywell Bay
Our nearest beach, Holywell Bay is 4.5 miles away. It can be walked, but we recommend cycling the country lanes to get there. It’s a bit of a descent to the beach itself, and so a hill to climb on the way home, but a good work out and a beautiful route to cycle.
A beautiful beach, with caves to explore and the setting for many of the scenes in Poldark, the twin rocks out to sea are now pretty famous.
5. The Gardens at Treseren
Finally, and quite literally on our doorstep, don’t forget to explore the gardens themselves! There are three acres here with so many established camelias, magnolia trees and hydrangeas and even an ancient cork tree. If you look closely, there are tiny wild strawberries to be found in the gardens by the children’s organic play area, plums in the summer and apples in our mini orchard in the autumn (help yourself!)
The gardens attract so much wildlife, from the bees to the birds. And you are likely to come across Phes, our Resident Pheasant who Paul captured a beautiful photograph of recently.
So much to enjoy on the doorstep, totally free and completely environmentally friendly options for getting out and about to discover everything! You can learn more about the history of Shepherds House here.
