About
Churchhill cottage has been around for almost as long as Lanteglos church circa 15th century. The Kitchen still has the original external walls (causing issues for mobile signal and wifi getting through that wall – we are at 77Mbps).
Based just off Hole 11 of Bowood golf course this house once belonged to the church Reverand before belonging to a number of local personalities. In 1873, Albert Edward Prince of Wales sold this house to the Lanteglos Church Reverend for £50.
The cottage was later sold to Blanche and Robert Saltern, who later gifted it to their son Thomas Henry Saltern, all of whom you will find resting in Lanteglos churchyard.
Thomas sold Churhhill Cottage to a German Princess – Sissi Bentheim, she was known for providing mulled wine following on from Christmas and Easter mass.
Welcome to a world of limitless possibilities, where the journey is as exhilarating as the destination, and where every moment is an opportunity to make your mark on the canvas of existence. The only limit is the extent of your imagination.
The area
The beautiful north Cornish coast with amazing beaches, cliff top walks and enchanting fishing villages is just five miles from this charming almost secret, cosy cottage escape.
Port Isaac is a winner, just eight miles away – host to TV’s ‘Doc Martin’ with little quay, dinky art galleries, traditional inns and restaurants a plenty!
The rock inn – in Rock or picnic on the sandy beach, dine out in Padstow on Rick Stein’s famous fish and chips, or enjoy cream teas and pasties in Polzeath.
For inland escapades, visit the Eden Project or hire bikes and peddle the famed Camel Trail.
Back at the coast, steeped in history is Tintagel Castle, a worthy destination.
Boscastle, with scenic ravine and quaint harbour is a great spot for coffee and cakes aside the water, or visit the farm shop café with panoramic ocean views and delicious food from its elevated rural spot. This is also a short walk from a secluded cliff where you can view wild sealions (although we must admit it is easier to see them from Godreavy Head about an hour towards St Ives).
And always… the South West Coast Path promises the most stunning sea vistas!
Is Churchhill haunted?
As owners, we have been asked this question about Churchhill cottage quite a lot over the years. We are not superstitious but even we accept there is some odd activity we are unable to explain in the house, but the important thing is that if there is a presence, it is a kind one.
A few guests have had experience of things like swinging fire tools, lights being turned on/off, the shower turning on, items being moved. These all probably have completely reasonable explanations, but in the absence of an answer, we name the anomalies “Blanche”. The reason for this is there was a very kind owner, Blanche Saltern, who was a key member of the community and lived in the property. She rests in the churchyard by the entrance gate closest to the Cottage. We believe she welcomes all visitors.
Lanteglos Church
St Julitta’s is a Grade I Listed medieval Cornish church in the Parish of Lanteglos by Camelford. Parts of the building date back to Norman times and there are a number of important heritage features such as 15th century glass; rare use of an ancient symbol and a National Scheduled Monument in the churchyard. Read more here:
The Heritage Lottery Fund has given a major grant towards the restoration but other Grant Funders include: Cornwall Historic Churches Trust, Duke of Cornwall Benevolent Fund, Camelford Town Council, Cornwall Councillor’s Fund, Camelford Conservative Club, National Churches Trust, Garfield Weston Charity, Allchurches Trust, Jill Franklin, Wolfson Foundation, Dairy Crest, Lady Neville Charity and most recently Veneziana Fund (Pizza Express!).
Various generous bequests and some large donations have been a major help – as have The Friends Of Lanteglos Church (FOLC) with their regular subscriptions and fundraising events.
What is good nearby?
You chose to come here, so we are guessing you have already decided what to do. There is SO much to see, but we have some personal favourites:
- Merlins cave and Tintagel castle
- Boscastle shops local artists, witches and cliff walks
- Climbing Brown Willy
- Rebel Cinema in Bude (it is RETRO)
- Port Issac.
- Trebarwith beach (check the tide times as the tide is quite high)
- Polzeath for surfing lessons
- Rock for feeling fancy (nice walks and half the tory party on their holibobs)
- Padstow for food and art
- Tintagel brewery
- Camel Valley Vineyard (as by order of Fortnum and Mason)
- Pencarrow gardens
- St Nectarns Glen waterfall
Owners recommend
Best restaurants
In Kernow you are spoilt for choice. Our personal favourite Michelin star is Number 6 in Padstow (Paul Ainsworth). Closer is ‘The Restaurant’ in Port Issac and ‘Fish restaurant’ by Nathan Outlaw.
If you need something more normal;
- Boscastle Wellington hotel does brilliant food
- Viraj in Bodmin or The Raj in Wadebridge for a curry
- Bridge Bistro in Wadebride
- St Enodoc in Rock
Pub grub
Need something warm and filling;
- Bowood golf course is a 5-minute walk and does cheap and cheerful grub.
- Trebarwith has both Port William on the cliff an the Millhouse Inn – our locals.
- St Mabyn Inn is a cosy inland pub.
- Old Inn (St Breward) is great if you are walking on the Moor and want a carvery.
- Bodmin Gaol does great food upstairs.
- Put aside your preconceptions, Chapel an Gansblydhen (Wetherspoons) is a converted church that does great beer and trusty food in Bodmin.
- The golden lion, Port Issac is a tasty treat with great views upstairs.
- Rojano’s in the Square is an excellent Italian in Padstow (Paul Ainsworth).
- Shipwrights inn is great with a view upstairs in Padstow.
Things to do
Everyone is different. However, leaflets for our favourite places are in the wallet provided.
Local regular fun
Sundays, Haywoods Cider Farm often has a folk day, check out times on Facebook.
Fridays, Port Issac Fisherman’s friend have a sing song.
Lanteglos church often has evenings with local comedians and singers, we recommend Josh Kernow, Kernow King and Johnny Cowling.
Slightly further but worth the journey
- Watergate bay beach is stunning for a long walk
- Bedruthan steps (another beach down a lot of steps, secluded and beautiful)
- Eden Project (giant indoor greenhouses)
- Heligan gardens (lost in WW2 but stunningly reclaimed from weeds)
- Bodmin Gaol museum spookey and fun with ghost evenings.
- Cardinham woods.
- Lanhydrock and Respryn bridge for historical walks with dogs
- The camel trail from Bodmin/Wadebridge to Padstow (lots of places to hire bikes)
Best Pasties
We recommend – Chough in Padstow and Rock; or Malcolm Barnecutt in Bodmin. (you can actually get Barnecutts pasties in the petrol station in Valley Truckle).
Best Fudge
Granny Wobblies if you like crumbly fudge (Wadebridge) or Roly’sFudge Pantry if you like smooth fudge (Padstow).
Best Fish and Chips
Although Rick Steins in Padstow is highly regarded, Peckish fish and chips in Camelford is highly awarded, and you know where the fish has come from daily.
Best Icecream
Roskilly’s is our favourite, however… Harbour Light Boscastle has organic farm produced ice cream made in Boscastle – and just delightful!
Amenities
Vet
Closest emergency Vet is Penbode Vets 01840 213277 (Valley Truckle). If you want to get cheap vaccinations/checks or planned work like tooth extractions (50% cheaper than London in our experience) we recommend Harleigh Vets in Bodmin. We have saved an entire holiday in vet bills by having our dogs looked after by Harleigh.
Garage
There are 3 garages in Camelford If you need to use them. We personally have not used them as we have always received an exceptional service from HiQ in Bodmin.
Petrol
Your closest garage is Valley Truckle BP garage. The cheapest petrol is often in Bodmin Morrisons or Asda.
Supplies
Coop in Camelford is the closest (less than a mile) and has most things. There is also a Spar in the village. If you need bigger shops, Wadebridge, Bude and Bodmin are equidistant.
- Wadebridge has a Tesco and Aldi.
- Bude has a Morrisons and Lidl.
- Bodmin has a Lidl, Aldi, Sainsburys, Asda and Morrisons.
Hardware
The closest hardware store is Camelford Home Hardware. If you need a little more, B&Q and Homebase is in Bodmin – but we highly recommend a visit to Trago Mills on the way to Liskeard!! You will never have been to a shop like it.
Cinema
Your closest proper cinema is St Austell or Newquay. They have a bar so you can enjoy a drink inside.
Theatre
There is no close large theatre, so you can choose between Truro, Exeter or Plymouth (all between 45mins-1hour traffic depending).
If you fancy going further afield, we highly recommend Rowena Cade’s Minak theatre (an amphitheatre build by a Cornish maid, it really is incredible). You can camp on the headland by Treen if you want to stay overnight (for £10ish) but get there early as you cannot book.The Lanteglos hotel has lots of amenities, although we have not been for a while, it has on-site facilities including an outdoor swimming pool, tennis and squash courts, hotel restaurant, conservatory brasserie and bar (seasonal opening on all facilities 28th May – 1st September).
Churchhill Cottage 