Charlestown Cottage, Saint Austell

Cornwall. Sleeps up to 4

Charlestown, near St Austell and Mevagissey is a wonderful place for a holiday. Famed as a location for Poldark, Mansfield Park and other television series and films, it is an absolute delight and an unspoiled example of a later Georgian working port. With sensational beaches close by and many attractions, you can’t go wrong. Charlestown Cottage sits in the heart of the town with its two bedrooms, beautifully appointed living space and its lovely garden and alfresco dining deck. With excellent amenities, St Austell is very close to the cottage and the pretty seaside town of Mevagissey is also close by with its excellent restaurants, bars and cafes, a museum, an aquarium, a picturesque harbour, wonderful shops, sandy beaches, and hidden coves. Winding cobbled lanes tumble down the hill, sprinkled with pretty cottages. The stunning Lost Gardens of Heligan are on the edge of Mevagissey and you can easily explore the tropical biomes of the Eden Project, the Shipwreck Treasure Museum, the pretty Tregrehan Gardens or take a ferry from Mevagissey to Fowey. You will discover a fabulous coastline, the famous beaches and gardens of the beautiful Roseland Peninsula, Truro with its shops, restaurants, theatre and cathedral and the Cornish Coast Path.

Charlestown Cottage is ideal for a family or two couples. It was fully renovated in 2022 and is superbly comfortable. A pretty, sunny front garden takes you to the front door. There is a bistro table just by the front door so that you can enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine in the sunshine should the sun be at the front of the cottage. Inside, you will arrive at your open plan living space with its stylish fabrics and scandi-style furnishings in a natural, calming colour palette of soft beiges. Its clean lines and cool vibe encourage you to embrace the calm. A sumptuous corner sofa sits opposite the wall mounted television and electric fire, the perfect spot to snuggle, relax and unwind. Colourful, scenic, modern artworks add splashes of vibrant colour. Double doors open to your kitchen and dining area, both bright and airy with plenty of windows to let in the unique sparkle of Cornish light. The dining table is lovely with modern chairs and a bench, and the kitchen is great in grey tones and with excellent appliances. Another set of double doors open to the garden and deck.

Upstairs, you will discover two gorgeous bedrooms, one with a double bed and the other with twins. All the beds are beautifully dressed in crisp cottons and gorgeous soft furnishings. The bedrooms come with televisions for long lazy lie-ins. There is a beautifully tiled family bathroom with a shower plus there is a separate toilet.

Outside, you will discover a lovely back garden with a deck at the rear. Here there is quality garden dining furniture and an excellent barbecue so that your barbecue masters can prepare a feast in the sunshine.

When you decide to leave this heavenly retreat, the sea and beach are less than five hundred metres away and the attractive harbour and the Southwest Coast Path are the same walking distance away.

The lovely Charlestown Cottage sits in a peaceful cul-de-sac in Charlestown. It is just a mile from St Austell and close to Mevagissey. The unspoilt harbour was constructed between 1791 and 1801 by Charles Rashleight, an entrepreneur and member of the local landowning family. It was originally built to export copper and import coal but was soon used for the export of china clay. Charlestown was formerly known as West Polmear but after the pier was constructed for the fishing fleet, Charlestown became a model Georgian new town. By the 19th century, many businesses were established around the harbour such as pilchard curing, shipbuilding, brick making and lime burning. Many attractive period properties sprung up and it remains unspoiled, retaining much of its Georgian character. Charlestown has become a popular location for film and television due to this. Its magnificent tall ships transport you to a bygone age. The Shipwreck, Rescue and Heritage Centre contains a number of exhibits relating to the town’s maritime past.

The old market town of St Austell is a charmer, famous for its china clay mining industry. Today it offers beautiful beaches, sub-tropical gardens and a fantastic range of shops, cafes, bars and restaurants. On the edge of town, the St Austell Brewery offers tours and tastings. St Austell Bay enjoys the stunning beaches of Porthpean, Carlyon Bay Pentewan and Polkerris with its water sports.

Mevagissey is sprinkled with narrow streets, steep valley sides and gorgeous houses that lead down to the distinctive twin harbour where you will discover colourful fishing boats bringing in their daily catches of skate, lobster, plaice and sole. It looks as pretty as a postcard with the harbours surrounded by pubs, cosy cafes and delightful galleries. The town is named after two Irish saints, St Meva and St Issey with the village dating back to at least 1313. During the 1800’s Mevagissey prospered from the abundant supply of pilchards and today you will find many seafood restaurants nestling along its maze of streets. It is lovely to tuck into local scallops and mackerel, washed down with a chilled bottle of wine followed by a harbour walk enjoying the twinkling lights. Shoppers delight in the shops which range from jewellery, glassware, and paintings to delicious Cornish pasties. Mevagissey boasts excellent walks inland and along the coast path. You can walk between Pentewan and Mevagissey and on to Chapel Point enjoying stunning scenery. Above, you will discover oystercatchers, gulls, cormorants, and the odd kestrel hovering over the cliff. The paths are lined with wildflowers in the spring and early summer.

The amazing Lost Gardens of Heligan sit within walking distance of Mevagissey. They are romantic and very pretty. After World War I the gardens fell into ruin and the rejuvenation has created two hundred acres of bliss. The award-winning gardens allow you to journey across the world with historic rhododendron boughs of Sikkin, Maori carved tree ferns, an Italian garden, and an Alpine inspired ravine. The jungle experience offers intimate pathways edged with sub-tropical planting along with watercourses, a rope bridge, bamboo tunnels and gigantic rhubarb and bananas. There is a woodland walk where you can relax with bird song and look out for woodland sculptures, ancient woodlands, and grazed pastures. The Heligan Kitchen offers a delicious lunch menu, and the tearooms offer hearty home-cooked meals and Cornish cream teas.

Taking a trip of the Mevagissey to Fowey ferry is popular. You will cross the sheltered St Austell Bay to Fowey Estuary, passing peaceful coves, hidden beaches and probably some dolphins and seals. The pretty town of Fowey is on one side of the Fowey River with Polruan on the other. It is a bustling small port with commercial and leisure boats. During the Second World War, Fowey was the centre for air-sea rescue and one of the places from which the D-Day invasions were launched. St Catherine’s Point is on the Fowey side of the harbour entrance where it functioned as a lighthouse in medieval times. St Catherine’s Castle below was built during the reign of Henry VIII to defend the harbour entrance. It is accessible when walking from the pretty Readymoney Cove. Fowey has a fascinating history. On Fore Street you will find the Old House of Foye, a medieval house built in 1430. It is now a shop but the walls, beamed interior and fireplace are pretty much the same. During the summer, Fowey Town Hall opens as a museum and small aquarium. Fowey is a delight with craft shops, galleries and cosy restaurants lining the narrow streets. Daphne du Maurier is the most famous former resident of the town. She is celebrated with the Du Maurier Festival each May and at the Literacy Centre next to the church. A car ferry crosses the river to Boddinick. The ferry house was originally the du Maurier family home and later the home of Angela du Maurier, Daphne’s sister. The Fowey Estuary is stunning with boat trips galore.

The Eden Project is based in one of Cornwall’s clay mining pits behind St Austell and should not be missed. It is a world-famous attraction that is best known for its tropical and Mediterranean biomes. You will learn about biodiversity hotspots in the world and enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the biomes on a long zip wire. There are many special events including an ice rink over the Christmas period. Alternatively, Caerhays Castle, designed in the 19th century by John Nash is less than twenty minutes away, set within rolling hills and gardens. Caerhays Beach is lovely too so you can combine it with a beach day.