The Copper Pot Campsite

Kick off your local wanderings with an outing to the Cotehele estate: it’ll take you half an hour or so to walk over to the Tudor house to see the collections amassed by the Edgecumbe family over 600 years (including a giant pair of whale jawbones) and meander through the gardens and woodland paths. Trot back via Cotehele Mill to sample cakes and biscuits created from flour freshly ground with power from the Victorian waterwheel. That cake isn’t just for fun – it’ll also provide essential fuel for guided canoe trips on the Tamar river from Cotehele Quay (an excellent excuse for a second biscuit), or a trip to the Tamar Trails Centre, five miles away, to walk the trails, career along the mountain bike tracks or pick your way along the treetop courses. Biking types can also take the 20-minute pedal to the Drakes Trail for a traffic-free run all the way to Plymouth. If you have brought a car, it’ll take half an hour or to so get to Plymouth (to visit the aquarium, take a dip in the lido or sample the local gin), 15 minutes to the maize maze at Smeaton’s Farm or 50 minutes to the Eden Project’s famed plant-filled domes.