The quiet Cornwall revolution making Falmouth 'the most perfect place on Earth'
Just as I’d never imagined that my children would one day be begging for the Gucci loafers I discarded in the mid-Nineties, the idea that stamping Cornish on to anything from tea bags to salt would make it infinitely more desirable, is an imaginative leap for those of us who first visited in the Eighties.
A quiet revolution has been taking place in the south-western tip of England and the Duchy of Cornwall business is clearly just the tip of the iceberg. In a world where successful branding is a watchword for success, Cornwall now ticks all the right boxes with it’s promise of olde worlde seaside pleasures like briny fresh air, quality fish and chips and family fun.
In 1980 when I had just passed my driving test and took a practice road trip west with my then boyfriend, we survived on ubiquitous pasties and cream teas while enduring pink nylon sheets and a landlady inquisitive about our marital status. Nowadays there’s chic beach shacks and designer ice cream, Bridget Riley-inspired interiors and a world-class surfer scene.
It certainly felt like the “past is a foreign country” arriving for the May Day bank holiday to host a house party for eight adults and nine children at Rosilian Hall. A grand Cape Dutch-style mansion, built in 1908 overlooking Falmouth harbour and now debuting as a rental property, it’s almost an insult to describe it as a holiday home.
This elegant, high-ceilinged mansion, newly decorated in shades of white and cream and furnished in vintage chateau style, boasts 10 bedrooms, a huge kitchen and acres of space for entertaining, inside and out. Our luxurious location made it all too easy to be seduced into a state of torpor, but in the heart of Daphne du Maurier country, it seemed only right to honour the author with a pilgrimage.
Kayaking up the Helford estuary to the Frenchman’s Creek she made famous, with our lovely guide Hetty, we were introduced to local lore, architectural eccentricities, paddling egrets and the ruined fish-smoking facility favoured by the eponymous Frenchmen.
Money may not buy you happiness, but a big house, I discovered, certainly affords a welcome degree of peace. Despite being outnumbered by offspring, there were long parts of the day when they were happily out of earshot, a blessed relief with a crew ranging in age from eight to 14.
Devon vs Cornwall: which is better for children?
They weren’t the only ones playing games though; with kayaks, table tennis, access to our own beach, a snooker table and a huge lawn for boules, football, or simply lolling, there was little reason to leave our well-appointed compound. We had our food delivered by Cornish Food Box, whose box of treasures included glass bottles of creamy milk from a local dairy and eggs with yolks the colour of the setting sun.
On Saturday night an even greater treat was in store when the Michelin-starred chef Ben Tunnicliffe; now owner of a local pub, arrived with a giant, freshly caught turbot from which he rustled up real fish fingers for the kids and utterly mouth-watering fillets with hollandaise for the adults, followed by a perfect rhubarb crumble. This collaboration with Cornish Gems is inspired, offering peak-season holidaymakers the chance to sample the finest cuisine Cornwall has to offer in the comfort of their own kitchen!
Stepping beyond the electronic gates to take the dogs for a walk on the beautiful coastal path to Mylor proved a shocking reintroduction to a world full of bustle, with day trippers trying to park up in the sweltering heat and jostling for space on the crowded patch of gravelly sand at Flushing. That said, the 90-minute walk to Mylor and back served as a reminder of Cornwall’s other enormous asset, it’s natural beauty.
The sun shimmered on the turquoise sea, small boats buzzed about, sails billowed on small yachts, green meadows were verdant after months of rain and the cows lazed on the soft grass. Ambling along, investigating the myriad rock pools left by low tide, the sea breeze ruffling my hair and the sun on my winter weary shoulders, it felt like the most perfect place on Earth.
The essentials
A week’s stay at Rosilian Hall accommodating up to 20 guests in 10 bedrooms and with private beach access costs from ￡10,995 through Cornish Gems (01872 241241; cornishgems.com).