Our Location

Helsbury Park is situated in the heart of North Cornwall nestled in between three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty [AONBs]: The Camel Valley, Bodmin Moor and the North Cornwall Coast. We’re extremely lucky to have the highest density of year-round dog friendly beaches in the whole of Cornwall, all within half an hour or so of the site.

Our guests list many places as their favourite dog walks, but Daymer Bay nearly always gets a mention for its spectacular views, ease of parking, dog facilities and choice of walks. It lies on the Camel Estuary opposite Padstow, with Rock and Polzeath either side, and the stunning dunes of St Enodoc sitting behind.

Helsbury Park is a unique site which takes in spectacular vistas of Bodmin Moor and the Camel Valley with a view of Roughtor and Devil’s Jump to the east and the river valley to the south. Our nearest villages include St Breward, Michaelstow, Blisland, St Tudy, St Teath and Advent. The nearest Town is Camelford. Our nearest beach is Trebarwith Strand, which has some great facilities including a lovely pub and cafe.

Directions

By Road

Follow the A30 to Bodmin from the M5 at Exeter. Just after Launceston there is a right hand turn signposted to North Cornwall / Camelford / Wadebridge A395. Follow this road to its end at Davidstow, where it meets the A39. Turn left onto the A39 towards Camelford and Wadebridge. Once through Camelford take a left hand turn signposted to Bodmin on the B3266. Two miles along this road on the left hand side you will find Helsbury Park.

Getting here by Train

Nearest station Bodmin Parkway. General Enquiries 0345 484950. Taxis at station. Virgin Trains – VT1 (to the North West) and VT4 (To the North East) serve Cornwall. First Great Western – London Paddington to Penzance. Wessex Trains connecting Cornwall with South Wales and the South Coast as far as Brighton.

Getting here by Air

There are flights into Newquay Airport from a number of regional operators, check your local airport for details. Car hire is available from Newquay Airport which is about 30 minutes away. Exeter airport is around an hours drive.

What Three Words

You can find us here by using the What Three Words system:
https://w3w.co/panting.pounding.threaded

The History of Helsbury…

Helsbury Park is located near the ruins of an Iron Age hill fort known as Helsbury Castle, it has a single rampart and ditch with a rectangular annexe. The fort and annexe entrance faces east and is approached by a sunken track which may be of the same date. The main rampart of the fort reaches a height of 4.0m and a square enclosure in the centre of the fort contains the foundations of St. Syth’s Chapel. Helsbury Wood was also once part of the Black Prince’s deer park, so the history lesson begins right on our doorstep.

Stone Circles

Bodmin Moor is one of the most ancient inhabited areas of the country, and within easy reach of Helsbury Park you can see stone circles at Leaze, Stannon and Fernacre to name a few. They include Bronze Age hut circles, cairns and fascinating henges: some even dating from Neolithic times. Many of these circles have legends attached such as the Hurlers at Minions with their attendant Pipers who, according to legend, were all turned to stone for playing on the Sabbath.

King Arthur

The whole area is steeped in Arthurian myth: most notably nearby Tintagel, with its castle, where the discovery of a 6th century slate inscribed ARTOGNOV (the Latin version of the ancient British ARTHNOU) has fuelled the belief that this was Arthur’s palace.

You can follow the Arthur trail from the visitor centres at Tintagel and Slaughterbridge, where Arthur fought Mordred, to Dozmary Pool high on the moor. It is into the depths of this, supposedly bottomless, pool that Sir Bedivere threw Arthur’s sword Excalibur to be seized by the Lady of the Lake.

Local Area

North Coast

Helsbury is well located for all the main attractions on the beautiful north coast of Cornwall. From Boscastle, Tintagel & Trebarwith directly north to Padstow further west. We also have the very famous Port Isaac [Port Wenn in Doc Martin] and it’s neighbour Port Gaverne which are great for views of the coastline and wonderful for eating out. There are a range of lovely resorts with dog friendly pubs, cafes, parking and stunning beaches, we love to go to Crackington Haven, Polzeath, Rock and the ever poplar Daymer Bay who all boast amazing walks, views, food and drinks.

Surrounding Villages

The nearby village of St Breward is well served by The Old Inn: a superb pub with restaurant, family room, beamed ceilings and open fires (and now integrates the village shop). St Teath is a small village between Helsbury and the coast, lovely pub in the centre, The White Hart, and a shop. St Mabyn is on the way to Wadebridge and also has a pub in the centre. Blisland’s pub is on a lovely green and is famed for it’s real ale, it is a real treat on a summer day for lunch. The pub at St. Tudy has had a recent makeover and is well worth a visit.

Camelford

Camelford is a traditional market town and has a good range of amenities by Cornish standards. There is an award winning Fish & Chip shop; a hardware store, that also stocks fishing tackle; a butchers; green grocers and Cornish Maids, a bakery and more importantly a pasty shop. Camelford has a number of banks, but they do have limited opening hours. The main car park is conveniently located opposite the Fish & Chip shop by the bridge over the river Camel. The Coop, the museum and the pool all have their own car parks too. Camelford is also the location of our nearest health centre, chemist, dentist, pet shop and vet in case of emergency.

Wadebridge

As Wadebridge is on the way to our favourite beaches and Padstow it is often a convenient point to stop off and do a bit of shopping. With the pedestrianisation of the main street it is also developing a little café culture, and being right on the Camel Trail Wadebridge is a great place to stop off for a rest. Wadebridge has a Boots; a good selection of little independent retailers and a cinema, The Regal. There is a fishmonger, butcher, baker (more excellent pasties), another good hardware shop, health-food store and an excellent selection of little galleries. Also a grocer, a fishing tackle shop, cycle hire, all of the major banks with cashpoint machines and just out of town a large Tescos.

Bodmin

Bodmin has seen much improvement in recent years with a small pedestrianised area and a selection of small independent retailers. It too has a butcher, baker, grocer and all of the major banks with cashpoints. Just out of town is a Morrisons and an Asda.

Latest News

Last Minute Ideas for Mother’s Day in Cornwall

Mother’s Day is tomorrow (10/03/2024) and if you still haven’t got any plans, this is for you. Cornwall is a... Read more

Saint Piran’s Day

Saint Piran's Day is the National day of Cornwall. It is celebrated on March 5th and marks Saint Piran's feast... Read more