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 are also situated in a Dark Sky area.
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 slip road 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, this 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. 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 no longer has any banks, but the Post Office (also situated in the hardware store) offers some banking facilities. The main car park is conveniently located opposite the Fish & Chip shop by the bridge over the river Camel. The Coop, and the Leisure Centre have their own car parks too. Camelford is also the location of our nearest health centre, chemist, pet shop and Penbode vets, 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, bakers (more excellent pasties), another good hardware shop, health-food store and an excellent selection of little galleries. Also cycle hire, 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.
Launceston
Many people drive right past Launceston on the way down but it really is worth a stop. The first town in Cornwall, Launceston has a stunning Norman Castle run by English Heritage and some very photogenic ancient buildings including one of the old town gates. The Town Hall is on the comedy circuit hosting some big name acts as well as being a venue for National Theatre Live performances. There are some excellent independent retailers and galleries and it is one of the few local towns to still have some banks. Launceston also has a large Tescos and on a little retail park just near the A30 there is an M&S Foodhall and a Pets At Home so you can stock up on goodies for all.
