Love Nature
Animals and Wildlife
With a wealth of wildlife in the immediate area, you might enjoy seeing hares, deer, hedgehogs, foxes and, of an evening, bats flitting across the twilight sky. Birdlife is also diverse, with the frequent sound of buzzards calling and everything from wrens to thrushes to wagtails nesting in the immediate area. Our insect population has also provided enjoyment, with huge numbers of bumble bees and butterflies being regular visitors. The beautiful little Western bee-fly (Bombylius canescens) is also a resident as is the glorious elephant hawk moth.
In winter we are visited by thousands of starlings who frequently land in all the trees around the house on their way home to roost at Roughtor. This is an incredible experience – a cacophony of noise which becomes silent when, as one, the birds lift off into the sky and you hear the beats of vast numbers of wings. To guarantee experiencing the amazing sight of the murmurations over Roughtor
as they settle to roost, visit between November and early March.
local walks
There are a range of lovely walks in the immediate area. There's an easy footpath to Bowithick, which is a fantastic beauty spot with meandering streams and perfect picnicking potential. This is also our nearest access point to the moor where you can go to the site of ancient settlements at Leskernick Hill or the National Trust's Roughtor and Cornwall's highest point, Brown Willy. The walk to St Clether Chapel takes you through a beautiful valley and past Basil Manor, a wonderful medieval manor house and is well worth the stroll. If you want a longer walk which gives you a sense of the lovely farmland of the area, consider the Inny Valleys Walk out from Alturnun. With a bit of a detour, you can start and end this at The Rising Sun and include a meal.
A short drive allows you to access all of Bodmin Moor and get to the North Cornwall coastal path and many beautiful beaches. Again, the choices are varied in length and difficulty. For a very easy stroll head out from Bossiney Tearooms, past the access down to the beach and along the coast and up the National Trust's Rocky Valley. You almost feel like you deserve cake in the tea room afterwards! Longer options are too endless to list!
