Tywardreath: Landscape, Trails and History

If you’re looking for a hotel in Tywardreath, its trails, historic village landscape and surrounding nature can help you decide what to focus on. You can decide in advance whether you’d like to centre your stay on walking, medieval history or the landscape. Tywardreath offers several specific points of interest: a section of the Saints’ Way, traces of a vanished priory, a nearby hillfort and the marshland.

Landscape between the tides and the ridges

Tywardreath was once surrounded on all sides except the east by tidal waters. Today’s Tywardreath Marsh includes a silted-up former tidal riverbed and provides habitats for marshland and woodland. The landscape can therefore be viewed both in terms of its former tidal character and its present-day habitats.

Nearby is Castle Dore, a small hillfort with several defensive ramparts on a prominent ridge. The ridge offers panoramic views of the surrounding landscape; Castle Dore overlooks at least two tributaries of the River Fowey. The monument may not be fully open to visitors or explained on site; access conditions can vary. Check them before your visit.

History and literary connections

The long-vanished St Andrew’s Priory stood below Tywardreath Church on the site of New House Farm. It was founded no later than 1149. The shorter route of the Saints’ Way also passes through the area of Tywardreath where a medieval monastic settlement once stood. The novel The House On The Strand is set in Tywardreath and Treesmill. This cultural connection therefore spans the history of a medieval settlement and a novel set in both places.

Comparing the routes

A shorter route of the Saints’ Way passes through the Tywardreath area and is approximately 11 miles long. The Saints’ Way runs through mid-Cornwall from Padstow to Fowey and is approximately 30 miles (48 km) long in total. For planning purposes, these are two different scales: a shorter route in the Tywardreath area and the full trail between Padstow and Fowey. Both distances are approximate. Check for temporary closures before walking.

The Tywardreath History Walk starts at St Andrew’s Church and heads towards The New Inn. It then continues along Fore Street, over Mount Bennett Road and Castledore Road, and out of the village. The named starting point and streets provide specific guidance for planning a walk. If you plan to follow the route, be aware that trail conditions can change; check them before setting off.

Rail connections

Par railway station is a regional rail hub and the junction for the branch line to Newquay. If you’re travelling by train, check the service for your travel date.

Discover more destinations: Truro, Sancreed, St Agnes, Tintagel, Praze-an-Beeble, Tresmeer, Lostwithiel, Liskeard

For the broader travel overview: Cornwall.