St Austell

The curve of St Austell Bay, with its many sandy beaches, is a haven for watersports and family holidays and is also fantastic for walking and cycling, with a mixture of trails through a variety of landscapes. At its centre, the town of St Austell, has grown from the riches of the China Clay industry. Walk along Fore Street and you will discover the fine Holy Trinity Parish Church and opposite, the Italianate facade of the Market House. The town centre also has a cinema, restaurants, cafes and shops.

The town is also home to the St Austell Brewery Visitor Centre with an interactive museum telling the story of over 150 years of pubs, beers, wines and spirits created by the Hicks family. If you’re really keen, book yourself onto a tour of the brewery, taste the beer and enjoy a proper pasty!

Nearby is the beautiful Georgian port of Charlestown, star of many recent films and the Poldark TV shows. Just along the coast, the Carlyon Bay Hotel offers quality accommodation, a spa and a golf course.

At the eastern end of the bay, the little village of Polkerris shelters behind its beach and harbour wall. It's a great place for watersports and eating! It's also the start of a coastal walk out to Gribben Head, a landscape immortalised by the author Daphne du Maurier who lived nearby.

Going west from Charlestown, the sandy beaches at Porthpean and Duporth can be accessed between rocky outcrops before reaching Black Head where fantastic views across the bay reward a good walk.

North of St Austell, is an industrial landscape of working pits, extracting white China clay from the ground and creating vast spoil tips alongside. The clay villages are more akin to the Welsh mining valleys than the Cornish coastline, and much of the area is out of bounds to the public. St Austell grew as a town because of the industry, with a railway leading down to the harbour at Pentewan, plus other harbours at Charlestown and Par.

Those wanting to discover more about this part of Cornwall and the clay industry should head for Wheal Martyn Museum on the edge of St Austell. It's a great place to learn about the industry as you walk around the old workings, but also an enjoyable area to explore, especially in the spring when the site is full of wild flowers.

Austell Ceramic is a project that celebrates the areas culture and links through China Clay. Over the last few years it has lead to a number of sculptures erected in and around the town, including the 14 meter high 'Earth Goddess' in the town centre.

The other attraction associated with this landscape is the Eden Project, built in the remains of a former clay pit, though you would hardly believe it as you wander around this verdant wonderland.

Those wishing to explore the area on foot, or by bike, should check out the Clay Trails, nine mainly off-road routes that link the Clay villages with tourist attractions and points of interest.