Luxury self-catering accommodation in Calstock

A 120-foot viaduct dominates the view from all perspectives in this seemingly sleepy village far from Cornwall's main thoroughfare. On the surface, Calstock is simply higgledy-piggledy cottages with tumbling, topsy-turvy gardens, a village green dotted with its resident ducks, and some gentle walks along the River Tamar. Linger a little longer, however, and one will discover a heavy roster of community events, outdoor music, cake festivals, and a comradery harking back to values long forgotten in today's society. There are two grassroots music venues here, two pubs, a community café hidden within the boat yard, craft stalls on windowsills and a pirate ship play park that sparks imagination in children of all ages.

Here is Cornwall's answer to alpine country; clouds linger in valleys before the sun wakes them from slumber, and undulating hills smothered in firs weave a patchwork of green spreading out in all directions. To the east, Dartmoor's tors fill the horizon with shadowed ridges, to the south, Plymouth, Whitsand Bay, and the gentle twin villages of Kingsand and Cawsand; west, the highs of Bodmin Moor's craggy outcrops. Tavistock is just fifteen minutes from the village, where a pannier market glints with the treasured artistry of local hands, boutique ice cream parlours laden with all the flavours of the rainbow, and crooked bookshops-come-record-stores fill wonky half-timber buildings.