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The Old School House

Falmouth, Cornwall
The exterior of The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall
The exterior of The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall
The exterior of The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall
The sitting room and dining area at The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall
The sitting room and dining area at The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall
The kitchen at The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall
The kitchen at The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall
The double bedroom at The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall
The view from the double bedroom at The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall
The twin bedroom at The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall
The twin bedroom at The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall
The bathroom at The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall
The exterior of The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall The exterior of The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall The exterior of The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall The sitting room and dining area at The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall The sitting room and dining area at The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall The kitchen at The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall The kitchen at The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall The double bedroom at The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall The view from the double bedroom at The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall The twin bedroom at The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall The twin bedroom at The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall The bathroom at The Old School House, Durgan, Falmouth, Cornwall

At-a-glance details

  • Guests 4
  • Bedrooms 2
  • Preferred changeover day Thursday
  • Minimum stay 2 nights
  • Number of dogs welcome 0
  • Acorn rating 4 What's this?
  • Reference 011024
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Price guide

About The Old School House

Victorian school turned beachside retreat, full of original features and sea-view windows.

Make the beach your playground in this former Victorian school. Just below its walled garden, the shores gently sweep in and out, to reveal a small and sheltered beach. Built in 1876, the shutter-windowed stone cottage sits on the north bank of the Helford River estuary with views of the waters from its windows. After a careful restoration, the two-bedroom cottage reveals a modern interior with historic character. Exposed beams, wood panelled walls and a log-burner are met by contemporary furnishings.

The Old School House sits at the edge of Durgan village, with only a handful of cottages around. Sheltered from Atlantic gales, you’ll have the benefit of being in one of the mildest corners of the country, with a south-facing beach just outside your door. 

The South West Coast Path runs through the village, offering links to vast stretches of coastline. Head east from Durgan along the river and out to Falmouth bay. Head west from Durgan along the Helford Passage, where a passenger ferry runs across the river to the idyllic Helford village and the Lizard peninsula.  
 

Why book with us?

  • Unrivalled locations
  • Exclusive access to special places
  • Award-winning customer service

Our Covid promise

  • Postpone or refund with no admin fee
  • Extensive additional cleaning

Features and facilities

  • Cot & high chair available
  • Microwave available
  • Fridge available
  • Freezer available
  • Dishwasher available
  • Washing machine available
  • Tumble dryer available
  • Telephone not available
  • Television available
  • DVD available
  • WiFi* available
  • Open fire / wood burner available
  • Garden available
  • BBQ not available

Accessibility

Ground floor facilities

View accessibility guide (PDF 817 KB)

Layout

  • Ground floor

    Hall, kitchen, sitting/dining room with multi fuel stove, two bedrooms (one double, one twin), shower room and lavatory.

Notes for guests

Access: The accessibility guide is for guidance only. For up to date photos, please see the images on the webpage.

Heating: Rointe digital electric heating system.

Parking: Parking is limited to one vehicle.

Garden: Small garden on the quay, which the villagers of Durgan also have access to.

Utilities/electricals: The washing machine and tumble dryer is a combined washer/dryer.

*WiFi: This is now available, but please note that intermittent connection problems can sometimes occur and should not be relied upon. We are pleased to provide free WiFi at this cottage which is supported by BT.

Telephone: Limited reception for mobile telephones. There is a public payphone outside the property.

Offers: Guests will benefit from a late Sunday checkout of 4pm at this cottage.

While you’re with us, you’ll benefit from free entry to National Trust properties upon presentation of your booking confirmation.

Guests will enjoy 10% off in National Trust shops for the duration of their stay.

Logs: A starter supply of seasoned logs, fire lighters and kindling will be provided free of charge from 1st July 2019. Guests will need to source any additional logs elsewhere.

Barbecue: Barbecues will not be available at this cottage from 1st October 2019.

Local suppliers: Canoe Cornwall provide good value and good quality archery, bushcraft and canoeing sessions on Fal and Helford.

Please Note: The annual Durgan Regatta takes place in the village on the Sunday of the August Bank Holiday. This involves flags on both quays, loudspeakers and lots of people partying outside Quay, Beach and Old School House cottages.

Places nearby

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  • Cottage icon Cottage
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a view of the Helford River and surrounding countryside

Bosveal

Tucked in wooded valleys and surprising views of the restful Helford River
a view of Durgan beach at low tide on a winter's morning with the village in the distance

Glendurgan Garden

Stroll down through the peaceful, exotic and playful valley to a sheltered beach at the bottom.
St Anthony Head

St Anthony Head

Tucked away at the bottom of the Roseland there's lots to discover for everyone.
Towan beach, Porth on the Roseland

Porth

Creekside and coastal footpaths make for great walking and wildlife spotting. Towan beach at Porth is perfect for children.
The beach at Church Cove, Gunwalloe

Gunwalloe

A site of archaeological importance surrounded by dunes, beaches, a medieval church and a reedbed rich in wildlife.
Visitors with dogs on the beach at Penrose, Cornwall

Penrose

Wooded country around Cornwall's largest natural lake. Penrose features woodland tracks, stretches of coastline and open parkland, the perfect backdrop for a day out.

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The Old School House

Falmouth, Cornwall
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About the Acorn rating

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To help find the best cottage for you, we have created our own quality rating system for our holiday cottages called the Acorn rating. Ranging from 1-5 Acorns, the rating gives you an indication of a property’s facilities, fixtures and fittings, with five being the highest quality level. The Acorn rating is not connected to any other industry rating system that may be used for holiday cottages and is only to be used as a guide that covers location, style of interior and the facilities you may be looking for. We do not set our cottage pricing based on the Acorn rating we have given a cottage as all our cottages are of an individual nature. Therefore, we recommend that all factors are considered when making your choice. In addition, some of our cottages are curated to be sympathetic to their time period. This means that they might not have all of the aspects of modern living, but impress in so many other ways.

1 Acorn: simple living accommodation with basic furniture and fixtures fit for purpose and clean. Running water and a toilet are provided. There could be some limitations to heating and washing facilities – details of these will be stated clearly on the cottage's webpage. Bedding, linen and towels are supplied with a few exceptions, which are again clearly stated). Facilities for basic catering and living are provided. In general, a 1 Acorn cottage does not have WiFi.

2 Acorn: a mid-quality range of furniture and fittings. Bathroom facilities are basic or there may be a high number of guests to bathroom ratio depending on the size of the cottage. Very few 2 Acorn cottages have WiFi and the kitchen white goods and washing facilities are basic. Bedding, linen and towels are supplied in all 2-5 Acorn cottages.

3 Acorn: a good, standard offer. Generally it is correctly proportioned for the number of guests but could have a few compromises, for example a small kitchen, or a lower bathroom to guest ratio. The variety of white goods available will be better than a 2 Acorn cottage.

4 Acorn: these cottages have more premium furniture, fittings and lighting. Additionally the ratio of bathrooms to guests is likely to be higher, and the bathrooms would be more likely to have separate and spacious showers instead of showers over baths.

5 Acorn: a luxury accommodation offer with very few limiting factors. This is the highest offer available. It is well-equipped and has spacious facilities throughout the cottage or is set within an extraordinary location or building. The furniture is of a high standard, and has real comfort for modern living.

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