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Boscastle
A sheltered natural inlet with an unspoilt harbour village
Cornwall, PL35 0HD
Opening times for 4 December 2023
Asset Opening time Countryside Dawn - Dusk Café 10:30 - 15:30 Shop 10:30 - 16:00 The café offers a takeaway service 30 minutes prior to closing.
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A second-hand bookshop is near to the National Trust shop in the harbour.
Dogs
Dogs welcome under control, particularly around livestock and cliff edges.
Cafe
The café can be found by walking along the right side of the harbour.
Shop
The shop can be found by walking along the right side of the harbour.
Car park
Pay and display car park (not National Trust) - charges apply to all.
Toilet
Toilets are next to the main village car park (neither are National Trust).
Blue Badge parking and disabled toilets in main village car park (neither National Trust). Level but uneven with steep paths beyond the harbour.
Accessible toilet
Found next to the car park (not National Trust).
Seating available
There is seating available in the harbour area near to the shop and café.
Level access to food outlet
There is a level entrance door to the café and shop.
Steps/uneven terrain
Boscastle is a small coastal village with a harbour and South West Coast Path running through it. There are level pavements and paths but also some steps and uneven ground closer to the harbour entrance and coast.
Level access to shop
There is a level entrance door to the shop and café. However, it is necessary to exit and re-enter the building to access the entire shop.
By road
Boscastle can be found on the B3263 5 miles north of Camelford, 3 miles NE of Tintagel. Nearest trunk road A39 at Camelford
Parking: pay and display, 100 yards (not National Trust)
On foot
The South West Coast Path National Trail passes through Boscastle harbour.
By train
Go Cornwall bus number 96 at Wadebridge connects to Bodmin Parkway mainline rail station
By bus
Catch the Go Cornwall Bus service number 95 from (Bude to Wadebridge). The bus stops by the Cornwall Council car park and toilets, a short walk from the harbour and South West Coast Path.
By bicycle
NCN3 is 5 miles (8km) away, at Collamoor Head on the A39.
Boat
Visiting vessels pay a mooring fee for use of the harbour to the Boscastle Fishermen's Association, payable (in cash) at the National Trust shop
Planning your visit
Article
Visiting Boscastle with your dog
Boscastle is a two pawprint rated place. Dogs are welcome at Boscastle. Here are some top tips if you are planning a visit with your dog.
Highlights
Coast
Once a bustling fishing and trading port, now a tranquil yet dramatic harbour.
Willapark
An area of clifftop overlooking the harbour. Reached on foot, it's home to a striking lookout building.
Forrabury Stitches
A rare medieval field system. One of the few surviving ‘stitches’ still being farmed in Britain today.
Valency Valley
A wildlife-rich ancient woodland, reached by footpaths threading through the valley.
Café
Café in the harbour offering hot and cold refreshments, including Cornish pasties, cream teas and ice cream.
Shopping
Shop selling locally sourced gifts, books and sweet treats. Second-hand bookshop close by.
Things to see and do
Article
Exploring Boscastle
Boscastle is more than just a harbour village, explore woodland and see unique geological features and Atlantic ocean views.
Article
Discover wildlife at Boscastle
Discover wildflowers and plants attracting a wide range of insects and butterflies. Step further beyond to see coastal plant life with sea life and farmland birds.
Top trails
Trail
Boscastle and the Valency Valley walk
Explore the cliffs above Boscastle's medieval harbour before traversing the peaceful woodland and riverside path in the Valency Valley on this wonderful walk
Trail
Crackington cracker walk
Discover Crackington Haven on this walk from its sandy beach to the impressive vistas of Cambeak Headland, with intriguing rock formations and varied wildlife to spot along the way.
Trail
Boscastle Harbour walk
A gentle walk around the scenic village of Boscastle, taking in the river, the ancient harbour, and the famous blowhole.
Trail
Rocky Valley walk
Follow this gentle trail down through rocky bluffs to Bossiney Bay, close to Boscastle, Cornwall.
Eating and shopping
Article
Eating and shopping at Boscastle
Grab some refreshments from the café, stop to browse gifts and souvenirs in the National Trust shop, and pick up a bargain read in the second-hand bookshop.
Places to stay
Boscastle Elm Cottage
A Grade II listed cottage with bags of charm in the wooded Valency Valley near the river.
Harbour View
A great location on the valley floor overlooking the quayside in the pretty village of Boscastle.
The Lugger
A two-bedroom cottage in the heart of the bustling fishing village, Boscastle.
The Clinker
A very photogenic stay with postcard-perfect window views in the village of Boscastle.
About Boscastle
There's more to Boscastle than a picturesque natural harbour and village.
The Elizabethan quay sits in an impressive amphitheatre of steep cliffs and is home to quaint stone-built cottages, shops and tea-rooms.
Much of the land in and around Boscastle is owned by the Trust. Venture beyond the picture-postcard harbour and a cliff path takes you to the Willapark headland and an intriguing ex-folly, now used as a Coastwatch lookout.
Nearby walks around Forrabury Stitches offer a rare glimpse at a surviving farmed landscape showing ancient celtic strip fields. If you wander further afield, you'll discover the half-forgotten churches of Minster and St Juliots - once made famous by Thomas Hardy.
History
Article
History of Boscastle
Uncover more about the history of Boscastle harbour village. It was once visited by a famous writer and rose from the rubble of a flood.
Latest news
News
National Trust brings coastal land at Tintagel into its care
A stretch of rugged Cornish coastline that borders the medieval fortress of Tintagel has been acquired by the National Trust. Smith’s Cliff, on the north Cornwall coast, will be cared for as a space for wildlife to flourish, for heritage to be conserved and for people to access and enjoy for ever.
Support us
Volunteer with us
Search for live volunteering opportunities, or register your interest with Boscastle.