As the road rounds the peninsula from Land’s End, it is exposed to the calmer Channel waters, far different from the Atlantic rollers. Mount’s Bay is just around the bend from Land’s End with the pretty village of Mousehole (pronounced “mowzle”) tucked into a niche on its shores. With color-washed cottages crowded into a steep valley and multicolored fishing boats moored at its feet, this adorable village is crowded in summer but worth the aggravation endured in finding a parking spot.

Pirates from France and the Barbary Coast used to raid the flourishing port town of Penzance until the mid-18th century. Now it is quite a large town, a real mishmash of styles from quaint fishermen’s cottages to ’60s housing estates, where long, peaceful, sandy beaches contrast with the clamor and activity of dry-dock harbors.

Leave Penzance on the A30 following the graceful sweep of Mount’s Bay and turn right onto a minor road that brings you to St. Michael’s Mount (NT). Its resemblance to the more famous mount in France is not coincidental, for it was founded by monks from Mont St. Michel in 1044. A 19th-century castle and the ruins of the monastery crown the island, which is reached at low tide on foot from the town of Marazion. If you cannot coincide your arrival with low tide, do not worry—small boats ferry you to the island. The steep climb to the top of this fairy-tale mount is well worth the effort.  Wake up to splendid views of St. Michael’s Mount and stay in Endovean Farmhouse B&B in nearby Perranuthnoe or stay “just up the street” in a countryside idyll at Ennys Farmhouse near Goldsithney.

To the east lies Falmouth. Overlooking the holiday resort, yachting center, and ancient port are the ruins of Pendennis Castle. Built in 1540 to guard the harbor entrance, it was held during the Civil War by the Royalists and withstood six months of siege before being the last castle to surrender to Cromwell’s troops in 1646. Falmouth is a bustling town whose narrow, shop-lined streets have a complex one-way system—parking is an additional problem. Unless you have shopping to do, avoid the congestion of the town center and follow signposts for Truro.

The road from Falmouth to St. Mawes winds around the river estuary by way of Truro. A faster and more scenic route is to take the King Harry Ferry across the river estuary. If you love wandering around gardens, you will enjoy Trelissick Gardens (NT), filled with subtropical plants, located on the Falmouth side of the estuary.

St. Mawes is a charming, unspoilt fishing harbor at the head of the Roseland Peninsula. Its castle was built by Henry VIII to defend the estuary. Here you find the splendid Hotel Tresanton one a hotel that has been a favorite of mine for over 30 years.

The 20 miles or so of coastline to the east of St. Mawes hide several beautiful villages located down narrow, winding country lanes. Portscatho is a lovely fishing village that has not been overrun with tourists. Veryan is a quaint village where thatched circular houses were built so that “the devil had nowhere to hide.” Portloe is a pretty fishing hamlet. The most easterly village is Mevagissey whose beauty attracts writers, artists, and throngs of tourists.

Overlooking this quaint port lie the expansive estates of the Tremayne family, centered at one time on Heligan House and its vast acres of gardens and woodlands. There used to be 20 staff in the house and 22 in the garden but all this ended in the 1914–18 war when two-thirds of the gardeners died fighting in Flanders. After that the garden went into decline and when the Tremaynes sold the house, in 1970, for conversion to apartments, it simply went to sleep—a sleep from which it emerged in the 1990s when two professional gardeners hacked their way through the undergrowth and were inspired to begin the largest garden restoration project in Europe. Evoking images of The Secret Garden, the Lost Gardens of Heligan have emerged from their slumber. A magnificent complex of walled gardens, vegetable gardens, and melon yards shows how pineapples and melons were grown in Victorian times. To the south of the main garden are vast acres of palms and tree ferns know as The Jungle, which leads to the Lost Valley with its woodland walks.

Drive through St. Austell on the A390 and turn left up into the hills above the town, following signs to The Eden Project, set in a former china clay pit. The aim of this project is to promote the understanding and responsible management of the vital relationship between plants, people, and resources. At the bottom of the giant crater are the world’s largest greenhouses clinging onto the cliffs like huge soap bubbles. In the space of a day you can walk from the scented warmth of the Mediterranean to the steaminess of a rainforest. You’ll find plenty of convenient parking and enough hands-on exhibits and restaurants to make this a fun visit rather than an academic experience.

If you are looking for a place to stay just down the road from The Eden Project you can do not better than Nanscawen Manor House, a B&B, on the outskirts of nearby St. Blazey.

Your next destination, Llanhydrock (NT lies just a short distance away. Follow signs to Bodmin and take the dual carriageway (A30) to the first exit signed Lanhydrock. Set in a vast estate and surrounded by formal gardens, Llanhydrock showcases what was the very latest in contemporary living in 1881—there’s even central heating. It looks as though the family has just stepped out, leaving the dining table laid for an elaborate party, toys in the nursery waiting to be played with, the schoolroom all set for lessons, afternoon tea set up in the mistress’ sitting room, and desserts all ready to be served from the kitchen.

Return to the A30, drive northeast to Lostwithiel, the 13th-century capital of Cornwall. Twenty miles to the east, Liskeard is crowded in summer, but fortunately much of the traffic has been diverted around the town. Between Liskeard and Tavistock you find Cotehele (NT), built between 1485 and 1627, the home of the Edgecumbe family. The house contains original furniture, armor, and needlework. A highlight is the kitchen with all its wonderful old implements. The gardens terrace steeply down to the lovely River Tamar which separates Cornwall from Devon.