Bodmin, on the western edge of Bodmin Moor, is the largest town in North Cornwall and lies equidistant between the south coast and the dramatic north coast bordering the Atlantic. Bodmin has the best of all worlds, suiting those who love the countryside and also offering a thriving town centre dominated by the newly refurbished Shire Hall, sitting proudly on Mount Folly Square. This Grade II* Listed Building was Cornwall's Assize Court but now houses the Court Room Experience where the trial of Mathew Weeks is re-enacted.
Bodmin is the perfect place to discover more about North Cornwall's turbulent history. It's on display in the town museum where you can trace history from the earliest of times. Over 200 years of Regimental history is also on display at the Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry Museum.
Bodmin has the largest Parish Church in Cornwall - St Petrocs. Rebuilt in 1469-72 it stands right in the heart of the town and it houses the 12th-century casket said to contain the relics of St Petroc.
Bodmin is on the Camel Trail, 12 miles of traffic-free walking and cycling along the River Camel from Bodmin through Wadebridge to Padstow or to Poleys Bridge. There are steam trains, nature reserves and away from the town there is Bodmin Moor, with its strange muted fury in the landscape. Wisps of mist curl around stone circles, wild ponies graze the wind-shaped tors, birds of prey patrol the open skies - Bodmin Moor is an untamed world. Yet in moorland villages like Blisland, St Breward and Altarnun, you'll find welcoming oases of stillness, with cosy inns and churches steeped in history.