Daphne Du Maurier

'Here was the freedom I desired, long sought-for, not yet known… Freedom to write, to walk, to wander, freedom to climb hills, to pull a boat, to be alone' 

These are the words that Daphne du Maurier wrote about Cornwall in Vanishing Cornwall and shows how inspired she was by its dramatic landscape. Born in 1907, she first came to Cornwall in the 1920s and it became her home for the rest of her life. Most of her books are based on real or fictional places in Cornwall.

Standing high on Bodmin Moor is Jamaica Inn, a coaching inn where du Maurier stayed in 1930. This gave her the inspiration to write Jamaica Inn, a story about smuggling and pirates - visitors today will find a du Maurier room, with various artefacts. Bodmin Moor is an impressive landscape with granite tors, moors, marshes, valleys and woods. It is perfect for walking, horseriding and fishing. The Camel Trail cycling route also runs through the moor.  

One of the many creeks that run along the south shore of the river Helford, near Helston was the inspiration for Frenchman’s Creek, a romantic tale of love and adventure set in the 17th century. The river Helford is one of the country's most unspoilt rivers with ancient oak woodland and old villages of whitewashed stone along its banks. The South West Coast Path - Britain's longest national walking trail – runs along both banks of the river; and the Furthest South to Furthest East cycling path runs through the area from Lizard Point. 

Perhaps du Maurier's most famous book is Rebecca, the story of young woman's marriage to a wealthy and mysterious widower. The book is centred at the house of Manderley on the Cornish coast, which was based on the Menabilly estate near Fowey, where du Maurier lived for many years, and the nearby Polridmouth Cove. Fowey is an excellent place for walking connecting both the Saints Way which crosses Cornwall to Padstow, and the South West Coast Path which follows the coast around the county. The Land's End to John O'Groats Cycle route also runs nearby.

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