View of Gorran Haven from Bumblebees
Bumble Bees

Gorran Haven

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Bumblebees offers bed and breakfast holiday accommodation 200 yards from the beach, harbour and old fishing village of Gorran Haven, near St Austell, Cornwall.

The view of cliffs, sand and sea, and the south Cornish coast, took our breath away on our first visit and still keeps its magic.

Bumblebees is close to the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan. We adjoin National Trust land, with cliff walks to the long sandy beach of Vault in one direction, and Portmellon and Mevagissey in the other.

Bumblebees has two comfortable double bedrooms, one of which can be a twin, each with its own spacious private bathroom (with bath and larger than normal separate shower). One of the bathrooms has disability aids. The bedrooms have colour television, radio, tea and coffee making facilities and hair dryers, and are liberally supplied with books.

There is a comfortable sitting room for guests.

Full English breakfast is a treat with local produce, enhanced with fruit, home-made bread, jams and marmalade, when we discuss with our guests plans for the day and catch up with the day before.

We ask visitors to let us know individual dietary requirements on booking, but we cater for vegetarians as a matter of course.

The garden overlooking the bay is a peaceful place to sit especially in the evening. There is off road parking at the top of the steep drive.

This is our 5th year in Bed and Breakfast. Previously John was a farmer, near Boscastle, and Patsy, a counsellor at a GP's surgery and with the Macmillan service. We thoroughly enjoy this experience, meeting people and sharing with them this lovely area. Living outside is Barney, our brown Newfoundland, lovable, greedy and a great character.

From the Scotsman Magazine, May 20th 2006:
"Alternatively, I can recommend Bumblebees, an inexpensive two bedroomed B&B in the fishing village of Gorran Haven, a few minutes south of St. Austell, with a fabulous view over the harbour. It's run by a friendly couple called John and Patsy, who invited us into their living room, where Patsy offered a running commentary on "Taggart", and John fell asleep, before waking up in time to show us a great new way to play Scrabble. In the morning we ate Patsy's home-made bread and wrestled with the enormous dog. That to me felt like the more authentic Cornish experience."

From an article titled "Gale of a time" by Andrew Eaton

Tariff: We plan to have real time availability and pricing avaliable in the New Year, but in the meantime, our prices are:

April-September £25 per person per night, single nights £27.50 pp, £160 per person per week

October-March £23 per person per night, single nights £25.00 pp, £150 per person per week

There is no extra charge for single rooms, and the house is no-smoking

While we're still finishing our new site, if you wish to book or contact us for any other reason, please use one of the following methods:


telephone John and Patsy Bamford on 01726 842219, or
email bamford@foxhole.vispa.com, or
write to Bumblebees, Foxhole Lane, Gorran Haven, St. Austell, Cornwall, PL26 6JP, or
fill in the online form below

Two comments from last year's Guest Book:

"We loved it here, very peaceful - and hospitable hosts"

"A perfect haven for a relaxing break, thank you"
 

Gorran Haven has a thriving village shop and Post Office. A few minutes walk from us is a pub with restaurant, two cafes, one open in the evening, and a fish and chip shop.

We are 200 yards from the coastal path (see Activities).

The historic fishing village of Mevagissey is 10 minutes by car and has a wide choice of restaurants.

To the west is the lovely Roseland Peninsula going down to St. Mawes, which is a short ferry ride from Falmouth. In the other direction the Lost Gardens of Heligan are about 10 minutes away and an added 10 minutes takes you into St. Austell, and the world famous Eden Project. In St. Austell are the less well-known 30 acres of Pine Lodge Gardens, well worth a visit. National Trust gardens of Lanhydrock, Trelissick and Trerice are within easy reach.

Our central position is ideal for exploring the rest of Cornwall.

How to find Bumblebees
The village of Gorran Haven is on the south coast of Cornwall, 3 miles from Mevagissey and 10 miles from St. Austell.

From St. Austell take the Mevagissey road (B3273). Approximately 6 miles along before Mevagissey, right turn to Gorran Haven. Through Gorran High Lanes and through Gorran village, bear left at the bend and then right signposted to Gorran Haven. Keep on this road to the bottom of the hill. Turn right up Lamledra Hill and near the top, left into Foxhole Lane. Bumblebees is a steep drive on the left, half way down, immediately after the big brown house.



Activities
Du Maurier Festival 2007
Based in Fowey, the festival runs from 10th to the 17th May 2007

Gardens
Cornwall has 67 gardens open to the public, a wonderful variety, to suit all tastes, and different in every season.

Walking
Well-travelled walkers have told us that the coast around us is some of the most beautiful they have seen, so walking here is a joy.

Mevagissey can be reached along the cliff path and is about 3 miles away. You can walk on to Heligan, going through Mevagissey and up the wooded valley, and then get a bus back here.

To the west is the long south-facing Vault beach and then Dodman Point with its iron age ramparts. Walk on and you reach Hemmick beach, and on again to Porth Luney and Caerhayes Castle, with house and gardens open to the public in April and May. The path continues uninterrupted to St. Anthony Head, close to Falmouth.

We can transport walkers by arrangement.

Swimming
Gorran Haven beach is particularly safe for swimmers. Vault is a quieter beach which can be accessed with a short walk round the cliff.

Boating
There is easy launching for boats on trailers from the beach. The adjoining harbour has safe moorings except in severe easterly weather.

Boats can be hired in Mevagissey, and there are boating trips in season and a regular ferry from Mevagissey to Fowey.

The Square Sail Shipyard Ltd. (01726 70241) based in Charlestown organises trips for three or six hour trips from May to mid September on their three tall ships.

Fishing
Shore fishing is popular from the harbour and around the coast and beaches. Sea trips for fishing can be booked from Mevagissey.

Canoeing
We have two stable kayak canoes which guests are welcome to use at no charge but at their own risk. Canoes can also be hired on the beach in July and August.

Cycling
Cycles can be hired at Pentewan. You can explore the Pentewan Valley and the other cycle trails around St. Austell.

Daphne du Maurier festival
One week in May, Fowey hosts the Daphne du Maurier festival, which has an international appeal.

And, not to be forgotten,

Shopping !
For those who can't resist the lure, near St Austell there is a weekend market on a permanent site, the largest covered market in the country. Between Gorran Haven and Liskeard is Trago Mills, a department store like no other, situated in the woods. Truro is the county town, and Falmouth houses the new maritime museum.
 

"Bed & breakfast accommodation for a Cornish holiday to remember"