Great Days Out

Some great days out from Okel tor Mine

A river walk to Cotehele

Always popular with guests, this walk starts right from your door and takes in Calstock village, the riverside woods and the National Trust’s Cotehele House. It’s around 45 minutes each way at a gentle pace. Stop for morning coffee and a cake at Lishe Cafe in Calstock and enjoy lunch at one of the cafes and restaurants at Cotehele.

Great Scenic Railways provide maps and guides to many local walks, including Calstock to Cotehele. Click here for the guide.

 

Lishe café in Calstock

 

Cotehele from the river

Cotehele House, National Trust

 A train ride from Calstock

We’re lucky to still have a single-track railway through Calstock. This scenic line passes over the iconic River Tamar viaduct and on to the villages of Bere Aston and Bere Ferrers before arriving in Plymouth. Click here for a link to the timetable.

Try the Edgcumbe Hotel in Bere Alston for lunch, or The Olde Plough Inn in Bere Ferrers. There are lovely circular river and countryside walks from both, including this one from Great Scenic Railways. 

 

The railway viaduct over the Tamar at Calstock

The Lopwell Dam is well worth a visit and is an easy walk from Bere Ferrers. The Visit Tamar Valley website has many helpful suggestions for walks and activities in our area, including this one of the Lopwell dam.

Lopwell dam

Rame Head, the Coastwatch lookout and the Canteen at Maker Heights

Rame Head offers many spectacular coastal walks, from a short stroll to take in the breathtaking view from the chapel, to a circular walk via the villages of Kingsand and Cawsand, to a longer section of the Southwest Coast path. Due to its exceptionally high and panoramic vantage point, there is a National Coastwatch Institution lookout on the top of the headland (next to the car park.) The watchkeepers (including Okel Tor Mine’s Jon!) are always happy to show visitors around the station and point out shipping in the Channel.

Rame Head

The Chapel

The Lookout Station

If you’re looking for somewhere unique to eat in this area, we can thoroughly recommend The Canteen at Maker Heights. Housed in former Army Nissan huts, the setting is certainly unusual! The views are stunning, as is the food. You’ll need to book, though, as it’s hugely popular.

The Canteen at Maker Heights

Tavistock and Dartmoor

Head East for a day, over the River Tamar and into Devon to explore the market town of Tavistock and the dramatic wilderness of the Dartmoor National Park. The Visit Tavistock website has plenty of suggestions of things to do and places to eat.

Tavistock from the church roof

We can recommend a visit to the  Pannier Market, winner of the 2025 best large indoor market in Britain. Places we have particularly enjoyed eating in Tavistock include Dukes Coffee House (the best chilli con carne in the West Country!) Church Lane (gorgeous pizzas, sharing boards and crepes) and The Cornish Arms (for a special treat. Featured repeatedly in the Top 50 Gastropubs list over the past several years.)

The Cornish Arms, Tavistock

The granite tors, ponies and moorland of Dartmoor National Park are iconic, and only 30 minutes’ drive from Okel Tor. Worth far more than just a day’s visit, the walking and views are superb, offering everything from an easy riverside stroll to challenging hikes over the high, open moorland.

 

Dartmoor tor

The Visit Dartmoor website is a good place to plan your trip, with lots of suggestions for walks and places to eat.

 Dartmoor stone cross