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camelford |
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The northern half of Bodmin Moor is dominated by its two highest
tors, both of them easily accessible from CAMELFORD , a town once
associated with King Arthur's Camelot, while Slaughterbridge, which
crosses the River Camel north of town, is one of the contenders for his
last battleground. Camelford has resisted trading on the Arthurian myths,
but does have a couple of diverting museums: the British Cycling Museum
(daily: Mon-Thurs & Sun 10am-5pm, Fri & Sat call ahead for times; tel
01840/212811; £2.50), housed in the old station one mile north of town
on the Boscastle Road and containing some four hundred examples of bikes
through the ages, and the North Cornwall Museum (April-Sept Mon-Sat
10am-5pm; £1.50) in Camelford's centre, exhibiting domestic items and
charting the development of the local slate industry; the same building
has a tourist office (same hours; tel 01840/212954). Although it lacks
excitement, Camelford makes a useful touring base. Among its
accommodation is the central Countryman Hotel , at 7 Victoria Rd (tel
01840/212250, ; £40-50); the thirteenth-century Darlington Inn on Fore
Street (tel 01840/213314; under £40), and the Mason's Arms on Market
Place (tel 01840/213309; under £40). The last two places are also useful
refreshment stops.
Rough Tor , the second highest peak on Bodmin Moor at 1311ft, is four
miles' walk southeast from Camelford. The hill presents a different
aspect from every angle: from the south an ungainly mass, from the west
a nobly proportioned mountain. A short distance to the east stand Little
Rough Tor , where there are the remains of an Iron Age camp, and Showery
Tor , capped by a prominent formation of piled rocks. Easily visible to
the southeast, Brown Willy is, at 1375ft, the highest peak in Cornwall,
as its original name signified - Bronewhella, or "highest hill". Like
Rough Tor, Brown Willy shows various faces, its sugarloaf appearance
from the north sharpening into a long multi-peaked crest as you approach.
The tor is accessible by continuing from the summit of Rough Tor across
the valley of the De Lank, or, from the south, by footpath from
Bolventor. The easiest ascent is by the worn path which climbs steeply
up from the northern end of the hill.
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