Cotehele

This National Trust property is offering quite a bit for its money. It has the main house in all its glory (tapestry galore I just say), with a great upper and lower garden. It also has a quay as well as a mill. We did it all and it took us some time, as each areas is very well presented and has a lot of interesting information. I especially liked the folks at the mill, who were very eager to explain the history and the workings of the water wheel powered mill.

A lovely Tudor estate in the English countryside, I have to admit that I enjoyed the outside more than the inside.
The National Trust site describes the house as «festooned with tapestries,» but that is an understatement. In some rooms they overlap on the walls and cover the doors making it both dark and a little claustrophobic. I definitely got a haunted house sort of feeling.
The first room we entered in the main house was filled with interesting relics, including partial sets of armor, taxidermy and weaponry. The kitchens in these stately homes are always fascinating. But, the rest of the house, I found a little creepy (maybe it was the little windows/​peepholes). It didn’t help that the docents were a little terse. There are informational binders in all of the rooms, so you don’t need to rely on them for information.
My son’s absolutely favorite part of our visit was Prospect Tower. Built as a folly prior to a royal visit, if you climb the narrow staircase to the top, there are lovely views of the countryside, River Tamar and aqueduct.
The gardens are beautifully maintained and the Discovery Center down the hill at Cotehele Quay provides more educational opportunities and there is a Cornish ice cream stand.
We ended up preferring our time at Buckland Abbey in Devon, but if you want to view tapestries and don’t mind a little poltergeist or two, this is well worth the visit.

wounderfull in the summer its like going back in time. lovely river walks. wounderfull for bird watching and butterflys

beautiful area with lots to do and see. There is a quay and a boat to explore. There are lots of dog walking areas and nearer the house are lots of open spaces for pic nics and for children to run around. the gardens are beauiful too.

A very beautiful National Trust house, garden and estate. Loads of good walks, two tea rooms, lovely gardens, a nicely stocked gift shop. Walks can either be centred on the quay and mill area or around the house and gardens and up to the tower or along the river to Calstock. There is also a ferry service linking Calstock and Cotehele allowing a circular walk/​ferry ride which is a very pleasant way to spend the day — finished off with a cream tea in the tea rooms. The tea rooms aren’t fabulously run but very adequate especially on a cold/​wet day.

Lovely National trust site. Because it is a tidal river, the high tides there are spectacular. The house is very nice with a good range of gardens and the walks up into the woods or to the weir are delightful.

Owned by the National Trust. Lots to see and lots of things to photograph. Woodland walks by the river Tamar. Boots are a must if going to do a lot of walking.