Tehidy Country Park

There are a number of ways that you can get to Tehidy Country Park. Find out how to get there by train, bus and car below.

You can also have a look at the Tehidy Country Park Location Map to see where the park is situated.

Train

Take the train to Camborne or Redruth train station.  Buses run regularly past Tehidy Park. Alternatively, you can walk from Camborne Railway Station which takes approx. 45 mins.

Walking directions from Camborne Railyway Station to Tehidy Country Park (map provided by a third party).

Bus

For details of routes and services, visit the Public Transport information pages.

Car

South Drive car park:

Head towards the main entrance at South Drive, where there is a free car park and café.  This is clearly signposted with brown signs from the A30 at Tolvaddon.  The postcode at South Drive is TR14 0EZ.

East Lodge car park:

From the junction of the A30 and the A3047 at Tolvaddon take the road north towards Tolvaddon.  Go straight across the first mini roundabout and straight across the second.  At the T-junction turn right.  At the next crossroads turn left onto Cot Road and follow this for about 800m where you’ll see East Lodge car park on the left.  The car park is free and the postcode is TR16 4PX.

North Cliffs car park:

Follow the directions for East Lodge car park but continue past the entrance to the next T-junction.  Turn left onto the B3301 towards Hayle and follow this for nearly 2km.  The North Cliffs car park is on the left and it's free to park. There is no suitable postcode.

This area of the woods is the most affected by the sea. Strong, salty winds have stunted the trees and made them bend away from the prevailing south westerly winds. The North Cliffs are also the best place to see the spring time bluebell display.

As you follow the pink trail around the North Cliffs you will discover many types of trees. This will include majestic beeches and wind sculpted woods at the edge of the park. This area is a great place for bats in the summer evenings and roe deer have been seen in the meadow.

Leading engineers like Richard Trevithick discussed ground-breaking ideas here and the park was used as a game reserve patrolled by gamekeepers. This explains why you will find places like “Keepers Walk”, “Keepers Cottage” and “Kennels Hill” here today.

Autumn brings a huge variety of fungi out in the woods. Look in the events field for fairy rings.

Look out for the exotic tree species such as the huge monkey puzzle tree and the beautiful Japanese maples. Lady Basset planted these around 200 years ago as part of her formal gardens.

The entrance pillars, which display the Basset crests, welcome you to the most popular area of Tehidy Country Park. The toilets, cafe and visitor centre are here after a short accessible walk from the car park.

The Lakes

The lakes of the Basset Estate are a wildlife haven and home to a variety of ducks and swans, fish, eels and other wildlife such as birds and dragonflies.

The main lake, which was artificially created, can be seen on maps dating back to 1737 when there was a large sweeping lawn leading from the mansion to the water’s edge.

Follow the Tehidy stream along the cascades and through the dappled shade of Beach wood to arrive at Otter Bridge. From here you can explore the peaceful paths of Oak Woods or move into the North Cliffs area by going up Kennels Hill.

The Tehidy stream flows alongside West Drive and joins the Red River at Coombe. From here it flows into the sea at Godrevy Point. The Bassets used to row their boat along the stream to the sea.

East Lodge was built in 1792 at the same time as the South Drive Lodge. The golf course was previously the Basset’s deer park and every Sunday the family would travel to Illogan church across the park in their carriage. Servants would follow along Pine Walk and past East Lodge. Walking through East Lodge and along Pine walk is like walking through history. Originally one of the main driveways into the Basset’s Mansion, many of the mature trees you can see today were part of the original planting.

The Yew trees are some of the oldest trees in the wood. One tree is thought to be at least 400 years old. Watch out for some fine specimens along the blue trail.

Don’t miss the café for a well-earned break at the end of your walk!

Tehidy Country Park hosts a variety of facilities including a camp site/education field. This facility is available for hire by educational and community groups. There is:

• an enclosed, sheltered field within the woods. Most of the field is on a slight slope but there are several level areas of hard standing.
• vehicle access to the field via the ‘Rangers office’ entrance, approximately 500m to the west of the North Cliffs car park.  Large vehicles such as coaches cannot access the field and should turn around where signs indicate.
• parking space for approximately 6 cars inside the entrance to the field. It is inadvisable to drive vehicles onto the main part of the field.  Additional parking may be available nearby by prior arrangement.
• a wash block with ladies and gents toilets and a separate accessible toilet, together with a single shower.

Tehidy Country Park booking fees

• Campsite – Per 24 hour period - £106.00 for educational/community groups, £124.00 for all other groups. 
• Additional car parking available nearby by arrangement - £37.00 per 24 hour period.
• Education field and toilets for daytime use only - £43.00 per day
• Daytime access to toilet block only - £24.00 per day

Tehidy Country Park Campsite Booking information

Expectations

Tehidy Country Park is a public place;

• Respect the rights of other people who may wish to use the area.
• Dog users are asked to clean up after their dogs .
• Fires are only permitted within the designated fire pit, with prior consent
• The fire site must be left clean and tidy and debris removed.
• You may not cut down, pick or remove any wood, trees or vegetation whilst using the Campsite.
• The site must be left clean and tidy at the end of your stay or event. All rubbish needs to be taken home with you.

A deposit will be taken and only refunded if all of the conditions set down have been adhered to.

Cornwall Council reserves the right to review booking requests on an individual basis.

For further information and booking enquiries please contact the Environment Service on 0300 1234 202

Health and Safety

You are required to carry out a risk assessment for your visit/event. You and your group must ensure that all of your activities are carried out in a safe manner, with regard for the safety of other users of the park.

Cornwall Council endeavours to keep the site in good condition. We advise that you should visit the site before your event to check on the condition of the area. Cornwall Council will not be held responsible for the actions of the public using the park or damage caused by animals to the sites.

The great manor of Tehidy was owned by successive Bassets as Lords of the Manor from Norman times until 1916. A mansion was built from 1734 at a time when the Bassets were enjoying high profits from their copper mines and extensive grounds – together with the first lake.

Important figures of the day dined and danced the nights away here and the great house became a symbol of wealth and power in the county. Influential mining engineers like Trevithick, Woolf and Hornblower – whose revolutionary technological developments went on to have international impact – first discussed their ideas at Tehidy.

Peerage gained thanks to Cornish miners

In 1779 the combined fleets of France and Spain unexpectedly anchored off Plymouth where the city’s defences were woefully inadequate. The following year the then owner of Tehidy, Francis Basset, became a national figure and received his peerage as Baron de Dunstanville for marching his fit Cornish miners all the way to Plymouth where they made the marine fortifications safe.

Between 1798 and 1842, 400 acres of Tehidy land were cultivated to cater for an influx of miners who came to work the thriving 19th century copper mines. Cornwall’s first horse-drawn tramroad, transporting copper ore from Poldice to Portreath from 1809, was largely financed by Sir Francis Basset. When he died in 1835, 20,000 people gathered at Tehidy to process with his coffin and 150 carriages. The de Dunstanville monument was erected on Carn Brea in his honour.

Tehidy becomes one of the finest buildings in Cornwall

In 1855 Sir Francis’ nephew John Francis Basset took over Tehidy and he also prospered from the mines. He rebuilt the mansion to create one of the finest buildings then in Cornwall with 40 bedrooms and a lavish drawing room with a gold ceiling.

The end of Basset Rule

In 1916 the great manor was sold, ending 700 years of Basset rule. The house and estate were divided and in 1919 it opened as a hospital for the treatment of TB sufferers. A great fire devastated the building only two weeks after the hospital opened - one of a number rumoured to be the work of Tehidy ghosts.

In 1983 the grounds were purchased by Cornwall Council and developed as a Country Park. Part was leased to Tehidy Golf Club and part sold for the 1995 rebuilding and development of new houses around the central core of the original building.