Mac\'s House in Saint Austell, South West England, United Kingdom

  Further details outdoors:
To the front & side of the house is a private drive with ample off-road parking for several cars. The front garden has been set out with various grasses in a Mediterranean style.

The large south facing garden to the rear of the property is very sheltered and offers a really large paved patio area (50m²) as well as a smaller patio area with a barbecue. There is also a large lawn so there's plenty of scope for you to relax in the garden if you don't want to venture out on a particular day or days.   Conditions 25% of the rental amount is due at the time of booking, the remaining 75% is due 8 weeks before the start of your holiday.

We take a £100,-- refundable security deposit against breakages/damages.

Please note that this property is strictly no smoking. You may, of course, smoke outside.

Mac's House is very suitable for the eldery, being on one level.   St Austell area Mac's House with it's central location is ideally placed to visit many of the tourist attractions that Cornwall has to offer, including:

The Eden Project, featuring 5 massive Biomes (one of which is the biggest greenhouse in the World), which replicate the World's various climate zones, uses millions of plants to great effect. It offers all-year round entertainment (including plenty of things of interest for the kids) with concerts taking place throughout the year and in Winter they have a fantastic ice-skating rink.

Staying with the theme of gardens, Heligan with it's "Lost Gardens" was the seat of the Tremayne family for more than 400yrs and at the end of the 19c it's thousand acres were at their zenith. A few years later, ivy and bramble all but swamped the gardens and itwas only in 1990 when Tim Smits (designer of the Eden Project) and his team discovered them again. They are now restored to their former glory and well worth a visit being just 15mins drive away.

The Georgian port of Charlestown, which by the way is still a working port, has to be seen and it's only a 15min walk from Mac's House. Built between 1790 & 1810 Charlestown was originally built to export China Clay & tin. It is now, not only home to a magnificent collection of “Square Riggers” but is also being used as a wooden hulled boat building yard. The unspoilt port has been used as film setting for many period dramas, ranging from “The Eagle has Landed”, “Frenchman’s Creek”, to most recently in 2008, an American film series on the story of Darwin.

It also has a fantastic Shipwreck & Heritage Centre which again offers lots of things for children to do and see.

Truro with it's cathedral and super shopping centre is worth a trip just in case you need a bit of shopaholic therapy on holiday. There are Farmers' Markets held here as well every week.

Other towns/villages well worth a visit, especially as they're just a short hop away from Mac's house are:
Fowey and across the River Fowey, Polruan. In the Summer the annual Daphe du Maurier festival takes place and from close to here you can walk to Daphne du Maurier’s house, Menabilly which was her inspiration for “Manderley” in “Rebecca”.

The beautiful little fishing village of Mevagissey with it's narrow streets and plethora of small shops and pubs is also just down the road and worth the short drive. Some evenings in the Summer their male voice choirs gathers on the jetty to give a free concert. Definitely worth listening to.

At Bodmin you not only have the famous jail, but for steam train fans you also have the Bodmin & Wenford steam railway which has trips out quite often during the year. You can also take a trip up to the Moors and travel around, but be careful and make sure you take a map with you as signposts are rare and those there are often only show the next hamlet and not "Bodmin" or "A30".... The Camel Trail is also close to here.

Whilst in the area of Bodmin it's worth taking in a trip to the famous "Jamaica Inn" at Bolventor on the edge of the moors.

And don't forget, St Michael's Mount, Padstow, the jazz festival at Bude and of course Land's End.

Beaches are just a couple minutes drive away (you can also walk to them) and great sandy beaches are to be found at Porthpean, Crinnis, Pentewan, Gorran Haven & Par. If it's surfing you're looking for, then try the magnificent Fistral Beach at Newquay, home of the British Surfing Association School.

Golf - Also just "round the corner" you'll find 3 golf courses. St Austell Bay Golf Club, Porthpean & Carlyon Bay.


The West Country / Cornwall region The historic market town of St Austell is Cornwall's largest town and is situated on the Cornish Riviera at the centre of St Austell Bay. It is an ideal base for your holidays as it's only a short drive away from all points North, South, East and West in Cornwall. St Austell boasts a 15c church which is architecturally unusual for Cornwall.
There is a brand-new shopping centre being built right in the heart of the town and a new multi screen cinema opened in December 2008. There are also a great many pubs, restaurants, coffee shops etc in the town all of which is just a short walk away from Mac's House.

Historically, the town became prosperous when William Cookworthy discovered China Clay in 1755. It became the centre of the trade and there are many signs of the former "King of Clay" activity in and around the town from the so-called "White Pyramid" which over the years has become more of a "Green Pyramid", to the UNESCO accredited Wheal Martyn China Clay Heritage Centre where you can get the real feel of the China Clay industry. In fact, the World famous "Eden Project" owes it's location to the trade, situated as it is in a former open-cast clay pit.

St Austell is also home to Cornwall's oldest independent family brewery which has been established for over 140yrs.Many original traditions and skills remain at the heart of their beers which is probably why they've won prizes within the brewing industry. You can follow the whole process from the raw ingredients through to sampling their traditional ales at their visitors' centre, which is well worth a visit.   How to get there With BA, Ryanair, Air SouthWest, FlyBe and BMI Baby all flying into Newquay (only 1/2hr away), you can fly here from Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cork, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Isle of Man, Isles of Scily, Leeds/Bradford, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle, St Brieuc (France) as well as Zurich. Slightly further afield, you can fly into Plymouth (1hrs drive away), Exeter (1,5hrs drive away) or Bristol (3hrs drive away).

Car hire firms are present at Newquay and if you wish to make use of their facility then try a compare cost website or the airline's own budget/preferred partner links on their websites.

St Austell is well served with fast trains taking, on average 4,5hrs (some take just 4hrs) from London, and, for example, just 5hrs to Birmingham, so if you don't want to drive, you can, in the words of the old advert, "let the train take the strain".

National Express buses also have a frequent service to & from St Austell.

If you're arriving from Mainland Europe on a ferry, then your nearest port is Plymouth, 1hrs drive away. From the channel ports it's about a 6hr drive.