Altarnun

Altarnun is a village on the eastern edge of Bodmin Moor, about 8 miles south-west of Launceston. It is best known for the church of St Nonna, often called the “Cathedral of the Moor” because of its size and elaborate interior. The church has a 15th-century tower standing over 100 feet high and contains 79 carved bench ends depicting a range of figures, animals, and faces - among the best collections of bench end carving in Cornwall. A 15th-century packhorse bridge crosses the stream beside the church.

The village was the setting for Daphne du Maurier’s novel “Jamaica Inn” (1936) - the eponymous inn at Bolventor, about 2.5 miles south-west on the A30, features in the story. The open moorland of Bodmin Moor begins at the edge of the village, with the Five Lanes area and the moorland plateau accessible on foot. Brown Willy, Cornwall’s highest point, and Rough Tor are about 4 miles to the west.

Launceston, with its Norman castle and shops, is about 8 miles north-east; it has no railway station. The A30 passes about 2 miles south of the village. Holiday accommodation in Altarnun is in stone-built cottages and farm buildings on the moorland fringe, well-placed for both moor walking and access to north Cornwall via the A395.