Manaccan

Manaccan is a small village on the eastern side of the Lizard, about 8 miles south-east of Helston and close to the southern bank of the Helford River. The village church of St Manacca and St Dunstan has Norman origins and is notable for a fig tree that has grown from a crack in the south wall for at least 200 years - it appears in records from the 18th century. The village has a pub (the New Inn) and is compact enough to walk through in a few minutes.

The Helford River is about a mile north of the village. Helford village, with its thatched cottages and seasonal ferry crossing to Helford Passage, is about 2 miles west along the river. The Helford river system and its tributary creeks - Frenchman’s Creek, Port Navas Creek, Polpenwith Creek - are popular for kayaking and dinghy sailing in summer. Frenchman’s Creek, which inspired Daphne du Maurier’s 1941 novel of the same name, is accessible on foot from the path east of Helford village.

The surrounding area is typical Lizard farmland, with deep lanes running between high hedgebanks. Coverack is about 4 miles south on the east coast of the Lizard, and Falmouth is about 10 miles north across the Helford. Holiday cottages in the Manaccan area give access to the river without the higher prices of Helford Passage. Gillan Creek Retreat is an eco shepherd’s hut in a private meadow near the village, sleeping 2 with a wood-fired hot tub, dog-friendly garden, and Ponsence Cove 2.4 miles away - from GBP 980 per week.