Polbathic

Polbathic is a small village on the A374 between Trerulefoot and Torpoint, within the parish of St Germans in south-east Cornwall. The village sits on the edge of a tidal creek - Polbathick Lake - which feeds into the River Tiddy and the wider Lynher river system. The creek and surrounding farmland give the area a distinctly rural character, despite good road links to Plymouth via the Torpoint ferry.

The community centres around a handful of older stone houses and the Halfway House pub, which sits on the main road through the village. Polbathic Village Hall, opened in November 2012, was funded by a Viridor Credits grant of GBP 297,000 - replacing the original hall, a former army hospital hut bought in 1921 for GBP 90 by the local blacksmith and transported from Tregantle Fort by steam wagon.

Whitsand Bay, with its dramatic cliffs and long stretch of sand, is roughly four miles to the south. The market town of Liskeard lies about eight miles to the north-west, and the historic harbour at Looe is a similar distance along the coast. Antony House, a National Trust property dating to the early 18th century, is around five miles to the east.

Polbathic suits visitors who want a quiet countryside base with easy access to both the south-east Cornwall coast and the Tamar Valley. The tidal creek attracts herons and egrets, and the lanes around the village are good for cycling.