St Mellion

St Mellion is a village in east Cornwall about 5 miles north-west of Saltash and the Tamar Bridge. The village is best known for the St Mellion International Resort, which operates two golf courses (the Nicklaus Signature course, designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1988, and the Kernow course), an Elemis spa, leisure facilities and an 80-bedroom hotel. Golf began here in 1976, when farming brothers Martin and Hermon Bond opened an 18-hole course, so the estate marked its 50th anniversary in 2026. The resort hosted European Tour events for several years and remains one of the top golf venues in the southwest.

The village itself is small and rural, with a church and a handful of houses set in the rolling farmland of the Tamar Valley. The surrounding countryside is part of the Tamar Valley National Landscape, with walking routes along the river and through wooded valleys. Kit Hill, a prominent landmark with a chimney stack from its mining past and views across Devon and Cornwall, is a short drive north-west near Callington.

St Mellion’s location in east Cornwall puts it close to the Devon border - Plymouth is about 12 miles southeast, and Dartmoor is within easy reach. The Tamar Valley Line railway runs along the river, and Callington (3 miles northwest) provides local shops. The area is less typical of the coastal Cornwall experience but offers good value accommodation and easy access to both coasts. Looe and Polperro on the south coast are about 30 minutes by car.