Treknow

Treknow is a village in the civil parish of Tintagel, set in a sheltered dip at the top of Mill Hill in North Cornwall. It lies about a mile west of Tintagel village, four miles north-west of Camelford, and 19 miles north of Bodmin. The village falls within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Treknow appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 under the name Tretdeno. Slate quarrying shaped the settlement from around 1305 through to shortly before the Second World War - many quarries sat along the coast, with others opening later in the Trebarwith valley to the south. The slate heritage is visible in the local buildings and in the dramatic quarried cliffs along the shoreline.

Trebarwith Strand, one of North Cornwall’s most popular beaches, is reached by a steep lane from the village - about a 15-minute walk downhill. At low tide the beach opens out into a broad expanse of sand, with caves and rock pools to explore. The surf here is reliable and the setting, between high dark cliffs, is striking. The climb back up is a good workout.

The village has a small hotel and a village hall but no shop. Tintagel - with its castle, cafes, the Old Post Office (National Trust) and general stores - is within easy walking distance. The coast path runs nearby, connecting to Rocky Valley, Bossiney Haven and Boscastle to the north-east.

Treknow suits walkers and surfers who want a quiet base near the Tintagel coastline without being in the tourist centre itself.