Blisland

Found down a maze of country lanes, at the centre of this moorland village is the tree-lined village green which has stayed faithful to its original Saxon layout - an uncommon sight on this side of the River Tamar. Fine Georgian and Victorian houses, a rectory and an inn complete the picture but it is the uniquely dedicated St Protus and St Hyacinth Parish Church that takes the attention of most visitors. A favourite of Sir John Betjeman, who described it as ‘dazzling and amazing’, the part-Norman building has a bright whitewashed interior, a good wagon roof, an unusual mock-Renaissance altar and two fonts, one Norman and the other dating from the 15th century.

A couple of miles further northeast, the village of St Breward grew from the granite quarrying industry in the area that left a legacy of sturdy granite cottages and small, granite-hedged fields.