St Austell & Charlestown: Things to Do
St Austell is Cornwall's china clay capital, a working town ringed by the pale spoil heaps locals call the Cornish Alps. It isn't a postcard town itself, but it's surrounded by some of the county's best days out: the Eden Project, the Georgian harbour at Charlestown, Heligan, Mevagissey and a string of south-coast beaches.
Charlestown
A mile or so south of the town centre, Charlestown is a beautifully preserved Georgian port, built from the 1790s by Charles Rashleigh to ship copper and china clay. Its deep, gated dock is often home to square-rigged tall ships, which is why it has starred in so many period dramas, including Poldark. Walk round the harbour, watch the boats, then follow the coast path along the cliffs.
- Eat and drink: The Rashleigh Arms is a big, family-friendly pub right by the harbour.
- Beaches: there are small shingle beaches either side of the harbour entrance, and good rock pooling at low tide.
Top things to do around St Austell
- The Eden Project, just outside town at Bodelva, is the big one: rainforest and Mediterranean biomes in a former clay pit. Book online and go early.
- The Lost Gardens of Heligan, near Mevagissey, about 15 minutes south.
- Wheal Martyn Clay Works, just north of town, tells the story of the china clay industry with a museum, a working waterwheel and woodland trails, and a viewpoint over a working clay pit.
- St Austell Brewery Visitor Centre runs tours and tastings in the town centre, where Tribute and Proper Job are brewed.
- The Clay Trails are traffic-free walking and cycling routes linking St Austell with Eden, Wheal Martyn and the clay country.
Beaches near St Austell
- Carlyon Bay, east of Charlestown: a long beach below the cliffs, reached by a steep path or road.
- Par Sands: big, flat and family-friendly, with a large car park.
- Pentewan, south of town: a wide sandy beach at the end of the Pentewan Valley trail, a flat walking and cycling path that runs from near St Austell to the coast.
- Porthpean: a small, sheltered beach with a sailing club, just south of Charlestown.
Places in this guide
Where to eat and drink
For a pub lunch, the Polgooth Inn is a 16th-century village inn in a quiet valley just south-west of town, with a big garden and a log fire in winter. The Britannia Inn on the road towards Par is a reliable all-day option, and in Charlestown the Rashleigh Arms is the easy choice.
- The Rashleigh Arms, Charlestown, near St Austell
- St Austell Brewery Visitor Centre, Trevarthian Road, St Austell
Getting there and parking
St Austell station is on the main line between London, Plymouth and Penzance, and it's the main bus hub for Eden, Mevagissey and Charlestown. By car, the A390 runs through the town. Charlestown has a pay car park at the top of the village, so walk down to the harbour.
Why base yourself here? St Austell and nearby Par are usually cheaper than the harbour towns, have good train links and put you within half an hour of most of mid Cornwall.
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