South Cornwall: Falmouth and Roseland Guidebook (5th edition)

Published by Friendly Guides

Written by Falmouth born Neil Reid, this is an updated (2019) edition of a guide first published in 1995. It includes photos and maps of Falmouth, the Fal estuary and the Roseland, plus recommended walks (and, incidentally, sails around the area).

There are highlighted boxes suggesting places to visit, transport options and activities from castles to kayaks. But this isn’t just a guide book for holidaymakers, It also draws on local history and the Cornish language, outlining the influence of key figures, the role of the sea and the rivers as transport.

It’s an area I know well, but there were lots of “interesting facts” of which I was unaware: the derivation of some of the oddly named places, the use of local arsenic as a pesticide, the legends of St Mylor and St Ruan (although more sensitive readers might want to skip those references and concentrate on the rather more attractive description of St Kea’s life).

Reading this book, I didn’t expect to learn anything new. I was wrong. But, more than that, I was inspired to revisit places I’m already familiar