St Columb Major offers two distinct points of interest for planning a trip: the Church of St Columba and its hurling tradition. When choosing accommodation, it is worth first deciding whether a particular match date should shape your stay, or whether architectural and heritage history should be the main focus.

The church and medieval architectural history

The Church of St Columba is a Grade I listed building. Its origins date to the 14th century; it was extended in the 15th century and restored in the mid-to-late 19th century. This sequence reveals the building’s long history, while individual details offer a very different perspective on it.

The late-medieval choir stalls include 33 bench ends. Among the carvings is a dog preaching to a pig—a curious motif amid the more straightforward details about the building’s date and restoration. The church also has a ramp that can be used by arrangement; it is not permanently in place. If you need the ramp, arrange to use it before your visit.

Archaeology and historic buildings

Devil’s Quoit marks the site of a Neolithic megalithic chamber tomb. The tomb was destroyed around 1870; the stone at Devil’s Quoit is believed to be its capstone. The site’s original purpose and its later destruction therefore sit side by side, while the stone’s presumed function cannot be considered certain.

Castle an Dinas (East) is an Iron Age hillfort on the summit of Castle Downs. A hillfort is a fortified settlement on high ground; here, both its date and its position on the summit are integral to describing the site. A walking guide to Castle an Dinas by iWalk Cornwall is available on the website and in the app. Check that the guide is available before setting out.

The Old Rectory also points to an earlier period: it stands on the site of a medieval rectory surrounded by a moat, and is considered the only example of its kind in Cornwall. At Trewan Hall, the gate piers and walls at the south entrance date from the early 19th century. The historic themes thus range from the Neolithic tomb through Iron Age and medieval structures to features from the 19th century.

Hurling and suitable travel dates

The hurling match in St Columb Major is one of the three remaining hurling matches in Cornwall. A team from the “Town” and one from the “Country” compete with a silver-plated ball about the size of a cricket ball. Traditionally, matches take place on Shrove Tuesday and the following Saturday. Since Shrove Tuesday falls on a different date each year, check the exact dates before planning your stay around them.

This distinction makes a practical difference when planning an overnight stay: if hurling is the reason for your trip, confirmed match dates should determine your travel dates. If you are mainly interested in church and heritage history, you can instead start with the historical focus you want. This ties your choice of accommodation to the actual reason for your trip rather than to a generic itinerary.

For the broader travel overview: Cornwall.