St Germans is the starting point of the Cornish Celtic Way, a 125-mile pilgrimage route to St. Michael’s Mount. The village is also shaped by its priory, railway and gardens. The route is divided into 16 walks; the organisers may update route details and the divisions. Check their latest information before planning. This allows you to shape your stay around different interests: the pilgrimage route and landscape, historic buildings or the gardens of Port Eliot.
Priory history and historic buildings
St Germans Priory Church was built in the early 13th century as part of an Augustinian priory on the site of Cornwall’s first cathedral. The church contains a 15th-century statue of St Anthony of Padua, a 13th-century font and coffin, and misericord seating depicting the story of Dando. The church is in the centre of the St Germans Conservation Area and in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Port Eliot includes the medieval core of the Priory of St Germans. Port Eliot House represents a much later phase of building: John Soane extensively remodelled and refaced it from 1804 to 1806. The older part of the village also has very fine 16th-century almshouses, listed Grade II*. Together, these buildings show different aspects of the village’s history, from its priory days to later changes to the house.
Gardens and landscape
The Port Eliot estate includes around 20 hectares of gardens and pleasure grounds, as well as around 160 hectares of parkland. Curving paths wind through mature mixed woodland in the pleasure grounds, with rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas. The main path passes a late-20th-century maze. With the Gardens & Parkland Pass, visitors can explore the estate at their own pace using a map. Check the operator’s latest information about the pass before visiting.
Its position on the River Lynher also gives the village a distinct connection to the landscape: St Germans lies at the upper end of the river’s valley. The Lynher is part of the Tamar Valley National Landscape. This adds the river valley to the picture alongside Port Eliot’s gardens, without treating the two landscapes as one and the same.
Getting there and railway heritage
Great Western Railway operates regular train services to St Germans on the Exeter–Penzance route. As services may change, check the operator’s timetable before travelling. Port Eliot’s Main House is a five-minute walk through the village from St Germans station; take local walking conditions into account.
The station is also a landmark of railway history in its own right: St Germans Station is considered the most complete surviving example of a Cornwall Railway branch-line station to retain its original appearance. The Railway Viaduct over the River Tiddy is a Grade II listed railway viaduct. It was built in 1908 to replace the structure from 1855. The station and viaduct thus tell different chapters of railway history.
On the River Tiddy
The Quay Sailing Club is on the River Tiddy in St Germans and offers moorings, boat and equipment storage, and a clubhouse. Facilities and membership terms may change, so check the club’s information before visiting. Members of other boating or yacht clubs can use visitor moorings for £10 per night, subject to availability; prior contact by phone or in writing is required.
Anyone arriving at the club by water should plan to arrive and depart three hours before or after high water at Plymouth, as most moorings dry out. Check tide conditions before setting off. This specific requirement can then be factored into your plans without confusing it with train and walking routes in the village.
Discover more destinations: Gorran Haven, Lanlivery, Launceston, Phillack, Saint Dominick, Saint Breward, Egloskerry, Lanivet
For the wider travel guide: Cornwall.
