Relaxing Bodmin

Clock-watching, traffic jams, road rage, the school-run? You'll find no better place to unwind from the hustle and bustle of modern life than by relaxing in Bodmin and the surrounding countryside. Our slower, gentler pace of life is the perfect counterbalance to life in the fast-lane. We have the mildest climate in the UK and an enviable quality of life most only enjoy in the summer.

Without having to leave Bodmin you can find lots of ways to chill-out. The local leisure centre, has a wide and varied range of activities for you to chose from. How about swimming in the high standard six-lanes, 25 metre heated indoor pool which includes a flume, learner pool and spectator facilities. Whether you want coaching or casual play, you will be playing tennis on some of the best facilities in the county.You can play squash on one of the two courts or make use of the 'Shapes' Fitness studio, state of the art friendly fitness centre. And finally, you can release those tensions with a relaxing sauna, steam bath and Jacuzzi in the 'Shapes' Health suite.

Going out for that special meal? The town has numerous hairdressers, beauty salons and alternative therapies that will help you look your best. Bodmin has a busy night-life with restaurants serving; Thai; Chinese and Indian cuisine as well as many snug moorland pubs, like the St Breward or Blisland Inns. Here, you can sit outside in the sunshine and watch the local comings and goings. For that very special occasion Rick Steins Seafood Restaurant and Jamie Olivers 15 are just a few miles down the road at Padstow and Wategate Bay.If you'd rather go alfresco, then why not venture on to Bodmin Beaon; into Cardinham Woods, go Greek at Delphi Bridge near St Breward or simply sit in one of the many tearooms and experience a scrumptious cream tea.

You can relax playing golf; angling a tricky trout; horse or pony trekking or by paddling your own canoe - within a very few miles of Bodmin there are golf courses, angling facilities, stables and lakes just waiting for you.

So let the peace and tranquillity of the wonderful countryside around Bodmin rejuvenate you, and there' nothing quite like fragrance to do that. Stroll through splendid local gardens heady with scent like the glorious magnolias at Lanhydrock or the gorgeous azaleas of Pencarrow. In May you'll find our high Cornish hedges spangled with scented bluebells, primroses and campion with lacy ferns unfurling between. In summer there's the fragrance of woodbine while in autumn and winter there's the comforting smell of wood smoke.

Ours is an area that will entangle you emotionally. It's one that'll refresh and satisfy you. It'll feed you and please you. So after that satisfying evening meal, in a local country inn, step out into a soft Cornish night and look up into the vast, silver spangled sky, for away from the glow of urban orange, you can still see the stars.