Callington Cornwall – Historic Market Town in the Tamar Valley & Kit Hill Country Park
Callington in Cornwall
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CALLINGTON
Callington – Kelliwik in Cornish – is a small market town at the crossing of the A388 and A390, close to the Tamar Valley. In the 19th century it stood at the gateway to one of the most important mining districts in Britain, an area of intense industrial activity including the silver deposits of Silver Valley. It is much quieter today, though mining remains can still be seen and granite is still quarried on Hingston Down.
The parish church of St Mary was consecrated in 1438 as a chapel of ease to South Hill, and contains a fine brass of 1466 to Nicholas Assheton and his wife. Callington is twinned with Guipavas in Brittany and Barsbüttel in Germany.
A railway once ran from Callington (the station was at Kelly Bray) to Bere Alston, opening in 1908; the line beyond Gunnislake closed in 1966. You can still ride the scenic Tamar Valley Line from Gunnislake via Calstock and Bere Alston to Plymouth.
Dupath Holy Well
About a mile from the town, Dupath Well is enclosed in a fine granite well house built in 1510 on the site of an ancient sacred spring; its water was once believed to cure whooping cough. It is in the care of English Heritage.
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KIT HILL COUNTRY PARK
Behind the town, and dominating the scene for miles around, rises Kit Hill – 333 metres (about 1,093 ft) high and crowned by an 80 ft chimney stack built in 1858 for the winding and stamping engine of a mine on the summit. As the highest point of Hingston Down, it gives fantastic views over the Tamar Valley to Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor.
The hill, some 400 acres of open country scarred with old mine workings and quarries, was given to the people of Cornwall by Prince Charles, then Duke of Cornwall, in 1985 and is now a country park. Local legend has it that every known mineral may be found on, or under, Kit Hill.
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CALLINGTON HONEY FAIR
Once a year the streets of Callington are given over to the popular Honey Fair, now held on a Saturday in late September (it used to be the first Wednesday in October). There are craft stalls, a town crier competition, live music, honey competitions in the Town Hall, local charities and churches, cream teas and a funfair – a great day out for the whole family.
Callington Town Council – Honey Fair
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Local business: Sanders Plant Hire, Liskeard – agricultural contractor, plant hire, groundworks and excavation in East Cornwall.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Parking & EV Charging
Town-centre car parks serve the shops and the Honey Fair (which takes over the streets on the day). Kit Hill Country Park has its own car parks near the summit.
Electric vehicle charging:
- New Road car park, Callington – 50kW rapid charger (PoGo Charge), PL17 7BE
- Tesco Superstore, Tavistock Road, Callington – 4 × 7kW Type 2 (Pod Point), PL17 7RD
- Cotehele (National Trust car park) – 8 × 22kW Type 2 (RAW Charging), PL12 6TA
Bus & Train
The nearest stations are Gunnislake (Tamar Valley Line to Plymouth) and Liskeard (main line). Buses link Callington with Plymouth, Liskeard, Tavistock and Gunnislake.
Facilities & Supermarkets
A small market town with shops, pubs, cafés and banks; Plymouth and Tavistock are the larger centres nearby. Supermarkets include:
- Tesco – Tavistock Road, Callington PL17 7RD
- B&M – New Road, Callington PL17 7BE
Cafés & Restaurants
Cafés, bakeries and pubs along Fore Street and around the town centre, with country pubs in the surrounding villages and the riverside café at Cotehele Quay.
Health
The nearest Minor Injury Units are at Tavistock Hospital and Liskeard Community Hospital, with the Cumberland Centre Urgent Treatment Centre in Plymouth. Call NHS 111 for urgent advice and 999 in an emergency. The nearest major A&E is Derriford Hospital, Plymouth.
Disabled Access
The town centre is fairly level. Kit Hill has a tarmac road to the summit car park, but paths beyond are rough and exposed.
Vets
Callington has its own veterinary practice, with more in Liskeard, Saltash and Tavistock. Use the RCVS directory to find the nearest practice and out-of-hours care.
National Trust & English Heritage
The National Trust’s Cotehele is a few miles east on the Tamar. English Heritage cares for Dupath Well, just outside the town (free), and Launceston Castle, about 12 miles north.
Attractions
Kit Hill Country Park overlooks the town, and Cotehele and the Tamar Trails are a short drive east. Families can head to Trethorne Leisure Park and Hidden Valley near Launceston, and Sterts Theatre at Upton Cross is about 6 miles west.
STAY & EXPLORE NEAR CALLINGTON
Tamar Valley & Moor
- Gunnislake – approx. 4 miles
- Calstock – approx. 5 miles
- Minions – approx. 6 miles
- Liskeard – approx. 8 miles
Attractions & Coast
Walks
Kit Hill Country Park has paths to the summit stack and around the old mine workings, with views across the Tamar Valley. The Tamar Trails are a short drive east.
Back to the South East Cornwall area guide – all Caradon towns & villages
Cornwall Online | South East Cornwall Towns and Villages | Looe | Talland Bay | Polperro | Polruan | Fowey | Lostwithiel | Mevagissey | Whitsand Bay & The Rame Peninsula | Kingsand | Cawsand | Mount Edgcumbe Country Park | Torpoint | St Germans | Saltash | Liskeard | Siblyback Lake - Water Park | Minions - Hurlers - Bodmin Moor | St Neot | St Cleer | Callington | Gunnislake | Calstock | Cardinham Woods - Walking & Cycle Trails | Launceston |