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Lostwithiel

Lostwithiel

Lostwithiel is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.

Plan a trip to Lostwithiel From Cardiff

It stands at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. At the 2021 census, the population of the parish was 3,070. The name Lostwithiel comes from the Cornish "lostwydhyel" which means "tail of a wooded area".

Get in

Getting to Lostwithiel

  1. 01
    Bodmin Parkway

    Served approximately hourly by trains west to Penzance and east to Plymouth.

  2. 02
    Lostwithiel

    Served approximately every two hours by trains in each direction.

See

Worth seeing

The public buildings in the centre of town have been nicely restored and on a sunny day passes muster.

  1. 01
    Cornwall's Regimental Museum

    The Keep, Victoria Barracks, PL31 1EG (opposite the steam railway),.

  2. 02
    Bodmin Jail

    Described as a holiday attraction, may not be everyone's cup of tea.

  3. 03
    Lanhydrock House

    PL30 5AD (2 miles south of Bodmin), lanhydrock@nationaltrust.org.uk.

  4. 04
    Restormel Castle

    Nr Restormel Rd, PL22 0EE (6 miles south of Bodmin),.

  5. 05
    Lostwithiel Museum

    Small exhibition in the window for when the museum is closed.

Do

Things to do

  1. 01
    Bodmin and Wenford Steam Railway

    Bodmin is the starting point of 20-odd miles of enthusiast-run and -owned steam line that links with the main London to Penzance line at Bodmin Parkway.

  2. 02
    Camel Trail

    A lovely walk and cycle ride way, converted from an old railway runs close to the centre of the town.

  3. 03
    St Petroc's Church

    See 11th-century granite font with carved Celtic design and 12th-century bone reliquary for remains of St Petroc.

  4. 04
    Cardinham Woods

    PL30 4AL (A30 to Carminnow Cross junction then follow brown signs to Cardinham Woods).

How locals move

Getting around Lostwithiel the local way

  • Get aroundDriving isn't recommended, especially for those who get scared driving through very narrow streets, and there is little parking available in the town itself, so parking either in the "Central Carpark" at the top of the hill (the main road into Fowey now takes you straight to it) or driving in the back way and parking at "Caffa Mill Carpark" (next to the Bodinnick Ferry) is generally advised and both of these are serviced by the town bus service.
  • Go nextDuring the summer months there's a regular passenger ferry between Mevagissey and Fowey, which is a nice way to spend 30 minutes on a sunny day.
  • Go nextBoth ends of the walk are linked to Fowey by ferry, and the walk gives wonderful views of Fowey, the river and its tributaries.

From Wikivoyage: Fowey, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-05.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.