Daphne Du Maurier’s Cornwall has been featured across the national press since the television adaptation of her novel Jamaica Inn hit screens over Easter.
Landscapes, seascapes and the Jamaica Inn itself have been pictured in all their glory in the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph, in particular showing off Fowey where the author first stayed.
The scenes that inspired Du Maurier’s writing are breathtaking and, if the adaptation of just one of her books has given West Country visitors a taste for her writing or for the county itself, there is a brilliant opportunity coming up to learn more about both.
Fowey Festival of Words and Music (May 10 to 17) will feature experts in conversation about Daphne’s Cornwall. Du Maurier died in Fowey in 1989.
Other stopping points on the Du Maurier pilgrimage include Jamaica Inn in Bolventor, Bodmin, which inspired Du Maurier's book of the same name, first published in 1936 and later made into a movie by Alfred Hitchcock.
The Inn has welcomed travellers crossing Bodmin Moor for nearly 300 years and includes a hotel, restaurant and smugglers’ museum.
Du Maurier fans will recognise the name Frenchman’s Creek on the Helford River as the title of another Du Maurier novel. It is also where she honeymooned, despite the spot inspiring a pirate story rather than a romance.
Menabilly, just outside Fowey, was the author’s home for 25 years and was said to have shaped the fictional estate Manderley in her most celebrated work, Rebecca.
To find holiday cottages near each of these locations, go to the Helpful Holidays website or call 01647 433593.
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