‘kindle A Fire And Enjoy Complete Solitude’; A Magical Winter Cottage In Cornwall

Tucked away near Helford River, 19th-century Frenchman’s Creek is rented by the Landmark Trust and offers serenity and cobweb-blasting walks

I don’t remember when I first heard about Frenchman’s Creek. Not Daphne du Maurier’s pirate romance, but the house of the same name near the Helford River. An old stone cottage, the colour of clotted cream, that hides in the woods by a burbling stream. Perhaps I dreamed it? I stayed once, one winter, but still sometimes wonder if it actually exists.

This corner of Cornwall has that place-out-of-time feel. Unlike the brazen drama of the wave-smacked coast, there’s a peace and a secrecy to the Helford River. Once a bustling highway, now this sinuous passage is left largely to the ancient oaks, the prehistoric herons and the ghosts of smugglers’ ships – the kind that inspired du Maurier, who honeymooned there. This feeling is even more palpable in winter, when the grockles have gone and the ferry – there’s been a crossing at Helford for at least 1,000 years – is anchored for the season.