ZOE WALKER finds herself falling under the spell of Cornwall yet again.

CORNWALL. It's famous for cream teas, pasties and surfing beaches. But what else does the Celtic South-West outpost of our island have to offer? Well, I've long been an admirer of Cornwall's charms, so I'll spare you an exhaustive rundown of its finer features as they could fill a book. Suffice to say there's more to Kernow - as the locals call it - than clotted cream and Land's End. Much more.

On our recent trip, my partner Dave and I stayed in Boscastle, a tiny village almost equidistant from Camelford and the coastal town of Tintagel. I'd made many visits both as a child and adult and Dave had stayed in Boscastle once before.

We installed ourselves in a cottage owned by our hosts, Terry and Tina, which we had rented through Welcome Holidays. It had one bedroom and was as cosy a place as you could wish for in mid January. An added bonus was the spectacular panoramic view over Boscastle Harbour and the Atlantic Ocean.

Dave was smitten, not only with the town but also the local pub, the Cobweb Inn, a magical place that seemed to be calling to him throughout the week.

First on our list of places to visit was Boscastle's Museum of Witchcraft. Disappointingly, it was closed (it opens from Easter to Halloween). I've been before and it's well worth a visit. Stuffed with artefacts associated with witchcraft - poppet dolls, bone charms, scrying mirrors and even a rare Enochian altar - it has to be one of the best museums Britain has to offer.

Next on our itinerary was St Juliot's Church. Nestling above the town of Boscastle the church was extensively re-worked by Thomas Hardy in the 19th-century and it was here that he met his first wife, the woman who urged him to abandon his career as an architect and concentrate on writing. Cornwall - and this northern area of Cornwall in particular - has a wealth of associations with artists and painters, and it was at Tintagel, our next port of call, that Alfred, Lord Tennyson, wrote The Idylls Of The King.

Elgar composed his second symphony in Tintagel and Turner painted here. And if that isn't recommendation enough, it's thought to be the legendary home of King Arthur.

There's something terribly mystical in the air about Tintagel, and even Dave, a former professional wrestler with a disdain for all things spiritual (if you can't see it, taste it or put it in a headlock it doesn't exist is his creed), came over rather wistful while walking along the cliffs.

Tintagel is packed with things to see. There are the castle ruins, looked after by English Heritage, King Arthur's Great Halls, a veritable shrine to the Dark Age king, and the Old Post Office, run by the National Trust.

All this is topped off with a wealth of craft shops and the Crossbow restaurant, which serves fantastically-priced meals on plates as big as tea trays.

But perhaps most exciting of all is the Camelot Castle hotel. Built at the end of the 19th-century, the hotel was recently bought by the artist Ted Stourton and writer and musician John Mappin.

The place is immaculately preserved and frozen in time - somewhere in the early 20th century - and has been used as a film location. It's currently home to a stunning array of Ted Stourton's paintings. During our stay, we spent an evening in the hotel's bar (called what else but Excali-bar!) finding out more about its history. Also, we were treated to a tour of Ted's studio and workshops in the bowels of the hotel.

The ethos at Camelot Castle is "all are welcome". Ted and John work hard to make Camelot Castle a "place where anyone who agrees that life can be enhanced by natural beauty and art can come and experience that enhancement immediately and at first hand".

It's certainly impossible to come away from Camelot Castle without a buzz - a feeling that this is a place where things are set to happen. Or that here, in this remote South Western spot, people are still willing to try to make things happen. And that's what I love about Cornwall.

Fact file

To book a cottage through Welcome Cottage Holidays visit www.welcome.cottages.co.uk or call 01756 799999

Visit The Museum of Witchcraft online at www.museumofwitchcraft.com

Rooms at Camelot Castle start at £39. Visit www.camleotcastle.com or call 01840 770202

Updated: 11:26 Saturday, February 15, 2003