Literature and film enthusiasts will no doubt be familiar with Jamaica Inn, a hotel, pub and museum located off the A30 in Bolventor, Launceston. The famous novel penned by the English writer Daphne du Maurier was published in 1936 and later made into a film of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock in 1939.

The original inn dates back to 1750 and was a haven for travellers crossing the moors. The coaching inn was also a relatively safe place for smugglers to frequent and many are understood to have stashed their ill-gotten contraband at the remote coaching inn. Some anticipate that as much as ½ of all the brandy and up to ¼ of all tea that made its way to the UK with the assistance of the smugglers, was brought ashore along the Devon and Cornwall coastline. The remoteness of the area offering ideal cover for those practicing the trade of smuggling.

Today visitors to Jamaica Inn are able to visit the Daphne du Maurier’s Smugglers Museum and also be treated to a sound and light experience based around the novel.

Another fascinating attraction for anyone planning a trip to Jamaica Inn is her ghosts; the inn has long been the subject of stories and sightings. Overnight hotel guests have recounted numerous tales of nightly goings-on and some even book in with the hopes of having such a ghostly experience.

Although now a popular tourist attraction, ultimately Jamaica Inn is a lovely establishment situated in beautiful countryside, still offering meals and shelter to weary travellers over two hundred and fifty years on.