Jamaica Inn

Day 2 of our Cornish hols and we took a drive out to the Jamaica Inn.

It was cold and drizzling and there was thick mist descending as we drove across the top of Bodmin Moor.

This only added to the immediate sense that the place was haunted when we walked through the door. To greet us on the floor was a gold plaque that stated 'On this spot Joss Merlyn was murdered'. Charming.

It's a 1750 coaching inn, and it looks like it. It was a place for travellers across the moors to stop for the night. A 16th century Travelodge.

Writer Daphne du Maurier stopped there after getting lost on Bodmin Moor and was told stories of it's smuggling past by the local rector. Whilst recovering from her ordeal she penned her book Jamaica Inn in 1936 twisting stories around it's unlawful history, which became a film in 2014.

Of course it's haunted. Stories of hearing horses hooves clopping over the cobbles late at night and a murdered stranger sitting amongst locals, finishing off a pint that he was unable to finish whilst alive due to being called outside and butchered on the moor. Most Haunted had filmed there often.

Despite all this smuggling, haunting and butchering it's actually a brilliant place. We had a lovely meal there and even had a laugh at the ridiculous pirate mannequins in the restaurant which were so bad people were queuing up to take photos next to them.

We had a nice time here and by the time we came out the mist had almost disappeared and we could take in the views across the moor.

RIP Joss Merlyn. If at all possible.