Hele Cornmill & Tearoom

Hele Cornmill & Tearoom

Hele Corn Mill (or 'Old Corn Mill') dates from 1525 and is a unique working watermill in North Devon. Located just 300m from stunning Hele Bay beach, a visit to the mill makes a perfect family visit.Guided tours are given by the family who run the mill, and children and adults alike will enjoy learning about the history of the mill, from how flour has been made here over the centuries, to some of the mishaps which have befallen the millers! To keep children entertained we have photo quiz, 'find the mice' and 'count the millstone' challenges.

One of the highlights of our tour is our 1920s National engine which is in full working order and can be demonstrated for you in our guided tours.

In 2012 we returned to milling on the waterpowered stones after a break of some 25 years. Although we do not mill continuously demonstration days will be posted on the "What's on?" page. For milling small quantities of flour, we also use a 1920's Blackstone mill. Our Hele Mill stoneground wholemeal flour is used for baking many of our cakes and can be purchased from our gift shop.

Opposite the mill is the Miller's Wife Tearoom, where you can relax and enjoy a traditional cream tea or a slice of one of our many delicious cakes, which are homemade every day! We offer fruit and plain scones as well as Devonshire Splits for a truly traditional Devon cream tea. New for 2014, we are introducing Thunder and Lightning - a cream tea with golden syrup instead of strawberry jam - will you be converted?

Adjacent to the tearoom is the 2 bedroomed Miller's Cottage which is available for holiday bookings all year round

Review

Not every attraction has to be a huge attraction to make it into this book. The two main deal breakers as far as I am concerned is visitor experience set against value for money, oh, and a little bit of quirkiness goes a long way also. The Hele Corn Mill is one of those attractions that we would most certainly categorise as a true hidden gem. The Jones family have enthused a new lease of life back into this mill and their tours are not only engaging but truly fascinating. The fee for the tour is only a nominal price in tour terms and if you ask me, worth every single penny! Then there's the Tearoom. Every single cake, scone and bread roll is made on site and by using truly local ingredients, truly unique. If you want a true cream tea experience, this is as good as it gets in my opinion!