SET in rugged coastline between the hustle and bustle of Looe to the east and Polperro to the west is Talland, a haven for those wishing to walk the Cornish cliff path and - over the centuries - for smugglers.

A history of the area, drawn up by the owners of the Talland Bay Hotel, Barry and Annie Rosier, says the earliest record of any place in this neighbourhood is in the Domesday Book of l086 where the Manor of Portallant (Talland) is mentioned.

The survey of the Hundred of the West, made about 1512, describes the manor of Portalla, valued at £5 per annum, belonging to Henry Stafford, Earl of Wiltshire.

No earls are in ownership now but Talland remains no stranger to famous names. It is home to Richard and Judy of television's 'This Morning', and the hotel has been a retreat for varying VIP guests over the years, including Mick Jagger, June Whitfield and Mel Smith.

The hotel, which has 21 individually furnished rooms, has had a busy year 2000, and only last week was full.

Non-residents can enjoy their lunches and dinners, superbly home made with local produce, or hold small functions there. Among its facilities are a heated open air swimming pool, two acres of sub-tropical gardens, a croquet lawn, putting green, badminton and garden chess. In the l930s some 15 gardeners were employed there.

Previous owners include, from 1600 to 1919 the Trelawnys, and later the Cooke family. Lady Cooke built the extension which is now the dining room, while her son, Sir Francis, had seven wives and a series of pink Rolls Royces.

The building eventually began to be run as a small one star hotel, and was upgraded to three stars after being bought by Major and Mrs I Mayman in l972.

Carvings

The Rosiers purchased the property in January 1994.

Talland Bay is also home to the Allhays Country House Hotel.

Talland Church, originally dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria, contains splendid carved pews and slate carvings of John Bevill of Killigarth (home of the Bevills and Grenviles) who died in l579, and Jane Mellow and her son, who both died in l628.

The vicar is Father William Braviner, the tallest vicar in Cornwall, who arrived two years together with wife Angela, a maths teacher at Torpoint School, and their two sons Ben, now seven-and-a-half and Jon, soon to be six, both pupils at Polperro Primary. Father William and Angela have 'been in tune' since they were 16 and met on a school orchestra tour of Germany.

He is a Polperro harbour trustee and one of the three trustees of the Harbour Lights Trust, set up in the memory of lost fishermen Daniel Kebble, to raise funds for fishermen's safety equipment.

The church has a regular congregation of 30-40 but for special events attendance can swell to about 80.

For a baptism this August there were 150 present. The church has six bells, the tower captain being Dennis Langsford. There is now a core of only about six ringers, which can be a problem at times, but up to a few months ago there were many young eager campanologists. University and college life has, however, drawn them away from the area.

'On New Year's Eve about 30 ringers turned up,' said Father William.

Two large black and white panels can be spotted along this stretch of coast, landmarks enabling Royal Naval seamen to measure an exact nautical mile during speed trials. A number of vessels were visible earlier this week, to anyone standing in the attractive cove with the Talland Beach cafe behind.

The cafe, situated right by the sea, is run by June and Ian Slee who moved l6 years ago from Nottingham with sons Tim and Oliver.

Dream

They had eaten there previously, while on holiday, as they had friends living locally.

When they heard it might come on the market Ian, who used to work in a bank, decided to quit the rat race and achieve a long-held dream, that of running a beach cafe.

The business is well situated, on the cliff path winding for one-and-a-half miles one way to Polperro, and four miles the other way to Looe.

June said a county council survey, taken one May, showed 2,000 people using the path per day.

A cafe has been on site for a long time, but in l996 the Slees built an entirely new, light and welcoming building, which offers cream teas and refreshments throughout the season. They shut down for the year this Monday, and will open again in April 2001, which gives them time finally to gather breath.

Ian, a keen athlete, has cycled across Spain, and also walked from John o' Groats to Land's End with his son, Tim, then ten and at that time the youngest person to cover the marathon trek.

Tim, now 19, has just finished walking Australia, and has moved on into Thailand.

Attractive

Just above the cafe is an attractive terraced garden, two holiday cottages, and a vegetable plot where the Slees grow their own salad crops etc.

June is very interested in local history, and has had old pictures enlarged, and placed on the cafe walls. One shows a footbridge near the cove, which has now long gone, and an old house which disappeared due to cliff erosion.

The Eddystone light can be seen from the cove. Ian joked that the saying is that if it can be seen rain is on the way - and if it can't be seen then it is raining!

There are two coves at Talland, and by the other is the Smugglers Rest restaurant and Smuggler's Cottage, once known as Rotterdam Cottage, and now the home of David Harris, who moved there about two-and-a-half years ago. He first noticed the building while on holiday, after an intended day out with Looe Divers was cancelled by rough weather. He and his wife, Gwen, drove to Talland instead, saw the cottage, and thought they would love to settle there.

By coincidence they later chatted to someone whose mother lived there, and had just put it on the market. The rest is history! Both David, from Angel near Islington in London, and Gwen worked for a motorcycle firm - and when they returned to the capital surprised everyone by handing in their notices. Fortunately, to help fund their move, Tony Blair had just moved near their Islington home, which meant its price shot up in a week. David now skippers the Looe Divers' dive boat, and the couple have a holiday cottage as well - and more importantly three-year-old daughter, Charley, who loves it where they live.

Talland Barton Caravan Park has been owned by Sandra and Rob Haywood since May l998. They had visited Polperro and Looe briefly just after their marriage, but otherwise hardly knew the area when they moved from County Durham with their three sons, Stuart, Callum and Drew.

They believe Talland an ideal spot, both for residents and their content visitors. They have 46 static caravans on site, half of them private, as well as provision for touring tents and caravans. Sandra said often people come for the night, stay for a fortnight - and still don't want to go home.

They have a clubhouse, a swimming pool which has been altered to meet regulations, a shop and a laundry - in fact all the facilities much larger sites have, although on a smaller scale.

Successful

They have worked hard since they moved in, refurbishing everywhere, and only now are finding they have the odd minute to relax in. They close from the end of October to April l or Easter, whichever is first.

This year they will end the season with a fancy dress Halloween after a similar event, held two years ago, proved successful.

The Haywoods said they are surrounded by wildlife, and are interested in ensuring the campsite blends into the surroundings. They have planted an acre wood of 150 Monterey pines through the county council tree scheme, and are to call it Hay Wood.

Sclerder Abbey, home to the Carmelite order of nuns, is to be found at Talland, Sclerder deriving from the Breton word for light.

Its older buildings date from the l840s when Roman Catholic members of the Trelawny family set up the mission.

Father Tim Lewis is the Roman Catholic priest covering Sclerder Abbey, and the Roman Catholic churches in Liskeard and Looe.

A keen motorcyclist, he can often be spotted out and about on his Yamaha XJ900 motorcycle, which he has happily progressed to since the days when his parents bought him a Honda 50.

Website

A convert to Catholicism, he became a priest in October l997 by special Papal dispensation. He is married to Judith, and they have three children, Catherine aged nine, Jonathan aged three and Anna aged one. Judith is treasurer of Polperro playgroup.

The family live in the Presbytery next to the Abbey. Father Tim was born in South Wales, and was organist at Plymouth's Catholic cathedral for nearly four years.

He speaks highly of the organ in the Roman Catholic church at Sclerder which was altered three years ago, and is now much more of a congregational organ.

He is currently preparing information on Sclerder Abbey to put on the Talland website.