Visit us

Bodmin Keep will re-open on 12th August 2020 on a limited basis with social distancing and cleaning measures in place to keep our visitors and staff safe.  Please see details below.

Visiting the Museum

We will be opening to pre- booked groups of up to 12 people from up to two households/bubbles.  This is going to be for a trial period of 1 month. Opening days will be Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with timed slots of 1 hour for a visit. You can book your visit and learn what we are doing to keep you safe through our booking page.

 

Additional Needs

We warmly welcome people with additional needs. If you have specific access requirements please see our accessibility information below, or contact us to chat through your personal requirements.

 

Opening Hours

Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 12th August 2020

Bookable Admission Times:
10am, 11.30am, 1.30pm, 2.30pm and 4pm

Tickets

All tickets purchased include an annual pass

Adults: £6
6-16 years: £2.50
5 & under: FREE
Family Ticket (2 adults and up to 4 children): £16
Dogs: FREE. 
We are proud to be a dog-friendly attraction and dogs are welcome throughout the museum, but please note that dog entry is at our discretion, especially at busy times.

 

  • Dog friendly attraction!
  • £6 annual adult pass

Former DCLI, SCLI and Light Infantry: No charge but we welcome a discretionary donation

Carers Accompanying people with a disability: FREE. We would be delighted to discuss any special requirements you may have, please see ‘Accessibility’ lower down this page,or contact us.

Schools or Educational Groups: Please visit our Learning pages for more information.

Find us

 

Our address is:

The Keep, Bodmin, PL31 1EG

The museum is easily accessible from the A30. It is located on the B3268 Lostwithiel Road.

SatNav users may wish to use the postcode PL31 1DU, which will take you to Bodmin Bowls Club, opposite to the museum’s parking area.

Parking
There is limited free parking at the rear of the museum (SatNav PL31 1DU) and additional free on-street parking nearby, plus Victoria Square pay and display car park 100 metres level walk to the rear of the museum along Castle Canyke Road.

Directions on foot
The museum is signposted from the Town Centre and is just 10 minutes walk along St Nicholas Street from the main town square.  It is 50 metres beyond the Bodmin & Wenford railway station.

Arriving by Bus 

For up to date information about bus transport visit the Bus Timetables and Frequency Guide on the Public Transport in Cornwall website.

Directions by car

From Exeter take the A30 west via Okehampton and Launceston to Bodmin

From Torbay and Plymouth take the A38 west to Bodmin

From South East Cornwall including Looe, take the A38 west to Bodmin

From West Cornwall take the A30 east to Bodmin

From Fowey take the B3268 to Bodmin

From Newquay take the A392, then the A30 east to Bodmin

From North Cornwall take the A39 to Wadebridge, then the A389 to Bodmin

From the East on the A30, follow signs for Bodmin then follow A38 Liskeard.  At Carminow Cross roundabout take the second exit onto Carminow Road then almost immediately take the first right into Castle Canyke Road.  We are a mile down this road.

From the West on the A30, come off at Carminow Cross, signposted A38 Liskeard.  At the roundabout take the first left then first right into Castle Canyke Road.  We are a mile down this road.

From Wadebridge take the A389 to Bodmin. Once you have passed Cornwall Council offices on your right you arrive at a double mini-roundabout with a clock tower.  Go straight over up Barn Lane.  this turns into Beacon Road.  Keep going until you come to a short diversion which takes you left towards the Steam Railway Station.  At the T-juntion next to the steam railway turn right and the Museum is 100 yards in front of you.

Accessibility

Have you seen our IMMERSIVE 3-D TOUR of the museum? It’s great to use to navigate our site and plan your visit. 

Bodmin Keep is an un-modernised building and the museum is on the first and second floors.  It is accessed via two flights of granite stairs and unfortunately, we don’t yet have a lift.  If you are unable to access the museum via the stairs, but wish to see or learn about a particular item or aspect of history, please get in touch and we will do all we can to assist.

Our archive, library and large meeting room are on the ground floor and are fully accessible (by appointment) to people using wheelchairs.  There is parking immediately to the rear of the museum.

For visitors with a visual impairment, with advance booking we are able to offer supported visits tailored to your needs including ’hands on’ sessions with museum objects.

For visitors with autism, we can offer special quiet times and spaces, and our annual pass means that you can have lots of short visits for the price of just one if that suits you better! 

Sensory bags 

Explore Bodmin Keep with one of our sensory bags which have been created for people with autism and  learning difficulties.  These are available to borrow from the Welcome Desk. 

Download our pre-visit guide:

Easy Read Pre-Visit Guide

 

The museum is dog-friendly.  Assistance dogs are always welcome but please note that we reserve the right to ask for non-assistance dogs to stay outside if we are very busy.

Please do contact us in advance if you have any questions or if you would like us to assist with accessibility during your visit.  Tel: 01208 72810  Email: info@bodminkeep.org

Other local attractions

In addition to the Bodmin Keep, Bodmin has a wide range of attractions including the Town Museum, and Bodmin and Wenford Steam Railway.  However, their opening has been affected by Covid 19, so please consult their websites for full updates.  Bodmin Jail hopes to reopen with its new visitor attraction in September 2020 but unfortunately the steam railway and town museum are now closed until Spring 2021 due to Covid 19.  

A steam engine from Bodmin & Wenford Railway.

Bodmin and Wenford Steam Railway

Just across the road is Bodmin General station, the home base for the Bodmin & Wenford Railway, Cornwall’s only standard gauge steam railway. Take a step back in time for an atmospheric 13 miles round trip through idyllic countryside on some of the steepest gradients in Britain.

  • Dog friendly
  • Family Attraction
Visit site
Bodmin Town Museum

Bodmin Town Museum

A family-friendly local history museum.  Displays include: World War I, a Victorian kitchen, a blacksmith’s forge, schools from the 19th century, the old Bodmin priory, and much more. Children’s quiz, free entry.

  • Family Attraction
Visit site
The Shire Hall Bodmin

Bodmin Visitor Centre

Details of places to stay, such as B&B’s in Bodmin; hotels in Bodmin; cottages in Bodmin and campsites in Bodmin, and things to do in Bodmin such as walking and cycling, or information on Bodmin Moor.

Visit site

Lanhydrock

A 5 minute drive, or 40 minute walk from the museum, this country house, gives an insight in to the ‘upstairs downstairs’ nature of Victorian life, with kitchens and servants quarters, and formal dining and living areas. There’s also a beautiful formal garden, as well as a large estate.

Visit site
Grand Georgian Manor house, Pencarrow

Pencarrow house and gardens

For nearly 500 years, Pencarrow has been the home of the Molesworth-St Aubyn family. The House and Gardens are open to the public (seasonal).

  • Dog Friendly
  • Family Attraction
Visit site
iWalk Cornwall

iWalk Cornwall

iWalk Cornwall is a collection of thoughtfully-crafted circular walks and a guided walks mobile app created by two Trewarmett boys who are passionate about the mind-boggling number of amazing things in Cornwall.

Click below to find walks in and around Bodmin.

Visit site