Walk on the wild side

REACHED along a narrow country lane or via the footpath between Helford village and Frenchman’s Creek in the western reaches of Cornwall, the farmstead at Kestle Barton served its quiet purpose for at least 400 years until vacated in 2004 by the last farmer, who had grown up there. Were it not for Karen Townsend, who had a house nearby, the buildings would have been left to continue crumbling picturesquely into the ground; instead, they have been gently restored, revived and brought into the 21st century.

Miss Townsend worked closely with the local authority’s conservation team, which was