Blisland, Cornwall is down twisting lanes, on the western slopes of Bodmin Moor, about 5 miles outside the town of Bodmin. It is a quiet village, with a village green (a rare thing in Cornwall). Georgian and Victorian houses and cottages, a forge, manor house, school, Blisland Inn ( formerly The Royal Oak) and rectory, all group round the green in their original Saxon plan.
John Betjeman found the parish church "dazzling and amazing". It is Norman and medieval, dedicated to St Protus and St Hyacinth. It has a fine wagon roof, a Renaissance altar, and a white walled interior.
A mile to the south of the village is Jubilee Rock, near the hamlet of Pendrift, which has carvings of Britannia, and other symbols to mark the Golden jubilee of George II in 1810.
3 miles NE of Blisland are Hawks Tor and the Neolithic stone circle called "The Stipple Stones" (a Neolithic stone circle) and two pretty stone bridges Delphi and Bradford which both cross the De Lank river - a tributary of the River Camel which runs down from Brown Willy. The area is important for forna and flora, and has been designated a Special Area of Conservation by English Nature for its importance to the Otter and Bullhead fish populations.
Away from the village the parish encompasses a broad range of farmland which ranges from lush dairy farms right up to the moorland holdings.
Blisland Inn was CAMRA's National Pub of the Year 2001. With a traditional feel, Toby jugs hang from wooden beams and the walls are covered with local photographs. A row of handpumps dispense ales from the locality and from further afield. "I've got my own wooden barrels " says Gary, "One for cider and one for beer. I'll send them to the local brewery and they fill them. They were built by a retired cooper in Nottingham and give me more choice for serving from the wood."
History of the Manor and Lordship of Blisland