Our Story

Meet your hosts, the Cullen Family


Hir Kemmyns B&B, St Mawes, Cornwall - Lucy Cullen
Hir Kemmyns B&B, St Mawes, Cornwall - Nigel Cullen

 We are Lucy and Nigel Cullen. We first visited the Roseland Peninsula in 2014. For a week that June we had one of the best holidays of our life. The sun shone all week - a miracle even in Cornwall! We walked, swam, and cycled every day. And enjoyed BBQs watching the sun go down over the Fal River every evening. It was the most amazing introduction to the Roseland and we were hooked. 

A lot of dreaming, and plenty of “how are we going to make it work?” discussions later, we packed up our Bristol flat and moved to St Mawes in 2017. The more we get to know the Roseland, the more we love it. What a truly special place to call home, and what a wonderful childhood for our children Harris and Swift!

Hir Kemmyns B&B

‘Hir Kemmyns’ is Cornish for Long Commons, which was the name of the bungalow that originally sat on this plot. Back then the plot was twice the size, encompassing next door as well. In 2011 the bungalow was demolished, and 2 modern houses built in its place. Next door retained the original name, and our house was given the Cornish equivalent. We bought Hir Kemmyns in 2017, and after adding our own interior style, opened as a Bed and Breakfast in April 2018.

The thing that makes Hir Kemmyns so incredibly special is the view. We still remember seeing it for the first time. It’s that view, and the overwhelming sense of tranquillity at Hir Kemmyns that we want to share with our B&B guests. There are lots of wonderful things to see and do on the Roseland, but at the end of a busy day exploring, our guests love to return to Hir Kemmyns and relax.

Hir Kemmyns B&B, St Mawes, Cornwall - Bed and Breakfast
Hir Kemmyns B&B, St Mawes, Cornwall - Sea View

Bear Cornwall

We don’t just have a B&B. We are also the proud owners of the Bear Van! 

Nigel used to fly helicopters for a living, but when we moved to Cornwall he decided it was time to follow another passion. Coffee. After a lot of work finding, and then refurbishing his 1969 Citroen HY van, he opened Bear Cornwall in August 2019. Now he serves speciality coffee, spectacular cakes, and sausage rolls with a sea view by St Mawes Castle.

Follow Nigel and the Bear Van on Instagram