Wherever you choose to spend your holiday in Cornwall, you'll find no shortage of fascinating places to visit. The brief descriptions of the towns, villages and districts given in the following pages barely scratch the surface of the unique land which is Cornwall.
ALTARNUN
Charming Bodmin Moor village with 15thC packhorse bridge and outstanding
parish church of St Nonna, known as 'Cathedral of the Moors'.
BLISLAND
Classic moorland village, with village green and part-Norman parish church
of St Protus and St Hyacinth, described by Betjeman as 'dazzling and amazing'.
BODMIN
Notable 15thC parish church, largest in Cornwall, with remains of monastery
and priory; also Tudor Guildhall. For a century and a half Cornwall's county
town, and mentioned in Domesday Book. Bodmin Gaol, scene of many public executions,
now a tourist attraction. Military museum, town museum, leisure centre. Heritage
Day first Saturday in July, preceded by Cornwall Theatre Festival Week. Great
houses of Lanhydrock (NT) and Pencarrow. Steam railway from Bodmin General.
Access to Camel Trail cycle route.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel/Fax: + 44 (0) 1208 76616
Email: bodmintic@visit.org.uk
BODMIN MOOR
Granite moorland of outstanding beauty overlooked by summits of Brown
Willy (1377ft), Cornwall's highest point, and Roughtor. Abundance of Neolithic
and Bronze Age remains. Daphne du Maurier's Jamaica Inn and, to south, Dozmary
Pool of Arthurian legend. Siblyback Lake & Colliford Lake Park Education &
Adventure.
BOLVENTOR
Jamaica Inn, Fernley's Colliford Lake Country Park and Bodmin airfield
at nearby Cardinham. Walks to Dozmary Pool and Brown Willy.
BOSCASTLE
Entrancing north coast harbour with 16thC quay and 14thC cottages clinging
to hillside above fast flowing water. Thomas Hardy met his wife here whilst
restoring nearby church of St Juliot.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel/Fax: + 44 (0) 1840 250010
BOTALLACK
Geevor Tin Mine & Heritage Centre, north of St Just. Much photographed
Crown tin mine stackhouses on cliffs. Nampara, home of Ross Poldark in BBC
series, here. Arsenic workings.
BREAGE
Notable 15thC wall paintings in parish church of St Breaca, rediscovered
last century. Nearby 17thC Godolphin House, home of Earls of Godolphin, and
featured in Poldark series.
BUDE
Prime, north coast resort with fine, sandy beaches, rock pools, tidal
swimming pool. Fine centre for surfing. Once a busy port, with canal. Museum,
golf course, leisure centre. Annual jazz festival. Nearby Stratton the birthplace
of Cornish Giant Anthony Payne, and site of Civil War battle of Stamford Hill,
re-enacted annually. Widemouth Bay to south.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel: + 44 (0) 1288 354240 Fax: 355769
Email: budetic@visit.org.uk
CADGWITH
Minuscule fishing village on east coast of Lizard Peninsula. Two small
shingle beaches, and cluster of pastel-washed thatched cottages. Fleet once
landed record 1,798,000 pilchards over four days in 1904. Devil's Frying Pan
collapsed sea cave
CALLINGTON
Market town nestling between Tamar and Lynher rivers. 15thC chapel encloses
Dupath Well, with reputation for curing whooping cough. Mural Project displays
the area's heritage, landscape and industry on walls of town's buildings.
Kit Hill Country Park to north, with nature trails and spectacular views of
Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor. Nearby Tamar Valley Donkey Park.
CALSTOCK
Notable for views of Tamar Valley, rail viaduct, and skeletal remains
of tin and copper mines. Cotehele House and Mill(NT), notable former home
of Edgcumbe family, lies around bend in river. Tamar canoe expeditions. Scenic
rail link to Plymouth along Tamar Valley Line.
CAMBORNE
Heart of former mining industry, now busy town centre with range of shops.
A Town Trail guides visitors around the many historic buildings. Home of engineer
Richard Trevithick, honoured each April with Trevithick Day festival. School
of Mines Geological Museum & Art Gallery. Mineral Tramways Discovery Centre
at nearby Pool. Cornish Mines & Engines (NT) includes Industrial Discovery
Centre and working beam engines.
CAMELFORD
Historic town, good walking centre. Close to Bodmin Moor and Slaughter
Bridge, legendary site of King Arthur's last battle. Museum, gallery, Indian
King Arts Centre, British Cycling Museum. Nearby Crowdy Reservoir for trout
fishing and Moorland Flying Club at Davidstow.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel/Fax: + 44 (0) 1840 212954 (seasonal)
CAPE CORNWALL
Only cape (NT) in England and Wales. Chimney on summit from Cape Cornwall
mine, abandoned in 1870. Fine walking country. Off-shore, Brisons reef has
macabre record for shipwrecks.
CARBIS BAY
Mile east of St Ives, and a resort in its own right. Sheltered beach,
ideal for children, windsurfing and water-skiing. Rosamunde Pilcher associations.
CARDINHAM
On western slopes of Bodmin Moor. Well-situated for Bodmin airfield,
Carnglaze Slate Caverns and moor. Cycling and walking in Cardinham Woods.
CARLYON BAY
Crinnis beach south-east of St Austell. Neighbouring Polgaver is only
accredited naturist beach in Cornwall. 18-hole parkland golf course.
CAWSAND
With neighbouring Kingsand, this tiny village once operated one of the
largest smuggling fleets in the West Country. Now yacht anchorage at mouth
of Tamar. Wide bay beneath wooded heights of Penlee. Mount Edgcumbe Country
Park nearby. Start of Cornwall section of SW Coast Path.
CHAPEL PORTH
Magnificent beach, approached through fold in cliffs, close to St Agnes
on north coast. Administered by National Trust. Best access at low tide.
CHARLESTOWN
Familiar TV location for Poldark and The Onedin Line. Shipwreck and Heritage
Centre. Built in 1801 for import of coal and export of China Clay. Remains
a Georgian time capsule. Now provides permanent berth for square-riggers.
CONSTANTINE BAY
One of succession of fine, sandy beaches adjoining Trevose Head; others
include Harlyn, Treyarnon, Booby's, Mother Ivey's, Fox Cove and Porthcothan.
Links golf course.
COVERACK
Old smugglers' haunt and fishing village with large sheltered beach.
Small harbour, inn, cafe, shops and art gallery. Former RNLI station, close
to feared Manacles reef. Ancient megaliths, the Giant's Quoits, at nearby
Rosenithon.
CRACKINGTON HAVEN
Small cove overlooked by sheer 400ft cliffs - Cornwall's highest coastal
point. Tiny St Genny's church has rare altar tabernacle.
CRANTOCK
Across Gannel Estuary from Newquay (seasonal passenger ferry, end of
May to Sept, footbridge subject to tides). Pretty village with central Round
Garden (NT). Good beach, with caves. Thatched Old Albion Inn has smugglers'
hideaway.
DELABOLE
Historic slate quarry, 500ft deep and 400 years old. Guided tours. Wind
farm.
DEVORAN
Early 19thC Mineral Tramways port on Restronguet Creek. Walks and cycle
routes along old tramways to Hayle on north coast.
DOBWALLS
Theme park of miniature US railways with award-winning Edwardian countryside
museum & art gallery. Three miles north, beauty spot of Golitha Falls. Fishing
and watersports at Siblyback Lake.
DOWNDERRY
Small village resort close to Seaton Valley Countryside Park and beach.
Sanctuary for Amazon monkeys at nearby Murraytown.
DOZMARY POOL
On southern slopes of Bodmin Moor. Here, according to Arthurian legend,
hand emerged from water to receive Excalibur.
DULOE
Village with quartz stone circle, 38ft in diameter, reputedly older than
Stonehenge. Church of St Cuby and St Leonard has 13thC tower.
FALMOUTH
Leading south coast resort. Third largest natural harbour in the world,
with bustling waterfront, marina, four bathing beaches, Henry VIII's Pendennis
Castle and strong maritime tradition. Four sub-tropical public gardens in
town, and nearby Glendurgan (NT) and Trebah Gardens. Cornwall Maritime Museum,
Art Gallery, Arts Centre and Princess Pavilion. Championship sailing, river
cruises, and passenger ferries to St Mawes, Truro, Tolverne and Helford. Ships
& Castles leisure centre, golf course, nearby Swanpool beach and nature reserve.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel: + 44 (0) 1326 312300 Fax: 313457
Email: falmouthtic@yahoo.co.uk
FEOCK
On Carrick Roads. Parish church with separate tower and slate-hung lychgate.
Creekside walk follows old tram road. Trelissick Gardens (NT). King Harry
Car Ferry to Roseland. Passenger ferry to Falmouth from Tolverne on Roseland
side.
FLUSHING
Owes name to seamen from Vlissingen, Holland, who settled here in 17thC,
and retains Dutch appearance. Narrow streets with Queen Anne houses, former
home of Packet Captains. Served by passenger ferry from Falmouth.
FOWEY
Historic seafaring town, home of Fowey Gallants in Hundred Year War,
the Troy Town of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch. Associations with Daphne du Maurier,
festival takes place in May. Narrow main street clings to waterside, offering
intriguing glimpses of boats of every description. Excellent beaches nearby.
Town museum, Mabel Lucie Attwell Museum and Du Maurier Literary Centre.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel/Fax: + 44 (0) 1726 833616
GERRANS BAY
Secluded sweep of Roseland from Portscatho to Nare Head (NT), including
Porthcurnick, Porthbean, Pendower and Carne beaches.
GODREVY
Extensive sandy beach to east of St Ives Bay, with lighthouse island
featured in Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse. Navax Point (NT) famous for
seals.
GOONHAVERN
World in Miniature, Kernewek Pottery. At nearby Rose village, St Piran's
Round (private), home of Cornish Miracle Plays, possibly oldest theatre site
in Europe. At Penhallow, Callestock Cider Farm.
GOLANT
Waterside village near Fowey. Nearby Castle Dore earthworks reputedly
the site of King Mark's castle, in the legend of Tristan and Iseult.
GOONHILLY DOWNS
Notable for its Satellite Earth Station (guided tours, visitors' centre),
prehistoric monuments and barrows, and National Nature Reserve of 103 acres,
habitat of rare heathers. Wind farm.
GUNNISLAKE
Seven-arched road bridge, built 1520, was main route into Cornwall. Precipitous
hills. Scene of Civil War skirmish. Skeletal remains of tin and copper mines.
Tamar Valley Donkey Park nearby.
GUNWALLOE
Charming cove to west of Lizard Peninsula, adjoining Church Cove on which
St Winwalloe church overlooks beach. Separate bell tower. First transatlantic
radio signals transmitted by Marconi from Poldhu Point monument.
GWEEK
Formerly a busy port at head of Helford River. Now picturesque village
with maritime antiquities, boatyards, crafts and the National Seal Sanctuary
with its underwater observatory.
GWENNAP
Gwennap Pit, grass-covered amphitheatre formed by collapsed mine workings,
where Wesley preached. Since 1807 hosts annual Whit Monday service. Museum
of Cornish Methodism.
GWITHIAN
Chalets and high dunes, or towans, border 3-mile stretch of excellent
sands to east of St Ives Bay.
HAYLE
Former seaport and foundry town. Granite railway viaduct. Expanse of
sands and estuary of interest to ornithologists. Rare birds, endangered animals
and falconry displays at Paradise Park. Richard Trevithick built his first
steam-powered road carriage here.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel: + 44 (0) 1736 754399 (seasonal)
HELFORD
Picture postcard village on Helford River and yachtsman's haven. Daphne
du Maurier's Frenchman's Creek to west. Beauty and solitude.
HELSTON
'Quaint old Cornish town' of the Furry Dance, which each May spins through
decorated streets, gardens and shops. Bob Fitzsimmons, world heavyweight boxing
champion, born here. Victorian Guildhall, Folk Museum, Loe Pool and Penrose
Estate (NT) for walks. Nearby RNAS Culdrose with viewing enclosure and Air
Day in July. Flambards Village and Poldark Mine are leading tourist attractions.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel: + 44 (0) 1326 565431 Fax: 572803
Email: info@helstontic.demon.co.uk
HOLYWELL BAY
Attractive beach with towering sand dunes (NT) west of Newquay. Leisure
park and golf club.
KENNACK SANDS
Popular beach on Lizard Peninsula. Ruins of serpentine factory at nearby
Carleon Cove (NT).
KYNANCE COVE
Famed beauty spot northwest of Lizard village. Sheltered sandy coves
and caves at low tide. Largest outcrop of serpentine rock in Britain. Cafe.
Steep path from clifftop car park (NT).
LAMORNA COVE
Craggy cove with small quay, west of Mousehole, immortalised by artist
Lamorna Birch, author Derek Tangye and Cornish folk song. Walking country.
Merry Maidens and the Pipers standing stones nearby.
LAND'S END
Mainland Britain's most westerly point. Awe-inspiring cliff scenery,
views to Longships and Wolf Rock lighthouses and 28 miles west, the Isles
of Scilly. Heritage centre, tourist attraction.
LAUNCESTON
Capital of Cornwall until 1838. Dominated by Norman keep, Chateau Terrible
of Malory's Morte d'Arthur, built by Robert of Mortain. Outer and inner baileys
of 12th & 13thC. St Mary Magdalene Church features exquisite carvings. Steam
railway, museum. Nearby Tamar Otter Park, Trethorne Leisure Farm, Lakeside
Art Gallery.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel: + 44 (0)1566 772321 Fax: 772322
LELANT
Thriving seaport in Middle Ages. Church and 16thC Abbey, golf course,
sanctuary for wading birds on Saltings. Rosamunde Pilcher associations. Scenic
rail link to St Ives.
LISKEARD
Busy market town, once linked by canal to Looe. Church, Guildhall and
Stuart House of interest, 16thC Pipe Well. Nearby, St Keyne Well, mechanical
music museum, and Dobwalls Family Adventure Park. Scenic rail link to Looe.
LIZARD PENINSULA
Craggy, cliff scenery to the west, wooded vales to the east, and inland,
windswept Goonhilly Downs. Fishing villages of Mullion Cove (NT), Cadgwith,
Coverack. Beaches include Poldhu, Polurrian, Kynance Cove (NT), Kennack Sands.
Trelowarren Tudor manor with craft shop, bistro, gallery and visitor centre.
Tours of Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station and visitor centre.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel: + 00 (0) 1326 565431 Fax: 572803
Email: info@helstontic.demon.co.uk
LIZARD VILLAGE
Serpentine craft shops, cafes, art galleries and an inn clustered around
village green. Walks to lighthouse, lifeboat station and mainland Britain's
most southerly point.
LOOE
East and West Looe joined by Victorian seven-arched bridge. Holiday resort
of character, with several beaches, bustling quayside, unique Banjo Pier,
museum & South East Cornwall Discovery Centre. Monkey sanctuary at nearby
Murraytown, mechanical musical instrument museum at St Keyne, folk and farm
museum at Lanreath.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel: + 44 (0) 1503 262072 Fax: 265426 (seasonal)
LOSTWITHIEL
Quiet, charming 13thC
capital of Cornwall with Tudor bridge, Guildhall, Old Duchy Palace, St Bartholomew's
church and Duchy of Cornwall Nursery. Also golf course and town museum. Restormel
Castle, to north, besieged in Civil War. Braddock Down, to east, site of Royalist
victory.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel: + 44 (0) 1208 872207
Email:
lostwithieltic@visit.org.uk
MADRON
Church with Trafalgar Banner, celebrating Nelson's victory. Trengwainton
Gardens (NT). Moorlands to north rich in antiquities: Lanyon Quoit; Men-an-Tol;
Maen Scryfa inscribed stone and Iron Age Ch-n Castle hillfort to south-west.
MARAZION
Cornwall's oldest charter town. Overlooks 12thC St Michael's Mount (NT)
and Mount's Bay. Good stretch of sands, windsurfing centre.
MAWGAN PORTH
Delightful cove to north of Watergate Bay on Atlantic coast. Fine sands.
MAWNAN SMITH
13thC church at head of Helford Estuary. Four outstanding gardens: Penjerrick,
Trebah, Carwinion and Glendurgan (NT). Fishing hamlet of Durgan (NT) nearby.
Good walks.
MEVAGISSEY
Working fishing port, largest in St Austell Bay. Cob cottages spill down
to harbour walls from steep valley. Beaches at Portmellon and Gorran Haven.
Model railway and museum. Outstanding Lost Gardens of Heligan to north-west.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel/Fax: + 44 (0) 1726 842266
MINIONS
Moorland hamlet with highest pub in Cornwall, curious Cheesewring rock
formation, Bronze Age stone circles, mine ruins and Mine & Moorland Heritage
Centre. Sterts Open-Air Theatre & Arts Centre and Lynher Valley Dairy (home
of Cornish Yarg nettle cheese) at nearby Upton Cross.
MOUNT EDGCUMBE
Country park incorporating stretch of Heritage coastline to Whitsand
Bay. House, gardens, park. Nearby Queen Anne mansion of Antony House (NT)
and its Woodland Garden.
MORWENSTOW
Home of 19thC vicar-poet Parson Hawker, who wrote in clifftop hut. Part-Norman
church, shipwrecked Caledonian figurehead in graveyard.
MOUSEHOLE
Classic fishing village west of Penzance, once a major pilchard landing
port. Retains considerable character. Burned by Spanish privateers in 1595.
Bird hospital. Famous Christmas lights. Tom Bawcock's Eve (Dec 23rd) celebrated
with fish lantern procession and Star-Gazey Pies.
MULLION
Bustling village with good facilities. Interesting church with carved
bench-ends. Cove has pretty working harbour of Porth Mellin (NT). Excellent
cliff walking. Marconi monument stands above family beach at Poldhu Cove.
Polurrian Cove popular with surfers.
MYLOR
Attractive waterside village and yachting haven. Watersports activity
centre, yacht club.
NEWLYN
Largest fish landing port in England and Wales, adjoining Penzance. Home
of Newlyn School of Artists. Contemporary art gallery. Pilchard Works, a re-creation
of the pilchard packing industry.
NEWQUAY
Cornwall's most popular and liveliest resort with fine beaches. Major
centre for surfing. Zoo, golf course, Trenance Leisure Park, Waterworld, Sea
Life Centre, Tunnels Through Time and plentiful night life. Balloon Festival
and Celebrate the1900s week in July. Nearby, Elizabethan Trerice Manor (NT),
DairyLand Farm World and Lappa Valley Steam Railway.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel: + 44 (0) 1637 854020 Fax: 854030
Email: info@newquay.co.uk
PADSTOW
Once ecclesiastical capital of Cornwall, built on hillside overlooking
Camel Estuary. Many intact medieval buildings fringing busy harbour. 15thC
Abbey House, 16thC Court House of Sir Walter Raleigh, Tudor mansion of Prideaux
Place. Home of the centuries-old 'Obby 'Oss May Day dance. Fine beaches at
St George's Well and Trevone Bay. Camel Trail follows former railway line.
Nearby Animal Playland farm attraction.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel: + 44 (0) 1841 533449 Fax: 532356
Email: padstowtic@visit.org.uk
PENRYN
Ancient Cornish town at head of Penryn river with a wealth of charm,
character and history. Mentioned in Domesday Survey 1086, and sheltered port
of significance in 15thC. Many interesting buildings and courtyards
PENZANCE
Bustling town and harbour. Cornwall's only promenade. Open-air art deco
seawater Jubilee Swimming Pool. Ideal centre for touring Land's End. Rail
network terminus. Maritime Museum, Cornwall Geological Museum, Egyptian House
(Landmark Trust), Trinity House Lighthouse Centre, Penlee House Art Gallery
& Museum and Acorn Theatre. Home of Mazey Day and Golowan Festival, with music,
theatre and carnival processions. Morrab and Trengwainton (NT) gardens. Stepping-off
point for Isles of Scilly, by ferry or helicopter, or Skybus (fixed-wing)
from Land's End aerodrome at St Just (5 miles).
Tourist Information Centre
Tel: + 44 (0) 1736 362207
PERRANPORTH
Family resort on 3-mile beach, popular for surfing and sand yachting.
October Celtic music and dance festival - Lowender Peran. Folk museum, golf
course, boating lake. Celtic cross on cliffs. Chapel of St Piran buried beneath
sands. First Poldark novel written here by Winston Graham. Local airfield
popular for gliding. Tourist Information Centre
Tel: + 44 (0) 1872 573368 Fax: 573138
Email: thevoice@perraninfo.co.uk
PHILLEIGH
Pretty village on Roseland Peninsula near River Fal. Nearby Tolverne
and Smuggler's Cottage with D-Day embarkation memorabilia, and summer passenger
ferry to Falmouth.
POLPERRO
Showpiece harbour village. Picturesque and tightly packed cottages tumble
down to fish quay on inner harbour, once packed with pilchard luggers. Many
houses of interest, Couch's House (1595), House on Props, Old Watch House.
South West Coast Path to bays and beaches.
POLZEATH
Betjeman country, extolled in his verse. Poet buried at church of St
Enodoc on sand dunes. Daymer Bay and Trebetherick fine bathing and surfing
beaches. Good walking.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel: + 44 (0) 1208 862488 Fax: 869058 (seasonal)
PORTHALLOW & PORTHOUSTOCK
Former pilchard fishing villages. Secluded shingle coves, notable for
angling and diving, on east of Lizard. Close to Manacles reef.
PORTHCURNO
Exquisite beach with tortuous approach road, south-east of Land's End.
Famous clifftop Minack open-air Theatre, founded by Rowena Cade, performances
May to mid-Sept, overlooking Logan Rock. Museum of Submarine Telegraphy.
PORTHGWARRA
Quaint fishing village on southern tip of Land's End peninsula. Beach.
Coast walks.
PORTHLEVEN
Holiday centre and working fishing harbour with storm booms, granite
pier and small beach. Waterfront inns, restaurants, fish centre, galleries
and craft shops. Nearby Loe Bar separates largest freshwater lake in Cornwall
from the sea. Excellent coastal walks to east and west, inland to Helston
via Loe Pool and Penrose Estate (NT).
PORTHTOWAN
Typical cove, set in cliffs on north coast, west of St Agnes. Good beach.
Surfing.
PORT ISAAC
Narrow twisting streets, fish cellars, geranium-filled alleys ('drangs'),
small beach. Fishing harbour since Middle Ages. Fine church and twice-yearly
music festival at nearby St Endellion. Nearby Long Cross Victorian Gardens.
PORTREATH
Thriving holiday centre with family beach, north of Camborne. 18thC harbour
with narrow entrance, built by Basset family for coal imports and copper exports,
served by steep railtrack. Starting point for Mineral Tramway walks. Good
cliff walks and Tehidy Country Park close by.
PORTSCATHO
Pleasant, secluded Roseland village and beach. TV drama The Camomile
Lawn filmed near here.
PORTWRINKLE
Tiny resort on Whitsand Bay, originally developed around medieval harbour.
Beaches, golf course, South West Coast Path.
PRAA SANDS
Mile-long family beach on Mount's Bay. Golf course. Walks to clifftop
mine houses at Rinsey.
PROBUS
Nationally recognised demonstration gardens. Trewithen House and Gardens
nearby with nursery and cafe. Tallest Cornish church tower.
PRUSSIA COVE
Tiny cleft in cliff-face, haunt of famous 18thC smuggler, John Carter,
self-styled King of Prussia. Location of the International Musicians Seminars.
REDRUTH
Architecture bears testament to rich mining history, celebrated each
June with Murdoch Day festival. Town centre has cinema and range of shops.
Cornish Studies Library. Derelict stackhouses abound in surrounding countryside.
Overlooked by granite tor of Carn Brea, crowned with monument to mine-owner
Francis Basset, with panoramic views, stone age hillfort and renovated castle.
Circled by Great Flat Lode walking trail. Nearby Shire Horse Centre at Treskillard,
Mineral Tramways Discovery Centre and Cornish Mines & Engines (NT) at Pool.
ROCK
Village in small estuary inlet, centre for dinghy sailing and windsurfing.
Passenger ferry across Camel Estuary to Padstow. Beaches at Daymer Bay & Polzeath.
ST AGNES
Charming village, north of Truro, retaining links with industrial past.
Famous for Stippy Stappy row of sea captain's cottages and surrounded by mine
engine houses. Craft shops and art galleries. Two good surfing beaches, Chapel
Porth (NT) and Trevaunance, once a busy port. Wheal Coates, on cliffs, exceptional
engine house. Village museum, Presingoll Barns craft centre and Blue Hills
Tin Streaming Works at Trevellas Coombe.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel/Fax: +44 (0) 1872 554150
Email: stagnes.tic@stagnes.com
ST ANTHONY (ROSELAND)
Magnificent headland with lighthouse, WW2 battery observation post (NT)
and beaches. Splendid views across Carrick Roads to Falmouth, Lizard Peninsula
and infamous Manacle Rocks.
ST AUSTELL
Capital of 'Cornish Alps', ethereal white mini-mountains of china-clay
industry. Bustling town with 15thC Holy Trinity church, market hall. St Austell
Brewery Visitor Centre. Wheal Martyn China Clay Heritage Centre. Nearby, Mid-Cornwall
Craft Centre at Biscovey, Automobilia motor museum at St Stephen, Charlestown
Shipwreck & Heritage Centre. Tregrehan Garden and Pine Lodge Garden.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel/Fax: + 44 (0) 1726 76333
Email: tic@cornishriviera.co.uk
ST BURYAN
15thC church with rood screen, granite tower a daymark for shipping around
Land's End. Film Straw Dogs shot here. Bronze & Iron Age relics, including
19-stone Merry Maidens circle.
ST CLEER
Moorland village with 15thC church and enclosed well. Neolithic Trethevy
Quoit, inscribed Doniert Stone, Siblyback Lake and Golitha Falls nearby.
ST COLUMB MAJOR
Home of Shrove Tuesday hurling contest played with silver ball. Annual
music festival. Iron Age hillfort Castle-an-Dinas 2 miles to east and nearby
Springfields Pony Centre and Fun Park.
ST DAY
Mining village adjacent to Gwennap Pit, where Wesley preached. Heritage
Trail takes in historic sites in St Day and nearby Lanner and Carharrack.
ST EWE
14thC church with octagonal spire, west of Mevagissey. Village stocks.
Vineyard at Polmassick.
ST GERMANS
Rural village with outstanding church, former Augustinian priory and
cathedral church of Cornwall. 16thC almshouses. Tudor gateway leads to family
home of Eliots.
ST IVES
Magnificently situated, overlooking spectacular crescent of beaches.
Fishing quarter a warren of stone cottages and cobbled alleys. Artists' colony
for almost 100 years: Sickert, Whistler, Nicholson, Lanyon. Tate Gallery,
Barbara Hepworth sculpture garden, Bernard Leach Pottery and numerous art
galleries. Major arts and folk festival each September. Local museum and golf
course.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel: + 44 (0) 1736 796297 Fax: 798309
ST JUST IN PENWITH
Mainland's most westerly town, next to Cape Cornwall (NT). Iron Age village
of Carn Euny, Geevor mining heritage centre at Pendeen, Levant Beam Engine
(NT), Crown engine houses at Botallack, Pendeen lighthouse. Flights to Isles
of Scilly and pleasure flights from Land's End aerodrome at St Just.
Email: st_just@library.cornwall.gov.uk
ST JUST IN ROSELAND
Exquisite 13thC church set above tidal creek of Percuil River, with churchyard
of sub-tropical shrubs and religious texts.
ST KEVERNE
Pleasant village with square on Lizard Peninsula. 400 shipwreck victims
of nearby Manacles reef buried in churchyard. Statue celebrates leaders of
1497 Cornish rebellion. Annual August Ox Roast. Beaches at Porthallow, Coverack
and Kennack Sands. Nature trails at Tregellast Barton Farm shop.
ST MAWES
Sheltered, popular sailing centre on Roseland, overlooking Falmouth.
Three beaches and fine clover-leaf Tudor castle, sister to Pendennis castle.
Ferries to Place Manor (summer) and Falmouth.
ST NEOT
Once thriving on wool, now famed for 15thC church with magnificent stained
glass. Slate Caverns, Colliford Lake Park Education & Adventure nearby. Pottery
and craft
ST NEWLYN EAST
Pretty village south of Newquay. Trerice Manor & gardens (NT), Lappa
Valley Steam Railway nearby
SALTASH
17thC Guildhall, Mary Newman's cottage (home of Mrs Francis Drake). Tamar
river cruises. Brunel's iron railway bridge (1859), suspension road bridge
(1961). Nearby Trematon Castle (restricted access) associated with Black Prince.
SENNEN
Far west village and bathing beach, voted 'cleanest in Britain' 1998.
Popular with surfers. Lifeboat slip and former windlass house, now a crafts
gallery. Cliff castle. Cliff walks to Land's End.
STITHIANS
Inland rural village with nearby reservoir for watersports, south of
Redruth. Second-largest agricultural show in Cornwall every July.
TINTAGEL
Iron Age castle and Celtic settlement preceded the 13thC castle, legendary
birthplace of King Arthur. Old Post Office (NT), 14thC.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel/Fax: + 44 (0) 1840 779084
TORPOINT
Antony House and Woodland Gardens (NT). Mount Edgcumbe Country Park nearby.
Car ferry to Plymouth. Views of Royal Navy Dockyard and home of HMS Raleigh
naval training centre.
TREBARWITH STRAND
The only easily accessible beach between Polzeath and Crackington Haven.
Car park, beachside inn and good surfing spot.
TRURO
Cornwall's commercial and administrative centre, with three-spired cathedral
completed 1910. Impressive Georgian town houses. Royal Cornwall Museum & Art
Gallery and The Hall for Cornwall, a major performing arts venue with year-round
programme. Cornwall County Music Festival. Excellent pedestrianised shopping
centre. Cinema, leisure centre, Victoria Gardens with summer events programme,
Boscawen Park. City walks with Blue Badge Guides in season. Boat trips from
Town Quay/Malpas to Falmouth. Bosvigo and Trelissick (NT) gardens nearby.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel: + 44 (0) 1872 274555 Fax: 263031
VERYAN
Famous for 19thC thatched round houses. Interesting church, art gallery.
Caerhays Castle, designed by John Nash, has gardens open during Cornwall Gardens
Festival. Tumulus at Carne supposedly grave of King Geraint. Vineyard.
WADEBRIDGE
Busy market town served by 15thC 14-arched road bridge. Victorian rail
link to Padstow and Bodmin now 12 mile waterside Camel Trail for walking and
cycling. Shires Family Adventure Park. Annual folk festival. Royal Cornwall
Show every June. Pencarrow House at nearby Washaway and Long Cross Victorian
Gardens at Trelights.
Tourist Information Centre
Tel: + 44 (0) 1208 813725 Fax: 813781
ZENNOR
Enchanting moorland village west of St Ives, with 12thC church and famed
mermaid bench end. D H Lawrence lived here, and described his experiences
in Kangaroo. Wayside Folk Museum. Splendid walking country for the agile.
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