St Just, Sennen Cove, Lands End

Out of St Just the road forks to Lands End, along which is a sign for 'Cot Manor' which leads down to a youth hostel set in a lovely, wooded location and which is a back entrance to Cot Valley (unsuitable for vehicles but a richly rewarding walk). Local myth has it that Cot Manor itself was used for smuggling, with a tunnel leading down to the seashore. It is often impossible to discover whether or not some of these tales are apocryphal, but it seems likely this one might be grounded in reality. Along this same stretch of road can be found Bosavern House, a 17th Century family-run manor house hotel set in grounds of around 2 acres in an area of outstanding natural beauty and historical interest.

The road to Sennen then passes a small airfield making day trips to the Scilly Isles and scenic trips around the coast by light aircraft. The popular surfing resort of Sennen Cove follows a few miles further on, complete with all its seaside attractions including the Old Success Inn, cafe, lifeboat station, gallery and gift shops. It is one of the few good bathing resorts in the area with a mile of sandy beach, and a lucky visitor might be treated to a display of Dolphin acrobatics if it is a time that they feel like performing. It is also quite incredible to behold in gale-force winds when the surf boils like a cauldron and crashes against the rocks, sending spray hundreds of feet into the air from a blow-hole. It is impossible to believe that there is not some consciousness involved, actively expressing its fury.

The journey to Lands End is completed in just a few miles passing various Inns and accommodation, a camp site and the road to the famous Minack theatre. The Lands End Hotel, recently completely refurbished, offers full accommodation together with a varied bar and restaurant menu in awe-inspiring surroundings. There could surely be no better way to end what is certain to have been a memorable experience than to sit at a table on a warm evening with a glass of Cornish cider and watch the sun sink below the vast curve of the horizon at this, the last point in England and gateway of the Atlantic.