Gerrans, Cornwall – Hilltop Village above Gerrans Bay

HOLIDAYS IN GERRANS

The village of Gerrans lies at the top of the hill, just a short walk from the pretty harbour and beaches of Portscatho. Gerrans gives its name to the parish, which takes in Portscatho and the hamlet of St Anthony, and to Gerrans Bay, the wide bay that curves from Portscatho round to Nare Head.

Gerrans is a thriving community with facilities serving the local area, and the parish church of St Gerran – known as “the Ancient Church by the Sea” – is the dominant feature of the landscape. Standing on the brow of the hill overlooking the sea, its tall granite spire has been a daymark for generations of local sailors and fishermen.

The surrounding coast path and countryside offer a variety of interesting walks, with an abundance of wild flowers, especially in May and June. The sandy beaches of Porthcurnick, Towan, Pendower and Carne are all close by.

For somewhere to stay, see Gerrans holiday cottages and holidays and short breaks in Gerrans.

Best Time to Visit Gerrans

May and June are lovely, with the hedges and cliffs full of wild flowers. Summer brings the beaches and village events at their best, while autumn and winter are quiet and peaceful, ideal for walking.

ST GERRANS CHURCH

The church of St Gerran (also called St Gerent or Gerendus) dates from the 13th century – its first recorded rector was instituted around 1260 – and stands on the site of an earlier Celtic church. Before then it seems to have been a chapel of the priory of St Anthony. It was enlarged in the 15th century, when the south aisle and the two-stage tower were added, crowned with a tall octagonal granite spire, restored in 1636.

The body of the church was badly damaged by fire in 1848 and was rebuilt in 1849–51, but the tower and spire survived and were repaired. The font is the only feature remaining from the Norman church, and there is a fine Cornish cross in the churchyard. The church is listed Grade I.

The church is traditionally associated with Geraint, an early 8th-century king of Dumnonia (Devon and Cornwall), whose name is thought to be the origin of “Gerrans”.

BEACHES ON GERRANS BAY

• Portscatho – the harbour beach, a short walk down the hill.
• Porthcurnick – a broad sandy beach just north of Portscatho, with the Hidden Hut café.
• Towan – a long sandy beach to the south, reached from the National Trust’s Porth Farm.
• Pendower and Carne – National Trust beaches backed by dunes on the far side of the bay, joined at low tide.

None has a lifeguard. See our guide to beaches on the Roseland Peninsula.

HISTORY OF GERRANS & KING GERAINT

Gerrans is one of the old parishes of the Roseland, and lay within the important estate of the bishops at Tregear. Its name is believed to come from Gerent or Geraint, a king of Dumnonia in the early 8th century; early scribes wrote his name in its Latin form, Gerontius.

A local legend tells that when Geraint died, his body was rowed across Gerrans Bay from his castle at Dingerein (“Geraint’s castle”, near Curgurrel) in a golden boat with silver oars, to be buried under the great mound of Carne Beacon near Veryan. No golden boat has ever been found, but the Bronze Age barrow on the hill is real – one of the largest in Cornwall.

For centuries the parish lived by farming and by the pilchard fishery at Portscatho. At Polingey Creek, below the village, a tidal mill once used the rise and fall of the tide to grind corn; the remains of its dam can still be crossed at low tide. Today Gerrans and Portscatho together form one of the liveliest communities on the Roseland.

WALKS FROM GERRANS

From Gerrans it is a short walk down to Portscatho and the South West Coast Path. Head south past Towan to Porth Farm and on to St Anthony Head, or north round Gerrans Bay past Porthcurnick to Pendower, Carne and Nare Head. Quiet lanes and field paths make good circular walks back to the village.

PLACES NEAR GERRANS

• Portscatho – just down the hill.
• St Anthony Head – about 4 miles.
• St Mawes – about 5 miles.
• St Just in Roseland – about 3 miles.
• Veryan – about 5 miles.
• The Roseland Peninsula – our guide to the whole peninsula.