Mark’s Kernow Guidebook

Sightseeing

Kynance Cove

Kynance Cove is probably one of the most photographed beaches in Cornwall, if not the UK. Located on the Lizard Peninsula, the contrast between the cove’s white sand beach and the dark red rock produces a breathtaking sight. At low tide you can explore caves and rock stacks - one of my favourite things to do at the beach. I’ve been to Kynance many times but it manages to amaze me at every single visit. It is incredibly magical during the day, let alone when the sun begins to set. Sitting up on the cliffs at Kynance is one of my favourite places to watch the sunset. During the low season, the beach is often quiet (in the evening) so it feels pretty secluded. If you can watch the sunset during the winter at Kynance, chances are you’ll be the only one there.

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Kynance Cove

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Kynance Cove is probably one of the most photographed beaches in Cornwall, if not the UK. Located on the Lizard Peninsula, the contrast between the cove’s white sand beach and the dark red rock produces a breathtaking sight. At low tide you can explore caves and rock stacks - one of my favourite things to do at the beach. I’ve been to Kynance many times but it manages to amaze me at every single visit. It is incredibly magical during the day, let alone when the sun begins to set. Sitting up on the cliffs at Kynance is one of my favourite places to watch the sunset. During the low season, the beach is often quiet (in the evening) so it feels pretty secluded. If you can watch the sunset during the winter at Kynance, chances are you’ll be the only one there.

Chapel Porth Beach

Chapel Porth has my heart. Either park at Chapel Porth beach or venture to the National Trust carpark on the Beacon. Both areas of St Agnes offer insane views across the Atlantic. We often park at the beach and walk over to the Beacon, stopping at the famous Engine Houses (Wheal Kitty) en-route.

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Chapel Porth Beach

South West Coast Path

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Chapel Porth has my heart. Either park at Chapel Porth beach or venture to the National Trust carpark on the Beacon. Both areas of St Agnes offer insane views across the Atlantic. We often park at the beach and walk over to the Beacon, stopping at the famous Engine Houses (Wheal Kitty) en-route.

Gwithian Beach

Gwithian is my all-time favourite beach in Cornwall. With three miles of golden sands, backed by sand dunes, Gwithian always presents such breathtaking sunsets. Gwithian is also a great place for a beach BBQ - just make sure that you take your rubbish home (very important for me as I adore pristine nature when she's clean of rubbish).

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Gwithian Beach

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Gwithian is my all-time favourite beach in Cornwall. With three miles of golden sands, backed by sand dunes, Gwithian always presents such breathtaking sunsets. Gwithian is also a great place for a beach BBQ - just make sure that you take your rubbish home (very important for me as I adore pristine nature when she's clean of rubbish).

Port Isaac

Port Isaac was the location for the filming of the British TV show Doc Martin and there are great coastal walks here. This small picturesque fishing village in North Cornwall has a scenic harbour and you can organise fishing trips or boat trips in the summer months. I had two of the best meals I can remember at The Slipway and the Old School Hotel! If you fancy learning to surf you can drive to Polzeath which is about 4 miles away.

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Port Isaac

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Port Isaac was the location for the filming of the British TV show Doc Martin and there are great coastal walks here. This small picturesque fishing village in North Cornwall has a scenic harbour and you can organise fishing trips or boat trips in the summer months. I had two of the best meals I can remember at The Slipway and the Old School Hotel! If you fancy learning to surf you can drive to Polzeath which is about 4 miles away.

Sankt Mikaelsberget

Technically, a tidal island, St. Michael’s Mount is a dramatic place that you have to see. Similar to Mont Saint-Michel it’s a little slice of Cornish history that dates back centuries. Make sure you keep your eyes peeled for some giants too. Legend has it that the island used to be inhabited by a giant called Cormoran, so don’t head into the cave!

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Sankt Mikaelsberget

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Technically, a tidal island, St. Michael’s Mount is a dramatic place that you have to see. Similar to Mont Saint-Michel it’s a little slice of Cornish history that dates back centuries. Make sure you keep your eyes peeled for some giants too. Legend has it that the island used to be inhabited by a giant called Cormoran, so don’t head into the cave!

Polperro Strand

This hilly seaside village is one of the prettiest in the region. With the tiny fisherman’s cottages clinging to the hills, it’s as picturesque as you can imagine. Spend a lazy afternoon (or longer) wandering through the village and making sure to stop at all the little Polperro Gallery and The Ship Inn for a pint. Just like Robin Hood’s Bay in Yorkshire, it was a smuggler village, where lots of contraband brandy and sherry would be brought in at the dead of night. Don’t forget to stop off at Michelle’s Restaurant for some tasty British grub.

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Polperro Strand

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This hilly seaside village is one of the prettiest in the region. With the tiny fisherman’s cottages clinging to the hills, it’s as picturesque as you can imagine. Spend a lazy afternoon (or longer) wandering through the village and making sure to stop at all the little Polperro Gallery and The Ship Inn for a pint. Just like Robin Hood’s Bay in Yorkshire, it was a smuggler village, where lots of contraband brandy and sherry would be brought in at the dead of night. Don’t forget to stop off at Michelle’s Restaurant for some tasty British grub.

Land's End Landmark Attraction

Based on the Penwith peninsula, Land’s End is the most westerly point of England. There’s quite a few cliff walks you can follow here and it’s lovely in the twilight hours once the sun begins to set. On a calm day, you can even spot basking sharks and pods of dolphins here.

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Land's End Landmark Attraction

Land's End

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Based on the Penwith peninsula, Land’s End is the most westerly point of England. There’s quite a few cliff walks you can follow here and it’s lovely in the twilight hours once the sun begins to set. On a calm day, you can even spot basking sharks and pods of dolphins here.

Grebe Beach

Start a walk from Mawnan itself and meander across to Grebe beach (a beautiful little cove just before you hit Durgan beach – the beach at the bottom of Glendurgan Gardens). Grebe is my favourite beach on this stretch of coast path; but again, it’s all so beautiful it’s hard to choose!

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Grebe Beach

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Start a walk from Mawnan itself and meander across to Grebe beach (a beautiful little cove just before you hit Durgan beach – the beach at the bottom of Glendurgan Gardens). Grebe is my favourite beach on this stretch of coast path; but again, it’s all so beautiful it’s hard to choose!

Boscawen-un Stone Circle

The names spin by outside the car, Buryas Bridge, Drift, Catchall and then I see the tiny turning that I need and swing the car in, onto the dirt road. This is the track to Boscawen-un, one of the first ancient places on the Penwith that I ever came to. That was probably 20 years ago and it was very different then. All overgrown with bracken and with the silent peace of a place rarely visited. Whenever I came here I was alone with the skylarks. Since then this Bronze age monument has had some maintenance and the site has been cleared revealing this special place a little more. And it is special for several reasons, for a start this stone circle is not a circle – its an oval! The placement of the 19 upright stones apparently follows the course that the moon takes across the night sky. Boscawen Un is not the only circle in the Penwith to have 19 stones however. The Merry Maidens circle, Tregeseal and Boskednan all do too.

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Boscawen-un Stone Circle

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The names spin by outside the car, Buryas Bridge, Drift, Catchall and then I see the tiny turning that I need and swing the car in, onto the dirt road. This is the track to Boscawen-un, one of the first ancient places on the Penwith that I ever came to. That was probably 20 years ago and it was very different then. All overgrown with bracken and with the silent peace of a place rarely visited. Whenever I came here I was alone with the skylarks. Since then this Bronze age monument has had some maintenance and the site has been cleared revealing this special place a little more. And it is special for several reasons, for a start this stone circle is not a circle – its an oval! The placement of the 19 upright stones apparently follows the course that the moon takes across the night sky. Boscawen Un is not the only circle in the Penwith to have 19 stones however. The Merry Maidens circle, Tregeseal and Boskednan all do too.

Zennor Quoit

Driving out of Zennor village towards St Ives there is a house known as the Eagles Nest perched on a crag looking out to sea. It was in the valley below this house that D H Lawrence spent 1915 writing Women in Love and just opposite its white painted gate there is a track leading out across the downs. This is the start of our walk. 20160503_191528 Just over the brow of the hill there is a pull-in on the right with space for a car. The view from here towards the coast is across some of the oldest farmed land in the world. The field systems are pre-historic. Leave your wheels, walk back and take that track uphill . . . 20160503_191207 20160503_190932 This is one of those paths that feels timeless, like it has always been there and I imagine all the footsteps before mine. Don’t forget to look back behind you to the sea, Lawrence said it was always peacock-coloured and I hope it is for you. Oh try not to stand on the violets . . . 20160503_19082120160503_190451 Keep the rocky hill-top on your left . . . 20160503_191254 When the track bears right there is a footpath off to the left hugging a low wall . . . take it and look for the ruin on the hill ahead . . . 20160503_190340Beside these ruined walls, maybe an old barn or cottage I’m not sure, there will be a path striking out right across the downs, follow and look for a silhouette on the skyline . . . 20160503_184727 When I am here I am often completely alone and the landscape seems empty too, just those silent rocky outcrops, the wind in the grass and on this particular day a distance Cuckoo . . . 20160503_184835 Your destination is the impressive Zennor Quoit, a Neolithic burial chamber. It’s enormous capstone, which weighs around 12 tons, slid off sometime in the 19th century but William Borlase sketched it for us in 1769 . . . This wonderful historical site seems to stand alone on the Amalveor Downs, solid, mysterious but there are signs of ancient people everywhere here, numerous barrows and hut circles lie hidden in the bracken. We are never quite alone in the landscape. 20160503_18491320160503_18503920160503_185024 This walk isn’t difficult, although the tracks are uneven and not signposted, it takes me about 20mins to the quoit. Longer when I am breathing in the stunning views. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

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Zennor Quoit

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Driving out of Zennor village towards St Ives there is a house known as the Eagles Nest perched on a crag looking out to sea. It was in the valley below this house that D H Lawrence spent 1915 writing Women in Love and just opposite its white painted gate there is a track leading out across the downs. This is the start of our walk. 20160503_191528 Just over the brow of the hill there is a pull-in on the right with space for a car. The view from here towards the coast is across some of the oldest farmed land in the world. The field systems are pre-historic. Leave your wheels, walk back and take that track uphill . . . 20160503_191207 20160503_190932 This is one of those paths that feels timeless, like it has always been there and I imagine all the footsteps before mine. Don’t forget to look back behind you to the sea, Lawrence said it was always peacock-coloured and I hope it is for you. Oh try not to stand on the violets . . . 20160503_19082120160503_190451 Keep the rocky hill-top on your left . . . 20160503_191254 When the track bears right there is a footpath off to the left hugging a low wall . . . take it and look for the ruin on the hill ahead . . . 20160503_190340Beside these ruined walls, maybe an old barn or cottage I’m not sure, there will be a path striking out right across the downs, follow and look for a silhouette on the skyline . . . 20160503_184727 When I am here I am often completely alone and the landscape seems empty too, just those silent rocky outcrops, the wind in the grass and on this particular day a distance Cuckoo . . . 20160503_184835 Your destination is the impressive Zennor Quoit, a Neolithic burial chamber. It’s enormous capstone, which weighs around 12 tons, slid off sometime in the 19th century but William Borlase sketched it for us in 1769 . . . This wonderful historical site seems to stand alone on the Amalveor Downs, solid, mysterious but there are signs of ancient people everywhere here, numerous barrows and hut circles lie hidden in the bracken. We are never quite alone in the landscape. 20160503_18491320160503_18503920160503_185024 This walk isn’t difficult, although the tracks are uneven and not signposted, it takes me about 20mins to the quoit. Longer when I am breathing in the stunning views. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

The Merry Maidens Stone Circle

Not far from the town of St Columb Major you can find the Nine Maidens Stone Row in a field a short distance from the busy road. This type of ancient monument is something of a rarity. In fact, when the Nine Maidens was first scheduled in November 1928 it was thought to be the only stone row in the whole of Cornwall. Since then several other rows, perhaps as many as eleven, have been identified on Bodmin Moor but the Nine Maidens still remains one of the most impressive. The row is constructed of carefully selected local grey slate, heavily streaked with white quartz, which makes them stand out against the landscape both by day and by night. The stones are set on a south-west alignment with an associated menhir, now recumbent, about 600m away to the north-east. This large individual stone is also made of the same high quartz-content material. The Nine Maidens row, which stretches from just over 100m, has nine evenly spaced stones still standing, the largest is around 2m high, although it is thought that the line was once much longer. Nine Maidens Stone rows such as this are notoriously hard to date as so few have been properly excavated and dateable finds are sparse. However they are considered to have been in use around 4000 years ago, between 2500BC and 1000BC. Their function is a mystery but some are thought to have celestial alignments and they are generally believed to have had some kind of ceremonial purpose.

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The Merry Maidens Stone Circle

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Not far from the town of St Columb Major you can find the Nine Maidens Stone Row in a field a short distance from the busy road. This type of ancient monument is something of a rarity. In fact, when the Nine Maidens was first scheduled in November 1928 it was thought to be the only stone row in the whole of Cornwall. Since then several other rows, perhaps as many as eleven, have been identified on Bodmin Moor but the Nine Maidens still remains one of the most impressive. The row is constructed of carefully selected local grey slate, heavily streaked with white quartz, which makes them stand out against the landscape both by day and by night. The stones are set on a south-west alignment with an associated menhir, now recumbent, about 600m away to the north-east. This large individual stone is also made of the same high quartz-content material. The Nine Maidens row, which stretches from just over 100m, has nine evenly spaced stones still standing, the largest is around 2m high, although it is thought that the line was once much longer. Nine Maidens Stone rows such as this are notoriously hard to date as so few have been properly excavated and dateable finds are sparse. However they are considered to have been in use around 4000 years ago, between 2500BC and 1000BC. Their function is a mystery but some are thought to have celestial alignments and they are generally believed to have had some kind of ceremonial purpose.

Men-an-tol

Believed to date from the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age (3500 years ago) there is mystery as to whether this enigmatic stone with the hole was originally at the centre of a stone circle with the other upright stones around it, or whether these stones once formed part of a burial tomb. (Incidentally there is only one other holed stone in existence in Britain and that is also in Cornwall). What is known is that the stones as you see them today are not in their original positions, seemingly aligned to pinpoint the rising sun in the east and the setting sun in the west. It is believed they were moved sometime in the early 19th Century. For centuries people believed that the Men-an-Tol held special healing properties; by crawling through the hole three times, or seven times, or nine times, one could be cured of back pain, or children of rickets, or a woman wishing to become pregnant would gain fertility. It must be 30 years since Mum and I did this walk up to Men-an-Tol, and to experience it together again on such a beautiful afternoon as the sun was slowly sinking in the west, with the stones casting long shadows on the grass and all around was stillness and silence: not a breath of wind, so rare up on the moors, was simply magical.

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Men-an-tol

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Believed to date from the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age (3500 years ago) there is mystery as to whether this enigmatic stone with the hole was originally at the centre of a stone circle with the other upright stones around it, or whether these stones once formed part of a burial tomb. (Incidentally there is only one other holed stone in existence in Britain and that is also in Cornwall). What is known is that the stones as you see them today are not in their original positions, seemingly aligned to pinpoint the rising sun in the east and the setting sun in the west. It is believed they were moved sometime in the early 19th Century. For centuries people believed that the Men-an-Tol held special healing properties; by crawling through the hole three times, or seven times, or nine times, one could be cured of back pain, or children of rickets, or a woman wishing to become pregnant would gain fertility. It must be 30 years since Mum and I did this walk up to Men-an-Tol, and to experience it together again on such a beautiful afternoon as the sun was slowly sinking in the west, with the stones casting long shadows on the grass and all around was stillness and silence: not a breath of wind, so rare up on the moors, was simply magical.

Trencrom Hill

Trencrom offers one of the finest views in Cornwall. This ancient Iron Age Hill Fort gives you a 360 degree panorama of the Penwith. It is one of the few places from which you can see both the north and the south coast at the same time.

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Trencrom Hill

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Trencrom offers one of the finest views in Cornwall. This ancient Iron Age Hill Fort gives you a 360 degree panorama of the Penwith. It is one of the few places from which you can see both the north and the south coast at the same time.