Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
out for the remains of
Maen Castle
on your right, a prehistoric hillfort dramatically sited on the cliffs. The
surrounding area has been inhabited since Neolithic times; it's thought that many of the field boundaries were es-
tablished by ancient settlers. This section is particularly spectacular in summer, when the wildflowers are a blaze
of colour, and seabirds wheel and circle over the clifftops.
Continue on the coast path till you reach
Land's End
, where you can snap your picture next to the famous
sign: 28 miles to Scilly, 874 miles to John O'Groats, 3147 to New York, and 1.5 miles out to sea to the famous
Longships Lighthouse. From here it's another mile or so along the rather precarious coast path to the secluded
beach of
Nanjizal
, reached by wooden steps. It's great for swimming, but the waves can be powerful so take
care.
After your dip, take the path leading inland up the hillside; turn left when you reach a junction, and cross the
fields till you arrive at
Trevilley Farm
and the nearby village of
Trevescan
, where you can reward your-
self with a cream tea at the delightful Apple Tree Cafe. From here, head along the road till you come to the junc-
tion with the A30. You'll see a sign for a public bridleway directly opposite the turning, which leads all the way
back down to Sennen.
Porthcurno
From Land's End, the coast path zigzags past a string of coves, including
Nanjizal
,
Porthg-
warra
and teeny
Porth Chapel
, where you'll find the 'holy well' of St Levan (one of many
holy wells sprinkled around Penwith) hidden amongst the cliffs.
Further east is
Porthcurno
, a golden wedge of sand, with a deep underwater shelf that
makes for lively swimming (beware of strong waves and rip currents). Cut into the cliffs
dreamt up in the 1920s by local eccentric Rowena Cade and built largely by hand over the
next 30-odd years. With its vertiginous seating and clifftop amphitheatre overlooking the
Atlantic, it's an unforgettable place to watch a play - although aficionados always bring
pillows, blankets and umbrellas in case the weather takes centre stage. Above the theatre
there's a cafe and
visitor centre
(adult/child £3.50/1.40; 9.30am-5.30pm Apr-Sep, 10am-4pm Oct-Mar)
ex-
ploring the Rowena Cade story; you can wander around the auditorium on non-matinée
days.
Long before the Minack, Porthcurno was a hub for Britain's burgeoning telecommunic-
ations network. During the 19th century, a network of subterranean cables owned by the
Eastern Telegraph Company stretched from Porthcurno all the way to Spain, Gibraltar,
northern France and India. The subterranean tunnels now house the
Porthcurno Telegraph Mu-
seum
(
01736-810966;
www.porthcurno.org.uk
; adult/child £7.20/4.20;
10am-5pm daily Mar-Nov, 10am-5pm
Sun & Mon Dec-Feb)
.
