Cornwall

Towns & Villages

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CAMELFORD

According to legend this small inland town on the edge of Bodmin Moor was none other than the Arthurian capital of Camelot while Slaughter Bridge was the scene of the British king’s last great battle.

To add an extra mystery, another contender for the title of Camelot, the brooding castle of Tintagel, lies close by on the coast.

An irresistible double act.

Camelford Centre - Photo: Chris Heaton CCL

CRANTOCK

Crantock Beach - Photo: Tony Atkin CCL

This peaceful village, full of lovely thatched cottages, lies near the mouth of the River Gannel and looks out towards Newquay.

St Carantacus is reputed to have established an oratory here in the 5th century.

The mainly Norman church has fine carvings and a set of old-fashioned stocks.

Nearby is dramatic Kelsey Head and a cliff top Iron Age fort.

FALMOUTH

The ever-enthralling resort of Falmouth - otherwise known as Pennycomequick - lies at the mouth of the River Fal on Cornwall’s idyllic south coast, the so-called Cornish Riviera, and looks out onto the world’s third largest natural harbour.

An important port since the days of the Tudors, it is guarded both by Henry VIII’s angular Pendennis Castle and St Mawes Castle (1543).

A Ness-style, hump-backed sea monster said to lurk in the bay has allegedly been sighted many times.

Falmouth Custom House Quay -
Photo: Tony Atkin CCL

Falmouth Harbour - Photo: John Spivey CCL

The town only became a holiday centre with the arrival of the railways but before that pioneered the use of mail boats from the Continent. Britain's defeat of the French at the Battle of Trafalgar, and the death of Admiral Nelson, are said to have been first announced here.
 
Curiously, Falmouth was the inspired creation of Sir John Killigrew in the early 1600s. He had been urged to build it by Sir Walter Raleigh, a man well aware of its strategic position. On the harbourside is the award-winning National Maritime Museum Cornwall.

FOWEY

With its steep, narrow streets and busy, sea-going atmosphere, Fowey (pronounced ‘Foy’) is one of Cornwall’s leading tourist hotspots.



In a waterside house lived Sir Quiller-Couch (1863-1944), author of some of the best stories written about Cornwall, who turned Fowey into ‘Troy Town’.

Fowey Town Quay - Photo: Graham Proud CCL

Fowey Harbour - Photo: David Stowell CCL

A second literary connection was provided by the modern writer Daphne du Maurier who lived at 17th century ‘Mennabilly’. She immortalised the house as ‘Mandaley’ in her 1938 novel ‘Rebecca’.


Today’s ships carry cargos of china clay from Fowey but in the past it was this seaport which fitted out ships for the Crusades. Later, locals raided the French coast during the Hundred Years War and became known as ‘Fowey Gallants’.

HAYLE

With popular sands and intimate dunes, Hayle is a port and market town lying in the estuary of the Hayle river in St Ives Bay.





A scenic trek leads to Godrevy Lighthouse, the dramatic setting for Virginia Woolf’s famous novel ‘To the Lighthouse’.

Hayle Beach near Black Cliff  -
Photo: Sheila Russell CCL

HELFORD

Helford Village - Photo : Richard Johns CCL

This one-time tin mining port is superbly situated on the Helford River and has its own ferry service.




Thanks to its small and intimate harbour, it is a popular place for yachters and has been described as the loveliest village on the Cornish coast.
 

A short walk takes the visitor to idyllic Frenchman’s Pill’, or cove, the setting of Daphne Du Maurier’s world-famous novel ‘Frenchman’s Creek’.

Helford Estuary - Photo: Chris Johnson CCL

HELSTON

Helston Church Area - Photo: T. J. Wright CCL

Lying on the Lizard Point, this one-time tin mining centre is the most southerly town in Britain but is famous for its annual ‘furry dance’ (later corrupted into ‘floral dance’) in which couples dance not only through the streets but also through the houses.



Once an inland port, Helston lies on the River Cober and overlooks the largest natural freshwater lake in Cornwall.

The local scenery is magnificent although, for some, Flambards Theme Park, will prove equally attractive.


The town was the birthplace of Bob "Ruby Robert" Fitzsimmons, the first-ever triple world boxing champion.


In 1901 Marconi transmitted his first wireless message across the Atlantic from nearby Poldhu Point.

Cannon Helston Folk Museum -
Photo: T. J. Wright CCL

HOLYWELL

Holywell Perran Beach - Photo: Tony Atkin CCL

This sleepy village shelters beneath Penhale Point and boasts no less than two ‘holy’ wells – hence its name.



One of these springs is contained in a small shrine while the second, about a mile away, is within a cave accessible only at low tide.

LANDS END

No trip to this part of the world would be complete without a sightseeing tour of Land’s End, the most westerly point on the British mainland.

Now designated an area of outstanding natural beauty, it is replete with quiet coves, towering cliffs, raging seas and romantic locations.

The best times to experience its raw magnificence are at sunrise and sunset, particularly if you are equipped with a camera.

Lands End Granite Cliffs -
Photo: Roger Butterfield CCL

LAUNCESTON

Launceston Castle - Photo: Chris Shaw CCL

Close to the border with Devon and lying on the River Tamar, this evocative hillside town was once the county’s capital and is often called the ‘gateway to Cornwall’.

Dominated by an 11th century Norman castle, it is largely Georgian, though the heavily-carved church of St Mary Magdalene dates to the 16th century.

Cromwell’s Parliamentarians captured the town in 1645 during the Civil War. During the medieval period Launceston was the only walled town in the county.

Local attractions include the Launceston Steam Railway.

LISKEARD

A once-booming tin mining centre, this hillside town lies at the head of the River Looe valley.








Within easy reach are the coves and resorts of the Cornish Riviera on the south coast as well as the rugged expanse of Bodmin Moor.

 

Liskeard Town Centre - Photo: Tony Atkin CCL

LIZARD POINT

Lizard Point Kynance Cove -
Photo: John Spivey CCL

This is the most southern point of England and boasts glorious scenery and multi-coloured serpentine rock.

The area is replete with sheltered bays and charming coves, particularly Kynance Cove.

There are breathtaking views from the Point and its twin- towered, 18th century lighthouse.

The local rock can be seen in all its glory in the serpentine tower of 15th century Landewednack Church.

LOOE

This attractive coastal resort sits contentedly in beautiful Looe Bay, not far from its neighbour Fowey, and is split into two parts by the Looe estuary.



At one time local fisherman would set off on sea voyages in search of the humble pilchard but today the quarry might bite back – Looe is the undisputed capital of Britain’s shark-fishing industry.

Looe Beach - Photo: Tony Atkin CCL

MEVAGISSEY

Mevagissey - Photo: Fiona Avis CCL

A former tin mining centre and pilchard port, this quaint village-resort with narrow, congested streets lies on Cornwall’s north coast, near St. Austell, and boasts two picturesque harbours which attract thousands of visitors each year.

MOUSEHOLE

At one time it was a veritable paradise for smugglers who built their own fast sailing boats to outrun eagle-eyed customs officers.

Hugging a dramatic coastline and sheltered by Mount’s Bay, this is a delightfully relaxed settlement and the epitome of a Cornish fishing village.

Mousehole Harbour South Pier -
Photo: Richard Thomson CCL

Mousehole Harbour - Photo: Steven Muster CCL

In the 16th century it was virtually burned to the ground by Spanish looters who left only one building – a pub – standing.




It was also the home of Dolly Pentreath, reputedly the last surviving exponent of the original Cornish language.

The Welsh poet Dylan Thomas described Mousehole as the ‘loveliest village in England’ after honeymooning here in the 1930s.

Mousehole Harbour - Photo: Nigel Smith CCL

MULLION

Mullion Church Cove - Photo: Steve Rigg CCL

The picturesque harbour and handsome cove of this timeless village on the Lizard peninsula form one of the prettiest sights on the Cornish coast.

Above the village are tall, erratic serpentine cliffs, the famous Poldhu Caves and a memorial to the Italian wireless inventor Guiglielmo Marconi, whose first transatlantic Morse signal was sent from here.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Mullion Cove was one of the county’s busiest smuggling areas. Bronze and Iron Age burial mounds lie nearby.

NEWLYN

The largest fishing port in England, Newlyn lies in Mount’s Bay and centres on a cluster of Cornish cottages that rise from the sea to occupy a steep hillside.




It is famous as the setting for the ‘Newlyn School’ of artists founded in the 19th century by Stanhope Forbes.

Newlyn Harbour - Photo: Bob Jones CCL

NEWQUAY

The Huer's Hut - Photo: David Long CCL

Lying on the north Atlantic coast, Newquay is one of Cornwall’s top seaside resorts yet dates back into prehistory.





Archaeologists have found a late Iron age hill fort and say occupation of the site lasted from the third century BC to the fifth or sixth century AD.
 

It was a fishing village famous for its pilchards until the early 20th century.




Now a prominent tourist destination, its has no less than 10 sandy beaches and styles itself “The Surfing Capital of Britain”, regularly staging major international competitions.

Lusty Glaze Beach - Photo: Gary Rogers CCL

 Fistral Bay -  Photo: David Long CCL

Newquay is also known for the "Run to the Sun" event, which takes place each May.





Thousands of people descend on the town in camper vans and customised cars.

 

Nearby, at Trerice, is a fine Elizabethan manor house now administered by the National Trust.




The 630 mile-long South West Coast Path runs through the town.

Trerice house - Photo: Andrew Longton CCL