This morning I thought it might be better to dream of the summer days ahead – of days when I can just listen to the bees buzzing as the scent to lavender fills the air. To dream of summer days once more when the courtyard garden fills with lazy warmth of the sun…
A fabulously sunny day led to a late summer dalliance with Trenow cove for us and a relaxing afternoon spent on the beach. Trenow is one of the little sheltered coves that ring Perranuthnoe, within sight of Marazion and St Michael’s Mount.
Many years ago Trenow Cove was the home of Wheal Charlotte and it would have looked very different in its industrial heyday but these days only an old mine audit drains on to the cove as a reminder of its past glories when even Prince Albert came in on a steamer to examine the Mine Engine. These days it is mostly the haunt of sea birds including an illusive Hudsonian Wimbrell that sent bird watchers into frenzy last winter Continue reading “A late summer dalliance with Trenow Cove” »
Explore the secrets of West Cornwall with twelve of the most unspoilt secluded beaches and coves this week set along the hauntingly beautiful coast. They are almost a secret but not quite if you are armed with a well thumbed ordnance survey map and a pair of walking boots to follow Cornwall’s dramatic cliff top walks and lush valleys to the sound of the sea. So shh don’t tell and I will tell you some of my favourite spots to enjoy an idyllic day away from the tourist spots in unspoilt secret West Cornwall. Continue reading “Secret Cornwall – twelve secluded beaches” »
This autumn we’ve set out to explore the beautiful hidden beaches of West Cornwall that are within easy reach of Ednovean Farm. This week we visited the secret sandy bay just beyond Prussia cove, known as Kennegy Beach a beautiful cove of pristine golden sands framed by heathland with farmland dipping down to the cliffs edge
As we scrambled across the rock to the great sweep of golden sands, ours were the only footprints on the beach and our only company the seagulls preening at the waters edge. Continue reading “Kennegy Beach – a secret sandy bay beyond Prussia Cove” »
We set out last week to discover the hauntingly beautiful Portheras Cove of silvery white sands, and found it was a perfect walk for an autumn day with the magic of summer still lingering in the air.
Portheras Cove is set between Pendeen and Morvah and it can only be reach on foot along the coastal path. But it is so worth taking the walk to this quiet and secluded cove that attracts only the dedicated locals who look after the beach, passing walkers along the coastal route around West Cornwall and seals resting on the sands Continue reading “Discover the hidden silver sands at Portheras Cove” »
Maybe we should have checked the tide table before we set out because it was high tide when we reached Rinsey beach but we enjoyed watching the first big waves of autumn rolling across the cove for the afternoon anyway.
This September I want to show you some of the less publicised beaches in west Cornwall that are a little bit off of the beaten track so perfect for a quiet day beside the sea and so this week we went to the hidden gem that is Rinsey Beach that is about a ten minute drive from us at Ednovean Farm. The breaking waves make this secluded unspoilt beach a popular spot for local surfers but there is also a great tidal pool – Ray Pool – to the east of the beach for less arduous bathing! Continue reading “High tide at Rinsey beach” »
Porth Chapel beach is idyllically set below tall granite cliffs, with sands of broken shells dipping to the sea – it’s just a short walk from St Levan, tucked between Porthcurno and Porthgwarra and quite near to Land’s End. It is just a perfect spot for an afternoon away form the tourist’s hot spots of Cornwall for a few hours of peace and near solitude.
With soft summer days still before us this September, we still have time to discover some of the secret less know spot of Cornwall and this week we visited Port Chapel beach. Continue reading “Discover Porth Chapel Beach in West Cornwall” »
The August bank holiday turned out to be a classic Cornish weekend with still clear tranquil seas bathed in sunshine one day turning to dramatic tumbling waves racing across Mounts bay in the blink of an eye.
For the last Bank Holiday of the year we walked from the farm to visit a nearby favourite cove to enjoy the summer sunshine, spurning the busy roads and we enjoyed two very special days of contrasts that must be the very essence of experience of Classic Cornwall. Continue reading “A classic Cornish weekend beside the sea with silent coves and tumbling waves” »
Cape Cornwall from the air
The final part of the Penwith tour will take you from Land’s End to St Ives and surely this drive must be Cornwall’s own route 66. The road contained by ancient banks twists through farmland flanked by tiny fields whose boundaries date back to the bronze age. with the sea an eve present backdrop it is not surprising it has been voted one of the nation’s favourite drives. Expect to pass through tiny hamlets and farmyards; to see remnants of the Cornish mining industry romantic now in their decay; to see villages flanked by towering moorland cairns on a winding road that will almost transport you back to an earlier era.
I am indebted to Mike McNally photography for the aerial views I am about to share with you. Mike and his wife took a scenic flight from Lands End when they stayed with us at Ednovean Farm and kindly sent us a disk of snaps of West Cornwall.
Just east of Perranuthnoe, a hidden slipway leads to Trebarvah Beach reached by a hidden slipway or walk along the sands from Perran at very low tide.
There is something so evocative of the memories Cornish holidays of spending the days wandering around the coastal footpath before finally settling in a secluded cove to picnic and then later, much later, driving around the Bay to find a traditional harbour side pub for supper. It has to be Fish and Chips of course anything else would be sacrilege to tradition!
This bank Holiday the weather has been so kind to Cornwall and we have basked in the sunshine and we were tempted to walk again down to the coastal footpath to see the last of the spring flowers with the tide lapping the rocks below us. Continue reading “Coastal walks and harbour pubs” »