2024

LAND'S END

Natural Crafts
5/5
1 review

With its poetic, evocative name, Land's End is Cornwall's other famous headland, along with Lizard Point. This is not the most southerly, but the most westerly point in the whole country, offering a wider, more jagged panorama. Spectacular views of the surrounding cliffs, facing the open Atlantic. It's a pity that the site is so overdeveloped for tourism, with several buildings including a small, typically English amusement complex. The best thing to do is simply to park in the (paying) parking lot and head straight for the coast, avoiding all the unnatural attractions, especially in the off-season when the area is not very busy. A famous (very) long-distance hiking route starts here, linking Land's End to John's O' Groats, the last village in north-west Scotland. Nicknamed the "End to End", it covers more than 1,400 km and attracts mainly cyclists, but also a few hikers ready to cross the length of Great Britain... Arm yourself with binoculars, and you'll be able to spot gannets diving right before your eyes. Land's End is one of the most dangerous places for boats to pass through, with its jutting rocks. In all, more than 37 shipwrecks have occurred here. Explanatory panels explain the dangers of these tumultuous, rocky waters. Take your time, watch the waves and enjoy the fresh air.

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 Land'S End
2024

GEEVOR TIN MINE

Natural Crafts €€

Geevor Tin Mine is one of the many sites bearing witness to the Cornish coast's industrial past, when ore mining was important. The mine ceased operating in 1990 and is now a tourist attraction. Wearing a helmet, you descend into the mine, with a guide, and it's best to dress accordingly, as the visit can get messy. Claustrophobic visitors are advised not to... To find out more, a museum recounts the history of the site and the life of the miners. Their equipment and a series of photographs are on display. An interesting visit.

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 Land'S End
2024

CHEDDAR GORGE & CAVES

Natural Crafts €€

The Cheddar Caves are the main local attraction and are accessible through a single company that manages all the entrances. Several types of tickets are sold, the most common being also the most complete. It gives access to the various caves, the museum (which houses a 40,000-year-old human skeleton) and other attractions (natural and unnatural) such as a bus tour of the gorge, a three-mile hike to the top or access to the observation tower. Climbing and caving trips are also possible.

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 Cheddar
2024

THE NORTH COAST OF CORNWALL

Natural Crafts

The north coast of Cornwall is splendid, and home to some of England's finest coastal scenery. From west to east, you can admire the beauty of this coastline by walking along the sea from the road. If the beaches here are divine and pearly white, it's largely because they're often completely covered at high tide. The vistas change with the day, and you're just as likely to contemplate stretches of fine sand arched by cliffs, as granite rocks dropping sheer into the capricious Atlantic.

Gwithian Towans Beach: an immense white-sand beach fringed by dunes, a place full of charm and grandeur, popular with surfers.

Godrevy Point: its pretty cliffs provide unobstructed views of the surrounding area, and the attraction of this point also lies in the small island opposite it, with its lighthouse: Godrevy Lighthouse.

Portreath: a tiny, recessed village, typical of Cornwall, with a pretty beach at the foot of the green cliffs.

Hell's Mouth: between Gwithian and Portreath, this spot is easy to access from the road, with parking available at the Hells Mouth Kitchen and Bar. The photogenic cliffs are high above the water, and the area is of great beauty.

St Agnes and Wheal Coates: the cliffs south of St Agnes are among the most impressive in the region. Very high and covered with heather, you can admire the picturesque remains of old small stone mines on the Wheal Coates side. The superb beaches of Chapel Porth and Porthowan Beach, popular with surfers, stretch as far as the eye can see below. A short walk from the Porthowan parking lot to Trevaunance Cove is the perfect way to enjoy a Cornish postcard. If you simply wish to take a look at the ruins of Wheal Coates, a National Trust parking lot on Beacon Drive makes the site easily accessible on foot. For a bit of height, Beacon Hill is nearby.

The coastline between St Agnes and Perranporth is one of the steepest in the area and makes for a superb walk between the two towns. The view of the beach from the heights around YHA Perranporth is breathtaking.

Bedruthan Steps: the Bedruthan Steps could be straight out of an Australian or New Zealand postcard. At low tide, when they're no longer being rocked by the waves, these breathtaking masses of rock sit enthroned on a pristine beach, at the foot of the cliffs and facing the open sea. It's one of the most dazzling sights you'll ever see!

The villages of Mawgan Porth, Porthcothan, Harlyn, Trevone and New Polzeath are all very characteristic of the region.

Trevrose Head: visible from Newquay, this majestic headland juts out into the Atlantic and offers some stunning scenery, with its lighthouse and towering cliffs.

Stepper Point and Pentire Point: facing each other on either side of the mouth of the River Camel, these two charming, easy-to-reach points offer sweeping panoramas.

Port Quinn and Port Isaac: these adjoining Cornish villages are well worth a photo stop.

Between Boscastle and Bude: the cliffs in the area of Crackington Haven and Millook Haven are absolutely breathtaking, displaying an original and more complex geology than in the rest of the county.

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 Newquay
2024

BBC EARTH EXPERIENCE

Natural Crafts €€€

This new immersive attraction from the BBC is based on the BBC Studios Natural History Unit's Seven Worlds TV series. You plunge into the heart of the wilderness world, discovering the history of the universe and other wonders of our planet through huge projections of impressive scale. Each space and projection is set to a text by the famous British writer and naturalist David Attenborough, as well as the music from the series. A breathtaking experience for young and old alike.



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 London

1066 COUNTRY WALK

Natural Crafts
Recommended by a member
 Eastbourne