Best Other in Cornwall, England - Map and Reviews

Zennor Head is a dramatic coastal promontory jutting into the Atlantic Ocean on the far western tip of Cornwall, England, forming one of the most striking headlands along the rugged Penwith Heritage Coast. It rises to roughly 90 metres above sea level, offering panoramic views that sweep from the Isles of Scilly on a clear day to the distant smudge of St Ives Bay to the east and the brooding bulk of Gurnard's Head to the west. The headland is managed as part of a National Trust holding and sits within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, making it a place of significant landscape and ecological value. For walkers and those seeking genuine solitude along the South West Coast Path, Zennor Head represents one of the most rewarding destinations in the county — a place where the hand of modern life feels extraordinarily remote. The geology of Zennor Head is ancient and elemental, formed primarily of granite that has been shaped and scoured over millennia by Atlantic storms. The rocks here are part of the same Penwith granite mass that underpins much of far west Cornwall, and their surface is frequently encrusted with orange and grey lichens that give the outcrops a vivid, painterly quality. The cliffs plunge dramatically into the sea, and on days of rough weather the sight and sound of waves exploding against the base of these walls is thunderous and deeply impressive. Underfoot, the heath across the top of the headland is a mosaic of gorse, heather, and sea thrift, with stonechats and peregrine falcons frequently seen riding the updraughts along the cliff edge. The air carries a persistent salt tang and, in summer, the warm scent of bracken and gorse blossom. The village of Zennor, lying a short walk inland, gives the headland its name and provides much of its cultural and legendary richness. Zennor is an ancient settlement, its origins stretching back well into the prehistoric period — the surrounding landscape is littered with Bronze Age field systems, standing stones, and the remarkable Zennor Quoit, a Neolithic chambered tomb dating from around 2500 BC that stands on the moorland above the village. The village church of St Senara is medieval and contains one of Cornwall's most famous artefacts: a carved bench end depicting the Mermaid of Zennor, thought to date from the fifteenth or sixteenth century. The legend holds that a beautiful woman, later revealed to be a mermaid, would attend services at the church enchanted by the voice of a chorister named Mathew Trewella, and eventually lured him down to her home beneath the sea at Pendour Cove, just below the headland. The cove is still sometimes called Mermaid's Cove in her honour. D. H. Lawrence lived in Zennor for a period during the First World War, arriving in 1916 with Frieda and writing part of Women in Love while lodging in the village. His time here was turbulent — he and Frieda were suspected by locals and authorities of signalling to German submarines from the cliffs, a suspicion fuelled partly by Frieda's German nationality and partly by Lawrence's unconventional beliefs, and they were eventually expelled from Cornwall under the Defence of the Realm Act. Lawrence wrote about his experiences at Zennor in letters with a mixture of deep affection for the landscape and bitterness at his treatment, and the place clearly left a lasting impression on his imagination. This literary history adds another layer of depth to what is already a richly storied location. The South West Coast Path passes directly across Zennor Head, making it accessible to anyone walking this long-distance national trail, which runs for 630 miles around the entire southwest peninsula. The section between St Ives and Zennor is widely considered one of the finest and most demanding stretches of the entire path, characterised by relentless ups and downs over a series of headlands and combes, with minimal habitation and a genuine sense of wildness throughout. It takes roughly two to three hours to walk from St Ives to Zennor along the coast, and many visitors choose to walk one way and return by bus or taxi, as the inland village of Zennor has limited parking and no large visitor facilities — the Tinners Arms pub is the main stopping point and serves food and local ales. Visiting Zennor Head requires a reasonable level of fitness and appropriate footwear, as the terrain is uneven and the cliff edges are unfenced and potentially dangerous, particularly in wet or windy conditions. The closest car parking is in Zennor village itself, from where a footpath leads down through fields to the coast. There is no public transport directly to the headland, though a seasonal bus service (the First Kernow route between St Ives and St Just) stops in Zennor village, making a car-free visit feasible. The best time to visit is late spring through early autumn, when the heathland wildflowers are at their peak and daylight hours allow a leisurely exploration. In winter, the headland is bleakly magnificent but should be approached with caution given the ferocity of Atlantic gales. The waters around Zennor Head are notable for their wildlife. Grey seals are regularly spotted hauled out on rocks below the cliffs or porpoising through the surf, and the sea here is rich enough that bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises are occasional visitors. Choughs — the rare, red-billed crow that is Cornwall's heraldic bird — have been recorded in the wider Penwith area, and the cliff vegetation supports a variety of moths, butterflies, and rare coastal plant species. The combination of international geological interest, prehistoric archaeology, medieval legend, literary history, and extraordinary natural beauty makes Zennor Head one of the most genuinely layered and rewarding places in all of Cornwall, a destination that rewards slow, attentive visiting far more than a quick stop.

Trerice is a compact and enchanting Elizabethan manor house nestled in a sheltered valley in Cornwall, managed by the National Trust. It stands as one of the finest and best-preserved examples of Elizabethan domestic architecture in the southwest of England, and its relative obscurity compared to grander stately homes only adds to its intimate, unhurried charm. The house was built largely in 1573 by Sir John Arundell after his return to Cornwall, and its distinctive Dutch-style curved and scrolled gables give the façade an almost fantastical silhouette that would not look out of place in the Low Countries. For those who seek a quieter, more contemplative heritage experience away from the crowds, Trerice rewards careful attention in every corner. The Arundell family were one of Cornwall's most prominent Catholic gentry families, and their history is woven deeply into the fabric of the building. The manor that stands today replaced an earlier house on the same site, and the Arundells occupied it for generations, navigating the religious and political turbulences of the Tudor and Stuart eras with varying degrees of success. The Civil War proved particularly costly for the family, as they were staunch Royalists, and the financial and social losses they sustained in that conflict eventually forced the sale of Trerice. The house passed through several hands over subsequent centuries before coming into the care of the National Trust in 1953, by which point it had fallen into a state of considerable neglect and required significant restoration work. Stepping inside Trerice is to enter a world of restrained Elizabethan splendour. The great hall is immediately striking, dominated by a magnificent plaster ceiling of exceptional quality, featuring an intricate pattern of ribs and pendants that ranks among the finest of its era in England. The great chamber above is similarly adorned with beautiful plasterwork, and throughout the house there are period furnishings, portraits, and decorative objects that help conjure the life of a prosperous Cornish household in the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The windows are particularly notable — large for their era and filled with original or period glass that casts a soft, slightly greenish light across the interiors on sunny days, giving the rooms an almost aqueous quality. Outside, the garden at Trerice is modest in scale but carefully tended, with an enclosed courtyard feel that suits the intimate character of the house. The National Trust maintains a recreated Elizabethan-style garden with simple geometric beds and appropriate planting that complements rather than overwhelms the architecture. The barn that adjoins the complex houses a small and idiosyncratic museum dedicated to the history of the lawnmower, a charmingly eccentric touch that delights visitors who stumble upon it unexpectedly. The wider estate sits in a tucked-away valley landscape of small Cornish fields bounded by ancient hedgebanks, with the sounds of the surrounding countryside — birdsong, wind through hedgerow trees — providing a gentle backdrop. The surrounding area of mid-Cornwall is well worth exploring in combination with a visit. The market town of Newquay lies roughly five kilometres to the northwest, though Trerice feels entirely removed from the bustle of that busy coastal resort. The Roseland Peninsula, the Camel Estuary, and the broader north Cornish coast are all within comfortable driving distance, making Trerice an ideal stop on a wider Cornish itinerary. The lanes leading to the house are narrow and winding, typical of this part of Cornwall, and the approach along a sunken track hemmed in by high hedgebanks reinforces the sense of arriving somewhere genuinely secluded and self-contained. Visiting Trerice is straightforward for those with their own transport, though the narrow lanes demand careful driving. National Trust members enter free; there is a charge for non-members. The house and gardens are open seasonally, typically from spring through to autumn, though the precise days and hours vary year to year and visitors should check the National Trust website before travelling. There is a car park adjacent to the property, and a National Trust tearoom operates on site, serving light refreshments in a setting that completes the sense of a thoroughly pleasant half-day excursion. Weekdays outside of school holidays tend to be quieter, allowing for a more leisurely exploration of both house and garden. One of the more curious and little-known aspects of Trerice is the survival of an original window in the great hall that retains a substantial proportion of its sixteenth-century glazing — an unusually high proportion for a house of this age. The lawnmower collection housed in the barn is genuinely substantial and traces the mechanical history of the domestic lawn from the early nineteenth century onward, containing over a hundred machines and earning an unexpected reputation among horticultural history enthusiasts. The house also featured as a filming location for various period productions, lending its unspoiled interiors to screen as well as historical heritage. For those with an interest in Elizabethan architecture, decorative plasterwork, or simply a beautiful and peaceful corner of Cornwall, Trerice offers a deeply satisfying and gently surprising experience.

Pentire Head is a dramatic headland on the north Cornish coast, jutting into the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Camel Estuary near the village of Polzeath. It forms one of the most striking promontories in Cornwall, a peninsula of ancient volcanic rock rising steeply from the sea and offering some of the most breathtaking coastal scenery in the southwest of England. The headland is owned and protected by the National Trust, which acquired it in the mid-twentieth century, ensuring that this wild and beautiful place remains free from development and accessible to all. Its combination of geological interest, ecological richness, and raw natural beauty makes it one of the most rewarding walks on the South West Coast Path. The rock that forms Pentire Head is predominantly a dark greenish-grey pillow lava known as "Pentire Volcanic Series," formed around 400 million years ago during the Devonian period when submarine volcanic activity laid down layers of basaltic lava on the ancient ocean floor. These pillow-shaped formations — created when hot lava cooled rapidly in seawater — are now exposed in the coastal cliffs and can be seen clearly in places, making Pentire Head a site of genuine geological significance. The headland has been shaped over millennia by Atlantic storms and tidal forces, producing the rugged, fractured cliff faces and rocky foreshore that characterise it today. The history of Pentire Head stretches back long before written records. The promontory fort known as The Rumps, located a short walk northwest along the coastal path from the main headland, is an Iron Age cliff castle dating from roughly 500 to 100 BCE. This remarkable fortification used the natural protection of the sea cliffs on three sides, with a series of defensive earthwork ramparts cutting across the neck of the promontory on the landward side. Archaeological excavations have revealed evidence of substantial occupation, including pottery, animal bones, and signs of metalworking. The site gives a vivid impression of how strategically minded Iron Age communities exploited the Cornish coastline for defence and habitation. Standing at the tip of Pentire Head on a clear day, the views are vast and genuinely awe-inspiring. To the west, the open Atlantic stretches to the horizon with nothing between you and America. To the northeast, the great sandy sweep of Polzeath beach and Hayle Bay are visible, backed by the green folds of farmland. The Camel Estuary opens to the southeast, its shifting sandbanks glinting in the light, with the town of Padstow visible on the far shore. The headland itself is clothed in a dense mat of maritime heath and rough grass, peppered with sea campion, thrift, and gorse that turns brilliant yellow in spring. The air is salt-laden and clean, and on exposed days the sound of wind and crashing surf dominates everything. The wildlife on and around Pentire Head is exceptional. Grey seals are regularly spotted hauled out on rocks below the cliffs or bobbing in the swell. The cliffs support breeding populations of razorbills and fulmars, and peregrine falcons have been observed hunting over the headland. Choughs, the rare red-billed crow that is iconic in Cornwall, have been seen in the area. The coastal grassland supports a rich invertebrate community, and the wildflowers in late spring attract numerous butterfly species. The seas around the headland are part of an important marine environment, and dolphins and porpoises are not uncommon offshore. Pentire Head has a quiet but telling literary and cultural presence. The poet John Betjeman, who had deep connections with Cornwall and spent many holidays in the Trebetherick area just across the estuary, wrote with great affection about this stretch of coastline. The headland and its surroundings form part of the landscape that shaped his imagination and appeared in several of his poems. There is something about the combination of ancient rock, wide sea, and the particular quality of northern Cornish light that has long drawn artists, writers, and those in search of spiritual renewal. Access to Pentire Head is straightforward and rewarding. The nearest village is Polzeath, which lies about a mile to the east and is accessible by car via the B3314 road. There is a pay-and-display car park at Polzeath from which a well-marked footpath leads along the coastal path to the headland. The walk from Polzeath to the tip of Pentire Head takes approximately forty minutes at a gentle pace, with modest elevation gain along the way. The path is part of the South West Coast Path National Trail and is generally well-maintained, though it can be muddy in wet weather and uneven in places. Sensible footwear is recommended, and care should be taken near cliff edges, which are unfenced. The best time to visit Pentire Head is late spring, when the wildflowers are at their peak, the light is long, and the bird activity on the cliffs is at its most intense. Summer brings higher visitor numbers, particularly to Polzeath beach, but the headland itself rarely feels crowded even in peak season. Autumn is magnificent for stormy weather watching, and the headland's elevated position makes it a superb vantage point for observing Atlantic gales rolling in. Winter visits have their own stark grandeur, though shorter days and rough paths require more preparation. The National Trust maintains the land and there is no admission charge; the headland is open year-round at all times.