Lamorna Cove Cornwall
Lamorna Cove on the southwest Cornish coast near Land's End is a small and exceptionally beautiful rocky cove approached through a wooded valley of the Lamorna stream, a destination that combined the qualities of the wooded valley, the rocky shore and the granite pier above the cove in a landscape of such gentle and complete beauty that it attracted the artists of the Newlyn School who made it one of the most painted small coastal settings in Cornwall. Samuel John Lamorna Birch, the most celebrated of the Lamorna artists, took his middle name from the cove and painted its landscape throughout his long career.
The cove is reached by the narrow road down the Lamorna Valley, the descent through the woodland of the valley providing a sheltered approach that contrasts with the more exposed granite clifftop scenery of the surrounding Land's End peninsula. The granite quarry above the cove, whose stone was exported by the small pier for use in the construction of London streets and buildings, provides the industrial heritage dimension to what is primarily a nature and landscape destination.
The coast path from Lamorna Cove in both directions provides excellent granite cliff walking characteristic of the Penwith Peninsula, and the combination of the valley approach, the cove and the cliff walking creates one of the finest complete coastal experiences available in the far west of Cornwall.