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Pretty Villages and Historic Towns

Our intention is not to re-write the guide books, but to give those with little knowledge of the area an insight into what is available. This page is only scratching the surface. Come and see for yourself, most of our visitors realise when they get into it that a week is never enough.

HELSTON
Ask almost anyone what they know about Helston, and of course it is the Floral or Furry Dance. But having walked the excellent Historic Town Trail you realise what a fascinating place it is. It was a thriving sea port until in 1307 the Loe Bar silted up the Cober estuary to from The Loe, Cornwall’s largest freshwater lake. (See the Wonderful Wildlife page for more on this.)

Helston has some famous ‘sons’ such as Bob Fitzsimmons, the first Englishman to win the world heavyweight boxing title and Henry Trengrouse who invented the rocket propelled rescue line after the HMS Anson foundered on the Loe Bar with the loss of over 100 lives. There is an excellent source of further information on Helston Here

TRURO
Truro the cathedral city of Cornwall, is currently undergoing something of a facelift, with extensive but tasteful development being carried out on Lemon Quay. Shop-a-holics will find just about every major national retailer, together with an interesting selection of specialist shops. The Cathedral, although relatively modern, (completed in the early 1900’s) is an architectural gem and the Hall for Cornwall theatre hosts everything from Jazz to Shakespeare.

PENZANCE
“Home of the 'Pirates' of Gilbert and Sullivan - tourist and vacation centre of the Lands End peninsula - land of cliffs, moors, secluded beaches and spectacular scenery.” We ‘borrowed’ this description from Penzance excellent Web Site, and we will leave you to explore that on your own. We would just add that Penzance is also the gateway to the Scilly Isles, with daily sailings (weather permitting) by the Scillonian or for those with less time to spare the first helicopter service.

If your interests lie in the countryside, there are countless villages each with it’s own character, history and claim to fame. We’ll identify a few of our favourites but the real fun is ‘discovering’ them on your own.

Helford is perhaps the best known local beauty spot and it is well worth a visit. Take the roads through Mawgan and Manaccan to the tiny hamlet of Helford and enjoy lunch at the Ship Inn or take the ferry to Helford Passage and the Ferryboat Inn, From Helford Passage it is just a short walk to the gardens of Trebah and Glendurgan.

The Lizard peninsula contains some real gems, but perhaps nowhere is more typical of the Cornish fishing village than Cadgwith. A picture postcard collection of thatched cottages is crammed into a tiny cove where the small fleet of crabbing boats are still hauled up onto the single beach. Getting in and out along steep narrow streets is quite an adventure in itself.

Mullion Cove and Harbour offer easy access to the South West Coast path.

From the cliff tops above Mullion Cove ther are some of the finest views across Mounts Bay and down the coast to Kynance.