Cornwall is the granite peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean. The county offers miles of spectacular coastal scenery with picturesque coves and fishing ports in addition to wonderful sandy beaches. Inland there are miles of wild moorland dotted with ancient standing stones and similar ancient monuments.
This is the land of myths and legends. There are stories of giants and piskies, star-crossed lovers such as Tristan and Isolde and, of course the tales of King Arthur. These abound in such places as St Michael’s Mount and the ruined castle of Tintagel. But there are also tales involving such sites as the Merry Maidens and many places on Bodmin Moor.
There are many attractive resorts on the coast such as St Ives, Padstow or the busier seaside town of Newquay on the north coast. Looe, Polperro, Fowey and Mevagissey are lovely old fishing towns on the south coast of the county. In addition, there are the old market towns of St Austell, Penzance and Cornwall’s only city, Truro, with its narrow old streets and cathedral. There are no shortage of Cornwall cottages in this area
The Helford Estuary offers many delightful inlets such as Frenchman’s Creek, immortalised by Daphne du Maurier. Not far away is Falmouth with its old quay and ferry across to St Mawes on the lovely Roseland Peninsula. Helston is one of the old stannary towns, famous for its famous floral dance, which takes place every May.
Cornwall boasts the point furthest west in England at Land’s End, although the nearby Cape Cornwall offers a more peaceful venue these days. The county also holds the most southerly point at The Lizard Point. Both these western peninsulas are home to many small, picturesque fishing villages.
Closer to the Devon border are the wide sandy beaches around Bude, with views across to Lundy Island. Many of the Cornish beaches are popular with surfers. There are also numerous sites popular with bird watchers, particularly the Hayle Estuary, where the flocks of migrating birds make their first and last landfalls on their journeys to and fro.