Sights in Southwest Cornwall
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Pendennis Castle
Perched on the promontory of Pendennis Point, Pendennis Castle was constructed from 1540 to 1545 by Henry VIII as one of a chain of fortresses designed to defend the British mainland from Spanish and French invasion. Falmouth's deepwater harbour made the town a key strategic asset, and Pendennis was built, along with its sister fortress of St Mawes, to defend the harbour and the entrance to the Carrick Roads.
During the Civil War, the castle was engaged in a five-month siege under the command of Captain John Arundell of Trerice, and later became a defensive gun battery during WWII. These days the guns have fallen silent, but you can still experience a taste of Tudor warfa…
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Statue of Humphry Davy
At the top of Market Jew St is a statue to Penzance's most famous son, Humphry Davy (1778-1829), the pioneering 'chemical philosopher', amateur poet and fanatical trout fisherman. Davy was responsible for an astonishing number of scientific advances: the discovery of six new elements (including potassium, sodium and strontium), the invention of the miner's safety lamp, and the use of nitrous oxide (or laughing gas) as a medical anaesthetic.
He also penned reams of amateur poetry and befriended some of the 19th century's best-known Romantic writers, including Samuel Taylor Coleridge, although whether it was Davy's amateur verse or his ready supply of chemical narcotics tha…
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National Maritime Museum Cornwall
Falmouth's illustrious seafaring takes centre stage at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, situated on the town's heavily redeveloped dockside. The museum houses one of the largest maritime collections in the UK, second only to its sister museum in Greenwich in London. At the heart of the complex is the huge Flotilla Gallery, where boats dangle from the ceiling by slender steel wires, while suspended walkways wind their way around the collection of yachts, schooners, punts and canoes.
Other highlights include the Set Sail exhibit, which tells the story of nine groundbreaking boats, and the Lookout, with a 360-degree panorama of Falmouth Bay. The museum even has its own…
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Egyptian House
As with Truro and Falmouth further east, Penzance's wealth was founded on the import-export trade, and most of the town's Georgian and Regency town houses were built for the merchants and sea captains who once plied their trade out of the harbour. The best examples can be seen along Chapel St and Queen St; look out for the extraordinary Egyptian House.
The Egyptian House looks like a bizarre cross between a Georgian town house and an Egyptian sarcophagus and was originally built for a wealthy mineralogist, John Lavin, as a geological museum.
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Maenporth Beach
A couple of miles further along from Swanpool Beach is Maenporth Beach, trammelled by cliffs and a fine spot for some sheltered swimming. There's also a small beach café selling drinks, snacks and ice-creams. All of Falmouth's beaches are accessible from the coast path, or you can catch the X89 bus from town. There are car parks at Swanpool and Maenporth, but they fill up quickly in summer.
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Swanpool Beach
A pleasant half-hour stroll along the headland is Swanpool Beach, backed by a small inland lagoon and nature reserve, populated by grebes, coots, kingfishers and mute swans. All of Falmouth's beaches are accessible from the coast path, or you can catch the X89 bus from town. There are car parks at Swanpool and Maenporth, but they fill up quickly in summer.
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Gyllyngvase Beach
Falmouth is blessed with a trio of town beaches. Most popular is Gyllyngvase Beach, a flat sandy beach backed by the funky Gylly Beach Café. All of Falmouth's beaches are accessible from the coast path, or you can catch the X89 bus from town. There are car parks at Swanpool and Maenporth, but they fill up quickly in summer.
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Penlee House Gallery & Museum
Penzance's historic art gallery displays a fine range of paintings by artists of the Newlyn School (including Stanhope Forbes) and hosts regular exhibitions on Cornwall's art history. Admission is free on Saturday.
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Trebah
Two of Cornwall's great gardens sit side by side along the northern bank of the Helford River, both of which can be visited by taking a day-trip from Falmouth. Trebah, first planted in 1840, is one of Cornwall's finest subtropical gardens, dramatically situated in a steep ravine filled with giant rhododendrons, huge Brazilian rhubarb plants and jungle ferns.
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The Loe
A mile south of Porthleven is the treacherous sandbank of Loe Bar – scene of many a shipwreck – and Loe Pool, Cornwall's largest freshwater lake, said by some to be the resting place of King Arthur's magical blade, Excalibur.
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River Helford
The River Helford flows across the north of the Lizard. Lined with overhanging oaks and hidden inlets, it's the perfect smugglers' hideaway. Frenchman's Creek, the inspiration for Daphne du Maurier's novel of the same name, can be reached on foot from the car park in Helford village.
From the quayside, Helford River Boats runs pedestrian ferries across the water to Helford Passage (near Falmouth).
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Pendennis Castle
On the promontory of Pendennis Point, this classic Tudor castle was built by Henry VIII to defend the entrance to the Fal estuary in tandem with its sister fortress at St Mawes, on the opposite side. Don't miss the superbly atmospheric Tudor gun deck (complete with cannon flashes, smoke and shouted commands), the WWI guard house and the WWII observation post.
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Newlyn Art Gallery
The salty old harbour of Newlyn, on the western edge of Penzance, is known for two things: art and fishing. It's still one of the UK's busiest fishing ports, and there are plenty of shops dotted around the town where you can pick up fresh-cooked lobster, crab and seafood literally straight off the boats. During the 19th century, Newlyn was also the centre of the Newlyn School of artists, a group of figurative painters headed by Stanhope Forbes and his wife Elizabeth. The town's artistic connections live on at this contemporary art gallery.
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National Seal Sanctuary
Six miles from Helston at the western end of the Helford River, this sanctuary cares for sick and orphaned seals washed up along the Cornish coastline before returning them to the wild.
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National Maritime Museum
This museum is home to one of the largest maritime collections in the UK, second only to its sister museum in Greenwich in London. At the heart of the complex is the Flotilla Gallery, where a collection of groundbreaking boats dangle from the ceiling on slender steel wires. Other highlights include the Nav Station, a hands-on exhibit exploring nautical navigation, the Tidal Zone, where underwater windows peer into the depths, and the Look Out, offering a 360-degree panorama of Falmouth Bay.
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Lizard Lighthouse Heritage Centre
Right at the tip of the peninsula is Lizard Point, the southernmost point in England. The vista from the surrounding cliffs is breathtaking, but it's especially worth a visit for this maritime museum, housed in a historic lighthouse built in 1751. The museum explores the Lizard's connections with smuggling, shipwrecks and nautical navigation: you even get the chance to climb up into the tower and, if you're lucky, let off a deafening blast from the foghorn.
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Kynance Cove
A little way up the coast from the point is the lovely National Trust–owned Kynance Cove, sprinkled with caves and offshore islands. Much of the red-green serpentine rock fashionable during the Victorian era was mined here.
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Helston & Porthleven
The Lizard's main town is Helston, which is famous for its annual street party, Flora Day, held on 8 May. This ancient festival is a mix of street dance, musical parade and floral pageant: the two main events are the Hal-An-Tow, in which St Michael and the devil do battle, and the Furry Dance, which kicks off at noon and proceeds around the town's streets.
Three miles southwest of Helston is Porthleven, a former fishing port with a burgeoning foodie scene, epitomised by the bustling Wednesday morning market and the Porthleven Food Festival.
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Glendurgan
Next door to Trebah, this garden was established in the 18th century by the wealthy Fox family, who imported exotic plants from the New World. Look out for the stunning views of the River Helford, the 19th-century maze and the secluded beach near Durgan village. The garden is also open on Mondays in July and August.
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Exchange
Housed in Penzance's old telecoms building, this is the sister gallery to the Newlyn Art Gallery. The pulsating light installation outside is by the artist Peter Freeman, and is best seen after dark.
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Beaches
Falmouth has three main beaches. The nearest beach to town is busy Gyllyngvase, a short walk from the town centre, where you'll find plenty of flat sand and a decent beach cafe. Further around the headland, Swanpool and Maenporth are usually quieter. The regular Bus 500 from Falmouth stops at all three.
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