West Cornwall Cottage Holidays

Pendeen

Formerly one of the most prolific tin producing areas of the UK, the village of Pendeen lies roughly half way between Lands End and St Ives. The mines have long since closed; however, reminders of their heyday abound with a plethora of engine houses and chimneys dotted along the coastline. The famous Geevor Mine, which in the 1990s was one of the last in the country to close, has been awarded significant grants from the European Union and has now reopened as a Heritage Museum and visitor attraction with exciting underground tours and surface workings. It also has a café with fabulous views over the cliffs which reputedly serve one of the best home made pasties in Cornwall!

Another popular attraction in the area is the dramatic Pendeen lighthouse (Trinity House) which perches on the slate promontory of Pendeen Watch overlooking a part of the coast that is notorious for the number of ships wrecked on the rocky headlands. The lighthouse came into service in 1900 and is now open to the public and at one time housed the second largest set of foghorns in Britain. The lighthouse has since been converted to digital fog signals however the original black horns can still be seen on the roof of the lighthouse.

A short walk from the lighthouse is Portheras Cove, one of the best kept secrets in West Cornwall. A wonderful crescent shaped beach (which can only be accessed via the coastal path) with beautiful soft sand. A hideaway for locals and tourists in the know, the cove is home to a small colony of seals which can be viewed from either the beach or the cliff tops as they play in the surf. Visitors must also me aware of the vicious undertow when swimming and children should be supervised at all times.

Pendeen itself is a friendly little village with a rich heritage. There are several pubs in the area including The North Inn, a former winner of the Cornwall 'Pub of the Year' competition as voted by CAMRA and serves a wonderful fish curry during the week. The Pendeen Church which was built by local miners has recently celebrated its 150th anniversary.

Pendeen is real walking country and attracts visitors from all over the globe who can only marvel at the breathtaking scenery and ancient history. One can access the famous Coastal Footpath to either Lands End in the west or St Ives towards the east, tramp the Penwith Moors that stretch for miles in between, or investigate the standing stones and stone circles just outside the village. The entire moorland hills of the Land's End peninsula boasts a remarkable concentration of Bronze and Iron Age relics which date back from 4000BC another reason why the area has recently been awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO, a similar accolade to that of the Pyramids and the Taj Maha