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A Local's Guide to West Cornwall

  • Writer: christenpears
    christenpears
  • 3 days ago
  • 4 min read

Are you looking for some ideas to help you plan your holiday in West Corwnall? If you're reading this, you've probably already realised that there's a lot of information on The Journal. What's more, when you stay with us, you receive access to our exclusive online guide which contains even more recommendations and handy tips for visiting this beautiful part of Cornwall. But what if you're only here for a short time, what are the essentials? From world famous attractions to our favourite coffee spots, these are the places we visit on a regular basis.


45 Queen Street in Penzance is one of our favourite places for food and drink
45 Queen Street in Penzance is one of our favourite places for food and drink

The Barbara Hepworth Museum & Sculpture Garden

If you do just one thing in St Ives, then make it a visit to this extraordinary place where Barbara Hepworth lived and worked from 1949 until her death in 1975.


St Ives is always busy during the summer so we always recommend taking the train from St Erth to avoid the parking nightmare. It's a short but beautiful ride along the coast. Combine your visit with food at St Eia or cocktails and ice cream at Palais Provisions which is just opposite the museum.


You can read more about visiting the Hepworth here.


45 Queen Street

If you're staying in The Bell Tower, this is your local - an old warehouse just off Chapel Street that's now home to a fantastic bar, kitchen and deli. Oozing atmosphere and serving fresh, local produce, this is our go-to for everything from brunch to cocktails. Don't miss the happy hour trolley that comes around from 4pm.


An honourable mention for Orto which is just across the road. This new kid on Penzance's culinary block opened just a few months ago and serves up delicious Mediterranean fare.


Prussia Cove

Just a couple of miles down the road from Middle Colenso Farm, Prussia Cove is truly magical. It has beautiful scenery, a rich smuggling history and is one of our favourite spots for walking, swimming and paddle boarding.


There's some general information on how to make the most of your visit here: https://www.middlecolensofarm.co.uk/post/summer-days-at-prussia-cove


I've also written about exploring the area by paddle board:


Penlee House Museum and Gallery

Penlee House is a must-visit when you're in Penzance. Situated in beautiful Penlee Park, it's home to a large collection of works by the celebrated Newlyn and Lamorna Schools and hosts a number of exhibitions throughout the year. On the first floor you'll find a wonderful local museum which traces the history of West Penwith from prehistoric times right up to the 20th century.


For history lovers, we also highly recommend The Museum of Cornish Life in Helston.


Porthcurno

Porthcurno offers the perfect day out. It's home to the famous Minack open air theatre. Remarkably, this remote little valley was once the centre of worldwide communications and you can explore its history at PK Porthcurno Museum of Global Telecommunications. The beach at Porthcurno is stunning, with fine, pale sand and turqouise water. Walk around the headland at low tide and you'll reach the even more beautiful Pedn Vounder. There's a brilliant circular walk that takes in the nearby villages of Penberth and Treen. Make sure you stop off at Farm & Fort for a snack or cup of coffee.


You can read more about the walk here:


And about The Minack Theatre here:



Flora, New Yard

This cafe, bakery and restaurant recently celebrated its third birthday. Situated on the Trelowarren estate, it's run by husband and wife time Tim and Louise and serves up superb Scandi sweet treats (Louise is Danish), woodfired pizza to die for and superb seasonal dishes. The set menu Sunday lunch is outstanding.


It's worth visiting the area for Flora alone but there are plenty of other things to do on The Lizard. We love to walk around Gunwalloe and Church Cove. From there it's only a 15-minute drive to Frenchman's Creek - must for du Maurier fans. It's also a lovely place to walk or paddle board.


Read more about Flora and Trelowarren here.


Godolphin

Once, the centre of one of Cornwall's greatest mining estates, Godolphin is just a 10-minute drive from the cottages at Middle Colenso. Explore the historic gardens or wider estate (the views from the top of Godolphin Hill are fantastic) or pick up a bargain in the excellent National Trust secondhand bookshop.



Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens

Situated on the outskirts of Penzance, this 20-acre site includes mature woodland and large-scale planting of exotic and sub-tropical species. Woven into the fabric of the landscape is a growing collection of permanent works by artists. There's also an excellent cafe, gallery and shop on site.



Rinsey

You can't visit Cornwall without experiencing something of its mining history. The north coast, also known as The Tin Coast, is home to both the Levant and Geevor mines. Both are fascinating but we prefer to explore closer to home. Rinsey, which is situated between Praa Sands and Porthleven, boasts mining ruins, beautiful scenery and a lovely little beach at low tide (although be warned, the climb is steep).


I've written about it here:















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