About the Area
Gurnard’s Head can be found on the rugged North Coast of the Penwith peninsula, deep down in the far reaches of South West Cornwall. With a windswept coastline in winter, breathtaking azure blue seas and endless panoramic skies in summer – it’s no surprise that the location is designated as part of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The name comes from the similarity between the head of the local fish the Gurnard and the shape of the rocky outcrop itself. The 630 mile long South West Coast Path crosses to the south of the headland. The view from the coastal path is spectacular and dramatic in equal measure especially at sunset. Watching the sun slowly disappear into the sea is hard to beat!
Within a short walk from the cottage are derelict mine buildings from the golden age of Cornish tin mining, offering a fascinating window into times gone by. The nearby coves, Treen Cove and Rose-an Hale Cove were used by pilchard fishermen up till 1880.
A few miles north is St Ives, a world renowned creative home to many artists and galleries and a great place to search for holiday mementoes. Heading south west finds Pendeen and St Just with their fascinating tin mining heritage as seen at Geevor Tin Mine and Levant Mine and Beam Engine.
The whole route is punctuated by breathtaking scenery and coves and beaches, some easy to get to, others more of a challenge! After rounding the famous Land’s End you come across some real gems such as the Minack open air theatre, literally carved out of the cliffs above the picture perfect Porthcurno beach.
Next up is the traditional picture postcard fishing village of Mousehole. With its winding narrow streets, tiny harbour and beach its definitely worth a visit and a reminder of how Cornish life used to be when fishing and tin mining were its two main industries.
Rounding the headland brings you to Newlyn, a working fishing port and a town in its own right on the fringes of the main town, Penzance. Newlyn has a quirky, bohemian feel to it with an independent cinema, galleries, restaurants and down to earth pubs dotted around the harbour.
Seamlessly you then arrive in Penzance, the largest town in Penwith. Home to a beautiful Victorian promenade as well as the art deco Jubilee Pool, an open air swimming pool recently upgraded to include a geothermally heated pool.