©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd West Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly Includes ¨ Why Go? West Cornwall . 210 While most visitors head for the tourist honey pots of the St Ives . 210 north coast, the wild west of Cornwall receives fewer visitors Penwith Peninsula . 214 outside the major draws of St Ives and Land’s End. But the real beauty of this corner lies off the beaten track: it’s a land Penzance . 218 where stone monuments rise up from the hilltops, ancient Mousehole . 222 moorland butts up against gorse-topped cliffs, and forgotten Lizard Point . 228 mine stacks stand out in relief against the skyline. The Helford . 229 With its sparkling seaside setting and artistic connec- Isles of Scilly . 230 tions, the attractions of St Ives are very well known, and the town can feel uncomfortably crowded between July and St Mary’s . 231 September; visit in early spring or autumn and you’ll find things quieter. Similarly, the main beaches around Gwithi- an, Sennen and the Lizard can be very busy, but many more Best Places to Eat remote coves can be reached via the coast path. And for a real escape, the lesser-visited islands of Scilly feel like a ¨ Shore (p219) whole different world. ¨ Tolcarne Inn (p222) ¨ Gurnard’s Head (p218) ¨ Ben’s Cornish Kitchen When to Go (p223) ¨ Apr Porthleven celebrates Cornwall’s food culture with a big festival, when top chefs and suppliers set up stalls by the ¨ Kota (p227) harbour. ¨ Porthminster Beach Café ¨ St Mary’s on the Isles of Scilly hosts the World (p212) May Pilot Gig Championships over a weekend in early May. Accommodation is almost impossible to find, so you’ll need to book at least six months ahead Best Views ¨ Jun Penzance stages its big summer street celebration ¨ Gwithian and Godrevy during the Golowan Festival in June: try to visit on Mazey Day (p213) if you can, when the whole town turns out to party. ¨ Porthcurno (p216) ¨ Dec Christmas lights cover the harbour around Mousehole, ¨ Lizard Point (p229) and Penzance’s pagan Montol Festival provides a slightly more alternative view of the festive season. ¨ Hell’s Mouth (p213) ¨ Kynance Cove (p228) ¨ Land’s End (p215) Isles of Scilly Portreath #\ #\ Lower Middle Truro Town Town \# St Martin's Gwithian & \# #\ Redruth The Town \# Ù# St Ives Godrevy \# Bay #\ Higher #\ ç# Tresco #1 Towans Camborne Town /·A39 Zennor #\ St Ives Isles of #\ Hayle Scilly Morvah #\ #\ Penwith #4 #9 /·A30 Penryn St Mawes rry Botallack #8 Moors #\ Mainland Fe #\ Falmouth Hugh St Mary's St Just- #\ Penzance Marazion 0¸A394 \# #]7 #\ Town \# in-Penwith Old Town A T L A N T I C Penwith #5 St Michael's Helston O C E A N Peninsula #\ Newlyn Mount #\ St Agnes #\ Porthleven #\ #\ Sennen St Buryan #6 Mousehole #æ Helford Land's #\ #\ Loe Pool Goonhilly 0 5 km End Treen #\Lamorna #æ # #\ e 0 2.5 miles #\ Downs #\ Gunwalloe St Keverne #3 #\ Porthcurno Mullion#\ #\ Coverack Cadgwith #\ Kennack The Sands Lizard Isles of Scilly Kynance Cove #2 #õ Housel Hugh Cove Town#\ A T L A N T I C English 0 10 km See Isles of Scilly O C E A N e# 0 5 miles Channel Enlargement West Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly Highlights 1 St Ives (p210) Celebrating 3 Porthcurno (p216) 5 St Michael’s Mount 7 Penzance (p218) Admiring to one of Cornwall’s most Cornwall’s artistic heritage at Catching a clifftop play with a (p223) Crossing the cobbled fine Georgian architecture in photogenic mines . Tate St Ives . breathtaking Atlantic backdrop . causeway to an island abbey . Chapel St, then taking a dip in 9 Penwith Moors (p214) 2 Kynance Cove (p228) Wild 4 Isles of Scilly (p230) 6 Mousehole (p222) Jubilee Pool . Wandering round stone circles WEST CORN CORN CORN WEST WEST WEST Sci Sci OF OF Sci ISLES ISLES OF THE THE ISLES & & THE & ALL ALL W W ALL W LLY LLY LLY LLY LLY CORN st WE hts G hli G I H Y cill S OF S E sl I E H T & ll A W 8 swimming, walking the cliffs Swimming with wild seals on Wandering the cobbled alleys of Botallack (p216) and Iron Age villages on this 205 and scanning for choughs . this island archipelago . this pretty fishing village. Clambering down the cliffs wild, windy heath ..