This tour really and truly can be done in a day: Anne and her cousin, Diana Briggs, managed it in October 1996. Various other people have done various subsets of it at various times.
Lelant
The first stopping place is the parish church of St Uny at Lelant on the Hayle
estuary. The church is an attractive example of a West Penwith church and
surrounded on two sides by a golf course. It is also the home of Anne's Johns
ancestors: her great-great-great-great-grandparents were married here
in 1805.
St
Ives Formerly a fishing port, St Ives is now best known as an artists
colony. The Tate at St
Ives and, in particular, the Barbara
Hepworth Museum are worth a visit. There are also many opportunities for
browsing crafts, particularly pottery, and buying souvenirs. If you're not
very careful, your tour can come to a complete halt here... Be aware that
the climb back up to the main car park is very steep! Anne's Pearce
ancestors were butchers in St Ives in the first half of the 19th century.
The Mermaid
at Zennor Legend has it that a mermaid fell in love with a local lad
and began attending the Sunday Service at Zennor so she could watch him as
he sang in the choir. One day, he followed her after the service and they
were never heard of again. Whether or not the story is true, there is a medieval
bench in the church at Zennor with a carving
of the mermaid.
Mên-an-Tol
(near Morvah) The most famous of the ancient "holed" stones, it is truly
magnificent. It is tentatively dated to the early Bronze age but its purpose
is completely unknown. If the Mên-an-Tol
Studio is open, please stop in. Ian Cooke has written some wonderful guides
to the local antiquities as well as doing very evocative representations of
the local landscape.
Lanyon
Quoit Just down the road from the Mên-an-Tol is another ancient
monument. It is no longer in the original configuration but it is rumoured
that King Arthur used it as a table for a feast.
Botallack Head (near St
Just)Awesome mine ruins. We spent two afternoons
exploring this area in the hot summer of 1995 and a morning here in the frostbitten
conditions of New Year's Day 1997.
Carn Euny
(near Sancreed) The remains of an Iron Age village built during the
first century BC. Especially notable for its fogou, or underground chamber.
Notes
Lunch There are many choices: any number of places in St Ives, or
the pub at Zennor, or simply pulling over to the roadside and eating a pasty.
Toilets You should be aware that there are very few public toilets
in the remotest parts of West Penwith. Definitely make a stop while you're
in St Ives. If you stop in Zennor, there are some at the bottom of the car
park next to the Old Chapel (summer only). Otherwise, the next set of facilities
is in Pendeen (in the car park opposite Boscaswell Stores) or in St Just.