Pendeen Watch to Land’s End

15 May 2024

Distance on Coast Path: 16.2km; ascent: 352m

Total distance: 17.6km; ascent: 352m

Walking time: 4h 27′

Total time: 6h 10′

Overnight: The King’s Arms, Paul

After a good night’s sleep yesterday’s dark mood had dissipated and I felt in good spirits again as I walked down the road to rejoin the Path at Pendeen Watch lighthouse. It was another clear, dry day with gusty winds.

Pendeen Watch lighthouse

Almost immediately the sprawling site of Geevor tin mines – now a mining museum – announced I had reached the realm of Big Tin. The site covers some 67 acres (27 hectares) and is part of the UNESCO Cornwall and West Devon Mining World Heritage site (source: Wikipedia). I’d decided earlier that a visit needed more time than I wanted to spend while walking, but marked it down for another time.

Part of Geevor Old Tin Mine site

Botallack tin mine engine house

The going was easy through Geevor and beyond, rarely level but with easy gradients along the mostly open coastline. There were frequent mining relics – chimneys, ruins of old engine houses, signs warning anyone thinking of deviating from the path of the dangers of open shafts. I came to the old Botallack mine with its much-photographed engine house perched on the cliff edge.

Cape Cornwall

The next landmark was Cape Cornwall. I’d never heard of it before but felt I surely should have; after all, how many other counties have their own Cape? Once again Wikipedia provides the answer: ‘None’. The only other Cape in the UK is Cape Wrath at the north-west tip of Scotland. Cape Cornwall is photogenic, with the chimney of an old tin mine left standing as an aid to navigation. The Cape itself is connected to the mainland by a narrow neck of land. I didn’t make the detour to the viewpoint at the end but I did stop after the small car park at the far side where several people with sketch pads were dotted around working on capturing the scene. I sat on a convenient flat stone and gave them a point of focus for their work while I ate the remnants of a flapjack I’d bought in St Ives a couple of days ago.

Now it was easy going as I reached Whitesand Bay with Sennen Cove in view at the far side. Sennen Cove is the end of the SWCP Guidebook’s stage from Pendeen Watch, but my objective was Land’s End. Finding overnight accommodation had become increasingly difficult as Cornwall narrowed so tonight I was booked into a pub, the King’s Arms, in a village just outside Penzance with the distinctly non-Cornish-sounding name of Paul. At least it began with P, unlike its neighbouring and non-Cornish-sounding village of Sheffield. Paul, or rather Sheffield, was on the coastal bus route so my plan was to get the bus from Land’s End.

Granite and steel Coast Path waymark

And then it was just a short walk of 2km on a wide path to Land’s End. There were plenty of people about – tourists, not path walkers – some who’d walked from Land’s End to see Sennen Cove, some doing the reverse (probably because it’s cheaper to park in Sennen Cove and walk to Lands End than park at the commercially managed Land’s End itself). This far west the wooden Coast Path waymarks with their acorns were replaced by rather attractive and durable stainless steel discs set in granite stones.

There’s not much to say about Land’s End. Approaching from Sennen Cove you arrive at The First and Last House, then a few hundred metres further is the collection of buildings which make up the Land’s End visitor experience with its shops, display galleries, hotel and iconic signpost. You can pay £10.99 to have your personal message mounted on the signpost and your picture taken by a ‘professional’ photographer. You can then collect a print of the photo and a digital version which someone told me had a lock which prevents you making copies. I declined the chance. I did take a few pictures of my own but I don’t like any of them enough to show them here. Maybe when I go back ….

Later in the King’s Arms I ordered spaghetti with meatballs. The meatballs – four of them – were the size of tennis balls and the whole dish came with a side of garlic bread. I may not eat again for a week.

For the next two sections of the Coast Path from Land’s End to Lamorna, see Day 27 and Day 28.