Hidden Gems

Between the Minack Theatre and Lands End there is a sign on a tight bend for Porthgwarra. A narrow (even by Cornish standards) lane winds past a farm and down into a steep valley at the bottom nestles a few cottages, a car park, a terrific café and the most stunning little cove with a steep, cobbled slipway leading to a sandy beach. A real hidden gem, unknown by most until it featured as a location in the recent “Poldark” series (where Demelza spies on Ross skinny-dipping!). We take great delight in telling visitors the tales of smugglers and wreckers using the tunnel to access the beach under the cover of darkness – in fact it was dug by miners from nearby St Just to allow farmers to easily collect seaweed for use as fertiliser but don’t let the truth get in the way of a great story!

Everyone knows of Lands End but just up the coast is somewhere known as the local’s Lands’ End – Cape Cornwall. A beautiful, unspoilt headland topped by a mine chimney that looks like an obelisk – used by shipping as a navigation mark and known locally as the ketchup bottle, not only for it’s shape but also as a nod to the Heinz company that bought the headland and donated it to the National Trust in 1987. Until the first Ordnance Survey around 200 years ago it was thought to be the most Westerly point of mainland England, hence the nickname. Just offshore are two rocky islets called The Brisons. They’re often referred to as “Charles De Gaulle taking a bath” – when you see them you’ll know why!

At the most southernly tip of Woolacombe Beach, Putsborough Beach offers all you’d want from a beach in South West England, and more: golden sands, fantastic waves, a brilliant beach café, and ever so slightly ‘tucked away’.

Torbay can seem like quite an urban stretch of the route, but there is a little known sandy cove just moments from the bustle of Torquay. Reached by descending a steep path through the woods (which deters many), intrepid explorers are rewarded by a secluded crescent-shaped beach, which is perfect for an Autumn dip in the aquamarine sea while the water is still warm.