Cornwall has a beautifully varied landscape surrounded by an amazing coastline. The scenery in west Cornwall feels dramatic and raw, and has a cultural history associated with mining. It has also inspired some incredible authors and painters. For those who want to explore whilst staying with us, we've written a guide to some of our favourite things to see and do, and of course, places to eat.
Argoe
Ex-Rochelle Canteen chef Ben Coombs and Newlyn fishmonger Richard Adams founded Argoe, a waterside fish restaurant situated in Newlyn’s bustling fishing port. The ethos is simple: nose-to-tail cooking, offering unused, unknown and underrated cuts of fish mostly cooked on a wood fired grill. It’s wonderfully simple, yet elegant and delicious.
Gurnards Head
The Gurnard's Head is hard to miss. The striking yellow inn is sandwiched between the Penwith Moors with views out across the Atlantic. Inside its earthy and rustic with crackling fires to keep you warm. The menu is small, but mighty with a focus on seasonal and local produce. This is not your standard pub grub. One of our favourites…
The New Craftsmen
Spanning furniture, lighting, textiles, gifts, ceramics and artworks, The New Craftsmen range is made by a growing network of makers from across the British Isles and now represents more than 100 artists and presents eight curated exhibitions a year, with a focus on the very best new work by established and rising painters, potters, sculptors and fine-art jewellers.
The Tate, St Ives
Consistently showing interesting exhibitions, the Tate is a brilliant place to explore for art lovers.
Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens
Tremenheere can be found in a beautiful sheltered valley, overlooking St Michael’s Mount, with woods and a stream, interwoven with an evolving programme of contemporary artwork.
Porthcurno
In terms of raw beauty few beaches anywhere can match Porthcurno; near white sand, crystal clear turquoise water and an amphitheatre of rugged granite cliffs as a backdrop. It is also home to the infamous Minack Theatre, but the beach alone is worth it.
Botallack
Located on the rugged cliffs of the Tin Coast in St Just, Botallack mine is part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site and BBC’s Poldark filming location. It’s wild and utterly beautiful.
Little Palais
If you find yourself in St Ives, head to this little neighbourhood bar for low intervention wines, thoughtfully constructed cocktails and fine small plates. It’s easy to while away a few hours here, listening to their excellent vinyl collection with views overlooking the harbour.
45 Queen St
45 Queen St is a neighbourhood bar/kitchen, deli/shop in a beautiful old warehouse in the heart of Penzance. This is the sort of place where you can spend a few hours sipping coffee whilst reading the weekend paper, or enjoy an evening with friends working your way through the excellent drinks list. It’s relaxed, warm and vibrant.
