Today I am going to take you on a journey, just a short journey – a sketching walk around west Penwith. In order to be factually accurate I didn’t do all these sketches in one day, but you could, providing you had a car and plenty of time.
Where is west Penwith you might ask? Does it start in Penzance or Mousehole? Well I am going to start my sketching walk in Lamorna!
Lamorna
Lamorna is a pretty cove, just along from Mousehole but actually not that easy to get to. You need to navigate the windy lanes that prevail around this area, but there is a small car park, albeit with high parking charges. But it was cheap enough for me to pop out and do a quick sketch before moving on.
Porthcurno
Next stop is Porthcurno, where you can visit the spectacular Minack Theatre or walk along the beautiful beach, whilst all the time looking at Logan Rock. I love this area, especially the colour of the sea and sand.
Land’s End
Next stop is Land’s End – but I do have a top tip for this area. Many, many years ago, when I was a young girl Land’s End was a beautiful, unspoilt part of our country. Sadly it is now a major tourist attraction, with all the trappings that go with it. My top tip therefore is to go park up in Sennen Cove and walk along the coastline to Land’s End – then you can experience the unspoilt scenery from my youth.
Sennen
On the way back from your walk to Land’s End, you get a marvellous view of Sennen Cove and Whitesand Bay.
The Bay, with its beautiful white sandy beach that stretches around to my next stop.
Cape Cornwall
Cape Cornwall – a lovely little, quiet spot where fishermand still venture out in their small boats. There is a National Trust car park and a perfect spot in on a sunny day all year round.
Ancient Cornwall
Along the coast a little further is The Crowns at Botallack Mines. I do love this spot, with the mines clinging precariously to the cliffs. You can walk down and explore the higher engine house mine, which is easily accessible, but I wouldn’t try and venture to the lower engine house as the path has eroded, making it quite dangerous.
Lanyon Quoit
Now whilst you could carry on along the coast to St Ives, I am going to go back to Penzance on the Madron road so that I can pass Lanyon Quoit. These ancient stones dot the landscape in West Penwith but Lanyon Quoit is the most accessible from the road. These truly is Cornwall’s historic past dating back many, many centuries and well worth a visit.
I hope you enjoyed my little trip around West Penwith, and its beautiful, unspoilt landscape that I just love to paint.