A Choice of Family Attractions at the Land's End Experience, Land's End
Kids Slides and Rides Aplenty at the Land's End Experience, Land's End
Making the most of your location - Family Pubs & Restaurants, Land's End
Land's End Views - take the walk from Land's End to Sennen Cove
Kids Play Areas at the Land's End Experience, Land's End Cornwall
The Sublime Sennen Cove Family Beach near Land's End
Gentle Family Surfing at Sennen Cove Beach near Land's End
Cornish Mining Remains near St Just, around Levant MineIconic Lands End offers a mix of welcome (to some) family attractions, Britain's last pub and all the west, combined with an RSPB centre and a dramatic coastal landscape - take the coastal walk from Land's End to Sennen Cove for the best of it. Moving along the coast to St Just and upto Zennor you're back in prime Cornwall mining territory. Take time to view Geevor and Levant mines, both dramatically set right on the cliff edge.
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St Just pubs - don't miss that real ale, and Zennor is both a picture postcard village with a renowned folk museum. Those on the hunt for Cornwall pre-historic sites and megaliths will feel at home. Check out two of the best preserved Cornish ancient villages at Carn Euny and Chysauster.
The Land's End Experience, consisting of numerous attractions orientated particularly around families, has certainly received it's fare share of criticism, and considered by some as a blot on the landscape of what is the end of the British mainland, with a stunning rugged coastline and sublime coastal walking to be had from the Land's End headland to Sennon Cove. A tad tacky it may be in places, with Britain's most south westerly pub and John o'Groats 874 miles and all the rest. However, it's extremely popular, very well kept and the kids love it, which can be a welcome break and relief to families.
The complex is fully equipped with parking, a choice of shops with everything from Cornish Sweet shops to the First and Last Shop. Tongue in cheek indeed. There's a very good choice of family restaurants with burger bars, pasty parlours and family pub restaurants galore. Attractions have a leaning towards all things King Arthur and Maritime. Check out the kitsch 'Relentless Sea', 'the story of mankind's struggle to win a living from the bountiful but unforgiving sea'! Hey ho, it'll raise a smile from the adults, and the kids love a bit of storytelling. The 'Wreckreation' Adventure Play Area is always crowded with kids, and very popular. also on-site is an RSPB Wildlife discovery Centre, and it's easy to hook into one of the many stunning coastal walks which are well marred with colour themes green and red - perfect for families. Well behaved dogs on leads are also welcome on the complex.
Check out the Land's End Experience weblink right for full details. Open every day from 10am. Family saver tickets are available. The Land's End Experience also hosts a number of outdoor concerts in the peak season, with a good choice of cover bands if that's your bag. It's also the venue for numerous themed days such as the Cornwall Air Ambulance Day, or RNLI events with local acts participating. Check the website for details.
Zennor on the coast between St Ives and St Just is a delightful ancient Cornish granite village with a renowned folk museum digging deep into the social history of the area. It's a pretty base is Zennor, with a great budget backpacker centre and a scattering of pretty B&Bs - walkers will love the coast path around here too and it's easy to walk to St Ives! It's a popular base for birdwatchers too, and artists have flocked here for years to paint the landscape. Cornwall's equivalent to Devon's Clovelly indeed.
The Wayside Museum and Gift shop in Zennor is internationally renowned, with a huge collection of artefacts dating from 3000BC right upto the 1950s. The museum is housed in a 16th century Miller's cottage and the complex includes a granite watermill and beautiful gardens. Inside there's a collection of rare Bronze Age stone tools and 12 themed areas no less.
Scenic bus rides run regularly from St Ives and Penzance in peak season. Elsewhere in Zennor village take time to view the Church of St Senara and not the Mermain pew with it's own legend of the Mermaid of Zennor.
Built in 1900, this lighthouse was much needed indeed to warn ships of off shore rocks and of the protruding Gurnard's Head further up the coast near Zennor. Designed by Sir Thomas Matthews, a Trinity House Engineer and built by Arthur Carkeek, of Redruth, the headland had to be flattened here before Pendeen Lighthouse could be erected.
It went electric in 1926, and was fully modernised and made automatic in 1995. Pendeen received a new fog signal and detector in 1996 too. Well worth taking time to view on your walks along this superb stretch of the South West Coast Path.
Pendeen Lighthouse, along with the Lizard Point Lighthouse, has a visitor's centre, making it particularly worth a visit to find out more about lighthouse history and the long standing lighthouse company Trinity House. Pendeen Light House is situated on one of the most dangerous stretch of coastlines in the UK and has been warning ships here for over 100 years. Tours of the lighthouse are available, and limited parking is also adjacent.
Check the Pendeen Watch Lighthouse Visitor Centre weblink right for details on opening times, or telephone 01736 788 418 for details. Group visits must book in advance.
As with the Scilly Isles, the interior and coast of West Cornwall is scattered with a selection of pre-historic Megaliths, Iron Age Villages and burial mounts. Two of the best are Chysauster, South of Zennor and Carn Euny Ancient Villages just inland from Sennen Cove.
Chysauster is well worth a visit. It's an Iron Age village consisting of eight courtyard houses laid out in two rows - it's believed to be England's first street! This layout is unique to the South West, and the buildings would once have probably been thatched. Chysauster is thought to have been built in the first to third centuries AD, and those who lived here are thought to have been farmers. Unfortunately the Fogou (a deep underground tunnel) was filled in by English Heritage, however there's a Fogou at Carn Euny so head there after! Check the National Trust weblink right for opening times and more detail.
Also well worth a visit is the spectacularly preserved Iron Age Village of Carn Euny close to St Just & Sennen Cove. Carn Euny was occupied up until Roman times, and as well as the fogou underground passage includes numerous foundations of houses. Visitors should note that the site is located 600 yards from the car park. Check out the National Trust weblink right for details.
Sennen Cove is an old fishing village situated a mile North of Lands End, sheltered by the headland of Pedn Men Du. It has a world renowned surfing beach that becomes very popular with beachgoers throughout the summer season. There is a restaurant, The Beach, voted the best Beach Restaurant in the UK by the Observer/Guardian. As well as the Old Boat House, there is well known art gallery, The Roundhouse, and a chip shop, Breakers Cafe and the Ice Cream Kiosk. There is also the Sennen Surf Centre, one of the longest running surf clubs in the country.
Ample parking (3 car parks in all) are available at Sennen, plus adjacent Gwenver Beach to the north east is also a glorious sandy beach. Surfing conditions at Sennen are perfect for all the family - not too wild and good for beginners and the tots.
Amenities are superb, again excellent for families. Toilets, a new surf shop, and a beach cafe are all here. Nearby Sennen offers a great choice of holiday accommodation too.
Check the A1 surf link and Sennen Cove weblink for more details and surf/beach cams.
