St Agnes

Chapel Porth is a memorable stretch of Cornwall coast near Porthtowan, known for its sand, Atlantic light and easy access to the sea. Depending on the tide and weather, it can feel either wild and dramatic or calm enough for a slower beach day, with coastal paths and cliff views adding to the appeal.

A narrow combe opens to the sea at Chapel Porth, where the ruins of engine houses cling to the cliffs above a wide, unspoilt beach. The contrast of industrial heritage and natural beauty is uniquely Cornish. The National Trust cafe here serves the legendary 'hedgehog' — a chocolate ice cream rolled in clotted cream and honeycomb — beloved by generations of visitors.

St Agnes Head is a worthwhile natural stop near St Agnes, valued for open views, sea air and the kind of landscape that gives Cornwall much of its identity. It rewards slow exploration, whether that means a clifftop walk, a pause at a viewpoint or simply taking in the changing weather and light.

A superb small museum in the heart of St Agnes village, chronicling the tin and copper mining heritage of one of Cornwall's most scenic coastal mining communities. The collections include mining equipment, photographs, and social history that brings to life the extraordinary world of the nineteenth-century miner — a community both prosperous and precarious.

Trevaunance Cove is a memorable stretch of Cornwall coast near St Agnes, known for its sand, Atlantic light and easy access to the sea. Depending on the tide and weather, it can feel either wild and dramatic or calm enough for a slower beach day, with coastal paths and cliff views adding to the appeal.

The engine houses of Wheal Coates cling to the cliff above Chapel Porth in one of the most photographed industrial landscapes in Cornwall. The Towanroath shaft pumping engine house — roofless, its walls darkened by decades of Atlantic weather — is a monument of extraordinary drama. The clifftop walk connecting it to St Agnes Head passes more ruined mine buildings at every turn.