Lands End (and other coastal adventures)

There’s always something compelling about the most extreme point on map. Lands End is no different. Growing up I would always read of people making the journey from the most south-western point on the British mainland to the most northern point at John O’Groats. I was lucky enough to visit John O’Groats in 1990 while staying at Inverness. Having made it to one extremity, I was keen to complete the picture and visit Lands End. Garry and I finally made on the penultamate day of our Cornwall road trip.


We booked ourselves into the Lands End Hotel for the night. It sits on the edge of a high cliff looking directly out to sea where you can see the Longships, a series of jagged rocks topped by a large lighthouse, a mile offshore. The original lighthouse was built in 1795. However it wasn’t tall enough to be seen in the highest seas and so the current building replaced it in1873. This new lighthouse was then contiually manned until 1988 when an automated system was installed. We had a stunning view of the lighthouse and the Atlantic from our bedroom. Overnight we were able to watch the ocean waves grow noticably in height and witness a truly spectacular sunset.


While the coastal scenery was spectacular, sadly the same cannot be said for the clutter of tourist attractions surrounding the hotel. Why is it that every other nation - except the UK - is satisfied with a simple café and a carpark at such locations. As is the practice of the British, this wonderful coastal spot has been overtaken by tatty amusements.


For an all inclusive ticket we could tour a museum of props from the Dr Who television series or wander through shops filled with t-shirts. In fairness to the owners, it was clear they’d invested in a total make-over of the site so the building were neat and well maintained. Perhaps the most galling bit of commercialisation was the Lands End signpost. Unlike every other such location on earth, here you have to pay to have your picture taken.


From Lands End we made our way north again, stopping briefly at Pendennis Castle on the mouth of Faulmouth Harbour. Henry VIII built the first fortificatoin here in the 16th Century. The round stone Keep has been beautifully preserved, sitting alone in a vast field of vibrant green grass. It was also the stunning location for a wedding on the afternoon we arrived. I was fascinated to learn that Henry built a string of similar fortifications along the south coast after his broke from the Church of Rome. It seems that fear ran high of a invasion from France or Spain designed to restore the authority of the Pope and the Catholic Church.


Its role as a defensive fortification continued up until the Second World War. During the war the castle was the Command Centre for Cornwall, protecting not only the Cornish coast and the natural deepwater port of Falmouth but all western approaches to Britain. We took a guided tour through the Battery Observation Post, built in the 19th Century to defend the nation during the Napoleonic Wars in mainland Europe. Its defenses were later modernized during the Second World War. Two large, decommissioned, artillery guns remain on site today.


Our final stop in Cornwall was Newquay. I’d heard of fame as one of the few surf beaches in Britain. However Newquay itself was a huge disappointment. The town is built on the edge of a series of narrow bays surrounded by towering cliffs. Its amenities were tatty and the streets were all but deserted except for dozens of larger louts making their way to seedy bars. In hindsight I wished we’d gone on to Padstow. Everything I’ve heard about this town seems in stark contrast to Newquay.


Our Newquay experience was saved by our hotel. We booked ourselves into the Headland Hotel at Fistal Bay. This is a grand old Victorian complex that’s been carefully restored. It sits alone on a vast sandy beach reserve looking out to sea. The seas were stormy the evening we arrived making for some spectacular scenes as foaming waves dashed themselves on the rocks below. I took a brisk walk out to a nearby headland to experience some of this coastal drama up close. I’m glad I did as the sea was far calmer the following morning and much of the drama has gone.