Remote Cornwall: Adventures to Zennor & Botallack Mine
As we enter September, I can’t help but feel a little relieved. Summer is always such an amazing, exciting season in Cornwall, but with the global pandemic, things have been a little chaotic. On the first weekend of September, my mum and I decided to make the most of the blue skies and quieter roads and decided to drive to Zennor and the surrounding area for an adventure. Zennor is best known as one of the most “haunted” towns in the UK, which I’ve always been pretty fascinated by, but their coastline still takes centre stage.
As we drove along the country roads we stopped several times to park up and take photos of the view. This part of Cornwall feels extremely remote, and more “Cornish” than most parts of the mainland (like Truro, Newquay, etc.) We passed countless farms and little vegetable shop before coming to The Gurnards Head, the famous yellow pub perched on the outskirts of a village called Treen.
The Gurnards Head has so much character. Mum and I stopped for a coffee but I’ve longed to have lunch or dinner there as the menu looks incredible and the interior is just as charming.
After coffee, we took a short drive to our next destination. I plan to keep this location secret as it’s a real hidden locals beach. We walked (and drove!) off of the beaten track until we reached white sand and turquoise waters.
We walked for a couple of miles but decided to turn back and drive to our next location (it was a little too far to walk.) Botallack Mine and the tin coast is so magical. Botallack is now owned by the National Trust and has been part of the Cornish Mining UNESCO world heritage site since 2006. According to the National Trust, Botallack produced 14,500 tonnes of tin, 20,000 tonnes of copper ore and 1,500 tonnes of refined arsenic. It was a submarine mine, and its shafts reach 570m deep and extend nearly half a mile out to sea.
The 7 mile stretch of the tin coast is a cultural landscape. Defined by Cornish mining, you’ll find numerous mines and ruins to explore. We spent an hour around the Botallack area, but if you want to explore further afield then I suggest walking to Cape Cornwall. I have done this walk before and it’s absolutely incredible.
