Day Hiking Botallack to Lands End in Cornwall

May 27, 2010

Day Hiking Botallack To Lands End Cornwall

Day Hiking Botallack To Lands End Cornwall was the second hike myself and my partner Anne, undertook on a Holiday Fellowship (HF) Holidays St Ives Cornwall hiking holiday. This route was one way and was the harder day hiking option at 8.25 miles with a number of short ascents totalling 1300 feet. It was a varied day hike illustrating the difference between a fishing cove, abandoned tin mines and some very fine coastal scenery.

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Route Description

Day Hiking Botallack To Lands End Cornwall commenced on leaving the coach at Botallack to take a look around the Crowns Mine engine houses near the edge of the cliffs. Next we hiked along the coastal path to Cape Cornwall and then along the cliffs past a Neolithic chamber tomb. The cliff paths here were on grass, with the occasional boulder to scramble over or round. As we hiked along the coast we could see the lovely long beach of Whitesands Bay ahead in the distance. Beyond that there were the buildings of Sennen Cove at the far end. After a break for a drink or something to eat, and a paddle for some, we began the final ascent to the granite cliffs at Land’s End and the coach back to St Ives.

Botallack To Land’s End Day Hiking Local Information

Botallack

Botallack is on the north west coast of Cornwall, between St Just and Pendeen on the B3306. The area is now covered with the ruins of what used to be a great mining industry and comes under the protection of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site. In 1865, Botallack mines had 11 steam engines, the most famous being “Crowns” engine houses. The Crowns were constructed about 1815 to pump water in order to enable mining to be undertaken under the sea bed. In order to get at the rich copper lode, they dug shafts down to 2100 feet and tunnels were cut 7 by 4 feet in excess of a mile out under the sea bed. In the busy days of the mines there were 500 employed.

Cape Cornwall

Cape Cornwall or “Pen Kernow” in Cornish, is a small headland 4 miles north of Land’s End not far from St Just. On the seaward side there is a National Coastwatch look out. The majority of the headland is owned by the National Trust, including the car park. There is a public toilet and in summer time there is usually food and drink available from a van.

Neolithic Chamber Tomb

Originally discovered by WC Borlase in 1878, “Ballowall Barrow” is a good example of a bronze age chambered tomb. There is a mound in the centre surrounded by two concentric dry stone walls. Inside that there are five small stone-lined chambers. It is located on the cliff tops at Carn Gloose just south of Cape Cornwall Golf and Country Club on National Trust land.

Whitesands Bay

Whitesands Bay is a wide sandy beach stretching for about 1 mile north from Sennen Cove and is a very popular beach with surfers. At high tides the beach splits into 2 with Sennen Cove beach at the southern end and Gwynver beach to the north.

Sennen Cove

Sennen Cove is at the Southern end of Whitesands Bay and has toilet facilities, a surf shop, a restaurant, 2 car parks and a lifeboat station. It is a popular location for surfing and hosts the local surfing club. Having one of the loveliest expanses of sand in Cornwall, Whitesands Beach, it still retains an old fishing village atmosphere.

Land’s End

Land’s End, or “Penn an Wlas” meaning end of the land in Cornish, is a headland and small settlement and is the most westerly point of the English mainland on the Penwith peninsula. It is one of England’s most famous landmarks and has now become a family destination with a number of visitor attractions for young and old.

Apart from the natural beauty and stunning scenery, with cliffs some 200 feet above roaring waves: you can have your photo taken standing beside the famous Land’s End signpost; visit the First and Last House; go for a walk around the Such Gallery and Wendy’s Gallery; and view beautiful pictures painted from Cornish scenes.

I did this hike with my partner Anne whilst on a St Ives Cornwall hiking holiday with HF Holidays (HF) in England during May 2010. We were driven by coach from our HF Holidays accommodation named “Chy Morvah” in St. Ives to the start location of Botallack. The route was one way and we were picked up by the coach at Land’s End and returned to our accommodation.