Coastal Cornwall

Cornwall is England's Celtic frontier — a dramatic peninsula thrusting 160 kilometres into the Atlantic, with the most spectacular coastline in England, a distinct Celtic culture quite unlike anywhere else in the country, and a quality of light that has attracted artists for over a century. Our Coastal Cornwall tour takes you to the wild heart of this extraordinary place.

St Ives is unlike any other town in England — a maze of narrow cobbled lanes beneath a sky full of wheeling seagulls, with a harbour of extraordinary beauty, three magnificent beaches within walking distance, and an arts scene of genuine international importance. The Tate St Ives, perched above the Atlantic-facing Porthmeor Beach, is one of the finest contemporary art galleries in Britain. The quality of light here — bright, clear and constantly changing — has made it a magnet for painters since the 1880s.

Land's End — the westernmost tip of mainland England — is a place of genuine drama. Standing on the cliff edge with the Atlantic stretching to the horizon and the sound of the waves breaking on the rocks 60 metres below, you are as far from the rest of England as it is possible to be on the mainland. Nearby, the Minack Theatre, carved into the clifftop above Porthcurno beach, is one of the most remarkable performance spaces in the world.

St Michael's Mount — a tidal island topped by a medieval castle, accessible on foot at low tide across a cobbled causeway — is one of the most romantic and atmospheric sites in England. And Padstow, Cornwall's gastronomic capital, offers a harbour-front lunch at the legendary Rick Stein seafood restaurant before the return journey, setting the perfect seal on four extraordinary Cornish days.