Spotlight on Cornwall

We take you on a remarkable journey around Cornwall. Get ready to explore the captivating beauty of this coastal paradise, from its majestic cliffs to its charming villages. Discover the rich history,breathtaking landscapes, and golden beaches that make Cornwall a truly remarkable destination.

As I descend from the train at Penzance , the final frontier of Brit ain's railway network, there’s a nip in the air that sets it apar t from the bland uniformity of London's atmospheric stew. I have arrived in Cornwall, a land as ancient as it is aloof, laced with an air of mystic enchantment and a people who would cheer fully saw off their peninsula and float away into the Atlantic , given the choice .

The county, as it is, pokes westward from the English body, like an asser tive finger of defiance towards the New World. It's an unforgett able farrago of myth, legend, histor y, and Cornish pasties, where ever y gnarled, stone-fence-lined countr y lane and precipitous cliff whispers a stor y of centuries past.

First stop, St Ives. An ar tist’s paradise , where Virginia Woolf once wandered, the light here is said to be like nowhere else in the world, casting a dreamy, azure sheen that'll capture even the hardest hear t. As I sip a cappuccino at The Digey Food Room, I witness an old painter in a smock, easel pitched defiantly against the briny gusts, attempting to imprison the ethereal light onto canvas. Even the gulls here , he says, squawk with a tone found nowhere else .

A trip to the Eden Project, an environment al Disneyland nestled in a crater, is a must. The scifi-like biomes play home to the world ’s largest indoor rainforest and Mediterranean landscapes. It's not merely a repositor y of worldwide hor ticultural wonder, but an aweinspiring test ament to the ambition of its creators, the natureloving rebels who dared to build the extraordinar y from the skeleton of an old clay pit.

The next morning, I'm at Tint agel, a rag ged, wavebeaten castle with as much truth in its Ar thurian legend as there is gold at the end of a rainbow. Yet, it's an awe-inspiring test ament to the lasting power of myth. Even on this drizzly day, the ruins st and proud against the fur y of the Celtic Sea, whispering t ales of knights, wizards, and magic to those who'd listen.

Just down the coast, I encounter the village of Boscastle . Its charm is as abundant as the folklore it hosts. As I par t ake in the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic , it feels as though the town itself holds its breath, its narrow, winding lanes draped in the quiet that precedes a storm, or in this case , a spell.

Exploring fur ther south, I reach Mousehole , a quaint little harbour town that throws around charm like confetti. Narrow cobbled streets house galleries and eateries, and there's a palpable sense of contentment that sug gests the town is quite at peace with the world. In the harbour, I watch a cat — purpor tedly a descendant of the legendar y Mowzer from local folklore eyeing the fishing boats with an air of entitled scrutiny.

St Michael’s Mount is a gem, a piece of histor y cr yst allised and set adrift. The tidal island's prior y and castle , homes to the St Aubyn family since the 17th centur y, have an air of proud defiance . The stone paths leading to the castle are worn, holding the echoes of a thousand years of footsteps. Walking them, I feel a hush fall, as if histor y itself is leaning in to listen.

The southernmost tip of mainland Brit ain, Lizard Point, is a paradox: a meeting point of nothingness and ever ything. To my left, fields of wildflowers; to my right, the never-ending sea I sit by the lighthouse , munching on a pasty, watching seals play in the water below I watch the seals frolic , their arcing bodies glistening in the setting sun, like wetly inked quills on a parchment of shimmering azure . Above , the sky holds a palette of reds, oranges, and purples, as if it were the final, dramatic act of the day Here , at the edge of the world, solitude comes with a sense of exhilarating liberation.

My stomach leads me to Padstow next, where Rick Stein's culinar y empire flourishes I indulge in a lunch at The Seafood Rest aurant, where the freshest oysters, plucked from the estuar y, shiver with the t aste of the sea. The lobster thermidor, a cream and must ard infused delight, sends me into raptures. My hear t might be weeping for my cholesterol, but my palate sings in joyous harmony

The evocative Bodmin Moor spreads itself in wild desolation in the hear t of Cornwall. As I climb Rough Tor, I'm t aken by a silence that's almost t angible , interrupted only by the occasional skylark's trill or the dist ant bleat of a sheep The land, dotted with granite tors, has a mystic beauty that both humbles and uplifts.

I then find myself in the Lost Gardens of Heligan. There's something profoundly comfor ting about the fecundity of nature reclaiming what was once lost The ferns st and proudly, the old walls are suf focated in foliage and the ancient trees watch over all with a guardianship only centuries could af ford A must-visit for any would-be bot anist, romantic , or idle dreamer.

Now, there's one place you cannot escape , and why would you? The St Austell Brewer y has been churning out Cornish liquid gold since 1851. I t ake a tour, culminating in a t asting session that makes me inst antly underst and why a pint of Tribute Ale or Proper Job IPA is considered nect ar in these par ts

Finally, no Cornish sojourn would be complete without a visit to the Minack Theatre This open-air amphitheatre , car ved into the granite clif f and overlooking the panoramic sweep of Por thcurno Bay, is a sublime monument to one woman's vision Here , to witness a Shakespearean tragedy as the sun sets, casting actors in a kaleidoscope of shadow and light, is an experience as transformative as the Cornish landscape itself.

As I board the train to leave Cornwall, I carr y with me a collage of memories: of enchanting light, rug ged coastlines, food infused with the freshest of sea-salt air, and t ales told in granite and wildflower. Cornwall is not just a county but a st ate of mind an anachronism in a world caught in the whirlwind of progress It insists on its own pace , its own rules And that, I suppose , is what makes it the unforgett able place it is Cornwall beckons you not just to visit, but to lose yourself in its crag g y embrace and discover pieces of yourself you never knew existed And isn’t that, after all, the ver y essence of travel? What to see

1. Eden Project:

Housed in enormous domes, this innovative bot anic garden is home to plants from around the world. Don't miss the rainforest canopy walkway. www.edenproject.com

2. St Michael's Mount:

A tidal island with a castle , chapel and beautiful gardens Accessible by a causeway at low tide , or ferr y at high tide . www.stmichaelsmount .co.uk

3. Minack Theatre:

An open-air theatre perched on the clif fs high above the Atlantic Ocean, providing unique theatrical experiences. www.minack.com

4. The Lost Gardens of Heligan:

Once forgotten, these restored gardens boast Victorian greenhouses, walled gardens, a jungle valley, and more . www.heligan.com

5. Tint agelCastle:

Dramatically sited on Tint agel Island, the ruins are inextricably linked with the legend of King Ar thur www.englishherit age .org. uk/visit/places/tint agelcastle

6. St. Ives:

A stunning coast al town with a thriving ar ts scene , renowned for its beautiful light quality that attracts ar tists from around the world. www.visitcornwall.com

7. Bodmin Moor :

A designated Area of Outst anding Natural Beauty, steeped in histor y and per fect for walking and exploring www.cornwalls.co.uk/ Bodmin-Moor