Heritage near Penzance

St Michael's Mount

10 August 2026

This local landmark looks like something straight out of a fairytale; a medieval castle perched on top of a little tidal island, complete with cobbled streets and even its own harbour and gardens. At low tide, 'the Mount' can easily be reached on foot from Marazion town by way of a man-made granite causeway. Wait for high tide to take the lazy option and go by ferry. If you've got time to kill while you wait, you can enjoy the view across Mount's Bay with a pint in hand at The Godolphin Arms near the ferry departure point.

Carn Euny Ancient Village

18 September 2017

Imagine what life was like as an Iron Age villager. Budding archaeologists will love exploring this ancient, yet well-preserved settlement, which is thought to have thrived from the Iron Age until late Roman times. Carn Euny is probably best-known for its well-preserved fogou (Cornish for 'cave'), an underground passageway over 20 metres long. Fogous are intriguing structures and no one really knows what they were used for. Experts say they may have been used for storage, habitation or rituals, but their true purpose remains a mystery. Dare yourself to enter and make your own mind up. To get there, take the A30 past Penzance towards Land's End, turn right at Drift, then left before Sancreed, park at Brane and follow the footpath. Entry is free.

Madron Holy Well

25 October 2014

Tucked away off the Penzance-Morvah road, this is probably Cornwall's most famous holy well, but it retains an air of tranquillity and mystery. With hundreds of brightly coloured ‘clouties' tied to the branches, you'd be forgiven for thinking you had stumbled upon a grove of Buddhist prayer trees in the Cornish countryside, but this is evidence of Cornwall's Celtic and Pagan heritage. Clouties were traditionally used in healing rituals, the idea being that as the rag decayed, health was restored. People still tie cloth and ribbons to the trees as good luck charms, especially at Samhain (Halloween), Celtic New Year. From the well it's only a short way to the remains of Madron chapel, where posies of wild flowers are often left on the stone altar by the ancient babbling font. Access for prams and wheelchairs has recently been improved, but in wet weather expect some mud.

Lanyon Quoit

25 October 2014

Also known as the 'Giant's Table' thanks to the bones found beneath - somewhat macabre, but there's no evidence of that nowadays. An easy to access and impressive set of stones for a quick fix of cultural heritage in the far west.

Chun Castle

11 October 2012

An Iron Age hillfort and burial chamber set at the top of a hill with fantastic views overlooking the Atlantic coast. This monument lies in open access land and is criss-crossed by several public footpaths.

Chysauster Ancient Village

9 October 2012

Not exactly a house, but here you can see the remains of a village that was inhabited over 2,000 years ago.

The Merry Maidens

One of England's best-preserved stone circles. Legend has it that this stone circle was made when 19 mischievious local lasses were turned to stone for dancing on a Sunday. The two 'Pipers' can be found in a field to the north east of the circle.The Merry Maidens are located in a field next to the B3315 Newlyn - Land's End road, near the village of Trewoofe.