Page 167 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - England's South Coast

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y Helston From the whitewashed village
of Helford – with a picturesque
Cornwall. Map B6. * 12,000. £
@ from Penzance. n Market Pl; waterside pub – a circular walk
01326 564027. _ Furry Dance: May. runs through the oak woodland
∑ visithelston.com to Frenchman’s Creek, named
after the novel by Du Maurier,
The attractive town of Helston which was later adapted for a
is famous for its annual Furry film and a TV series. En route is
Dance (also called Flora Dance), Kestle Barton, a cultural centre
which welcomes spring with which stages exhibitions and
plenty of revelry, including has a self-service café.
dancing through the streets; On the southwest edge of
Helston Museum explains the Children dressed in white participating Goonhilly Downs, Kynance Cove
history of this ancient custom. in the annual Furry Dance, Helston is the Lizard’s most stunning spot,
The Georgian houses and with golden sands, fractured
inns of Coinagehall Street are E Helston Museum cliffs and huge, giant shards of
a reminder that Helston was Market Pl. Tel 01326 564027. rock surging from the sea. To
once a thriving stannary town, Open 10am–4pm Mon–Sat. the south (accessible by road
where tin ingots were brought Closed Christmas week. & 7 = or the coastal footpath) is Lizard
for weighing and stamping ∑ helstonmuseum.co.uk Point, the most southerly point
before being sold. Until the O Cornish Seal Sanctuary in Britain, where a tour of the
13th century, locally mined tin Gweek. Tel 01326 221361. Open restored lighthouse – which
was brought downriver to a 10am–dusk daily. Closed 25 Dec. & includes climbing to the top –
harbour at the bottom of this 7 - = ∑ sealsanctuary.co.uk is highly recommended.
street, but access to the sea At Poldhu Cove, around
was blocked when a shingle E Poldark Mine 2 km (1 mile) north of Mullion,
bar formed across the River Loe Wendron. Tel 01326 573173. the Marconi Centre marks the
creating the freshwater lake, Open 10:30am–3pm daily. 8 11am & spot where, in 1901, Guglielmo
Loe Pool. A lovely walk skirts 12:30pm Tue, Thu & Sat. - = Marconi transmitted the first
its wooded shores. ∑ poldarkmine.org.uk transatlantic radio signal all
In 1880, Helston’s trade was the way to Newfoundland
taken over by a new harbour on Canada's east coast.
created to the east on the River u The Lizard
Helford, at Gweek. Today, Gweek Cornwall. Map B6. k Newquay. E Kestle Barton
is the home of the Cornish Seal ~ Newquay. @ g 4 Manaccan, Helston. Tel 01326 231811.
Sanctuary, where sick seals are ∑ lizard-peninsula.co.uk Open Apr–end Oct: 10:30am–5pm
nursed back to health before Tue–Sun. ∑ kestlebarton.co.uk
being returned to the sea. The southernmost peninsula on E Marconi Centre
The Poldark Mine covers the the British mainland, the Lizard is Poldhu Rd, Mullion. Tel 01326 241656.
history of Cornwall’s tin mining an area of extreme and beautiful Open May, Jun & Sep: 1:30–4:30pm Sun
industry, from Roman to recent contrasts, stretching from the & Wed, 7–9pm Tue & Fri; Jul & Aug:
times. The mine has underground quaint villages, dense woodland 1:30–4:30pm Sun, Wed & Thu, 7–9pm
guided tours, which showcase and labyrinthine route of the Tue & Fri; Oct–Apr: 1:30–4:30pm Sun,
the difficult working conditions River Helford to serpentine cliffs 7–9pm Tue & Fri. ∑ marconi-centre-
of 18th-century miners. and dramatic sea-sculpted coves. poldhu.org.uk

Pretty white cottages on the banks of the river in the charming village of Helford on the Lizard peninsula

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