Introduction to Penzance, Newlyn, Mousehole and Marazion

If you look at a map of Cornwall, there are two toes on the foot.  The southerly toe is the Lizard peninsula while the westerly toe is West Penwith.  West Penwith is famous for Land's End, the most westerly point of the mainland.  The peninsula curls around forming a bay called Mounts Bay after the small castle topped island, St Michael's Mount.  

In the east, Marazion sits and from the beach below the town, there is a causeway that leads across to the Mount at low tide.  Marazion is a pretty old town with some lovely shops and places to eat.  It is not very big and parking on the edge of town, it is only a short walk in to town or to the causeway.

Going east, we have Long Rock and then Eastern Green.  Both of which have begun to feel like they are part of Penzance.  The main road to Penzance skirts them both and is lined with well known signs such as McDonald's, KFC, Tesco and Sainsbury.  Long Rock, away from the main road, is a small residential village with some industrial areas.  If you can find the turning that takes you over the train tracks, there is a car park above Long Rock beach with the most glorious views of the bay.  Set back a little is the heliport which has regular flights to the Isles of Scilly.  From Eastern Green, you can go inland to the  village of Gulval.

Next is Penzance, which continues to grow and one day may well one day completely swallow the nearby towns and villages.  Penzance is not just the transport hub for all the areas around the bay, but for the whole of West Penwith, pretty much.  

Newlyn is next and it is dominated by it's harbour and this is where the fishing industry is at it's strongest.  It has a fish market and a fish festival and not surprisingly, fish restaurants.  It is pretty and places, industrial in others.

Mousehole is the last habitation of the bay and is a very beautiful village with a harbour and tiny streets.  It is well known for the children's story, the Mousehole Cat.  It is very popular with tourists, an expensive place to buy property and a difficult place to park.

All of the towns and villages share the same magnificient views of the bay and are linked by the south west coastal path which gives a stunning sea walk.  Access is limited in places though because the train tracks run between the coastal path and the main road and there are limited places to cross safely.  There is a bridge at Eastern Green, a level crossing at Long Rock.  Between Long Rock and Marazion, the train tracks turn inland and access to the sea front becomes more frequent.

The train station in Penzance is close to the edge of town, nearest to Eastern Green.  It is the final mainline stop, with trains coming direct from London.  It is the first and last stop for the Night Riviera train, the sleeper train from Cornwall to London.  Immediately next to the train station, is the bus station but also the main car parks for the town.  This whole area is on the flat, on the promenade, but also at the bottom of Market Jew Street, the main shopping street for Penzance which slopes gently uphill.

From the bus station you can get buses across the Mounts Bay area, West Penwith and onwards around Cornwall.  The Transport for Cornwall app is great for working out which bus you need and when they are coming.  I caught the no. 6 which went up through town before heading back to the seafront to go through Newlyn.  If you want to get lots of different buses, you can get a day saver for the Penzance area which includes from Mousehole all the way round to Marazion.  You need to do three or more trips to make it worthwhile however.

If you like to cycle, walk, or roller-skate, the promenade and coastal path are great.  The only thing to be aware of is the weather.  When the seas are high, they are known to overtop the wall.  Plenty of people go down to take photographs but this is not to be encouraged as it is definitely risky.

The Scillonian ferry to the Isles of Scilly leaves from Penzance harbour.  This route is well known as a great opportunity for sightseeing as it rounds Cornwall as there are several lighthouses and lots of marine life.  Dolphins are often seen in the bay.  In fact the bay is fascinating.  There are often kite surfers, small boats, fishing vessels and so on.  Large vessels also take shelter in the bay and you can see ships further out making their way up the English Channel.

In terms of things to do, there are plenty of towns and villages to wander around and the coastal path to explore.  St Michaels Mount is a National Trust property and I believe they recommend booking, at hugher tides, you will need to take a boat, rather than the causeway.  There are a number of gardens a little inland, such as Tremenheere Sculpture Garden, Trewidden Garden and the National Trust Trengwainton Garden.  Morrab Gardens in Penzance is a lovely free park.  Penlee House Gallery and Museum is set in sub-tropical gardens and is home to nationally important history and art.  The Newlyn Art Gallery and the Exchange, Penzance, are part of the same organisation and a ticket gives access to both for you to enjoy modern art.  There is also the Jubilee Pool, a lovely art deco lido which now has a heated geothermal section, but it's definitely best to book.

I think there is something about being the end of the land that makes this area very attractive to people, it's romantic.  It's long been understood that Penzance gains people because its the end of the line.  It is not a lawless place though, despite its connections to pirates.