St Agnes Cornwall
St Agnes, Cornwall or in it’s native tongue, Breanek, is a small, quiet and uncommercialised town located in West Cornwall, roughly 11.6 miles west of Newquay, 34.9 miles North East of lands end… and 5,268 miles North West of Beijing, China. It’s a small, quiet mining village that was founded in 1846 and is in my opinion, one of the most beautiful places in the entirety of England. With it’s small picturesque town roads, immense engine houses from a mining industry long passed and it’s awe-inspiring landscapes, joining the rolling Cornish hills and the vast Celtic sea, St Agnes is an untouched gem, hidden in the Cornish countryside that is well worth a visit, let me tell you why…
The Town Centre
If you take a walk into the town centre at St Agnes, you’ll be greeted by a plethora of charming, little traditional British shops, it’s like being transported back into the 1940’s. From fresh fruit and veg stores, pasty shops and convenience shops, St Agnes has pretty much everything you could possibly need on a weeks holiday. These include…
- Barbers and hairdressers
- frit and veg stores
- pubs, Cafe’s and restaurants
- convenience shops
- newsagents
- inns and hotels
- butchers
- art shops
- enormous glass skyscrapers
Okay, that last one may have been a lie, but trust me, when I say that the town has pretty much everything you could need, unless you need a skyscraper, in which case I would ask why you need a skyscraper, you freak?!
As you drive into the town centre, you’ll be greeted by a large number of small shops such as the Sorting Office Coffee House, just one of the great cafes that line the streets of St Agnes, but again, more on that later. There is loads to do in St Agnes other than visiting the beach, There are loads of photogenic areas to hone-in on your photography skills with, and plenty of places to spend a day out, like the Split-Enz Hair & Beauty Salon, where you can get pampered, if you’re into that sort of thing. You can also spend a few hours in the St Agnes museum, and learn more about the town’s history from a group of people who actually know what they are talking about, or maybe walk through the memorial park, just next to British road, for some quiet and peaceful time to yourself.
I won’t lie to you, If you have a short attention span and get bored easily, (like me), the town Centre can get a little mundane after a while, but people don’t really visit the town for it’s shopping venues, the beach is really what pulls people in year after year!
Trevaunance Cove
The beach that lies at the base of Quay road is Trevaunance cove, (I’ll give you a minute to try and pronounce it), It’s a beautiful sand and stony beach located just under a mile from the centre of St Agnes. It’s famous for it’s rock pools, great surf and stunning natural beauty. As you look to the right hand side of the beach, you’ll see the huge granite cliffs, dotted with small caves and veins of quartz and other minerals. To the Left of the beach is the remains of the harbour and large caves to walk across and explore, an activity that took up a large portion of my childhood. At low tide it is possible, with a bit of skill, to clamber across the 250 meters of large granite boulders that lie between Trevaunance cove and Travellas cove, and look into the tidal pools for fish, starfish and crabs among other things, but just remember to keep an eye on the tide when you do this, or face a long swim back to shore.
The rock pools in St Agnes are rich in aquatic life and are a great place to explore if you’re into that kinda thing. Trevaunance cove is a beach break, so waves tend to be quite small and powerful, but when the swell picks up, it’s not uncommon for it to get above head hight. So, when it’s really big, you’ll catch me sat on the beach, sod going out in that! It is a very popular spot with surfers, ranging from beginner to advanced as well as bodyboarders, swimmers, kayakers and SUP’s.
Trevaunance cove is an RNLI lifeguarded beach from the 4th of July to the 6th of September 2020 between 10am and 6pm. There tends to be rip currents on the left side of the beach near the harbour, and on the right hand side near the rocks, so make sure you keep to your depth. The surf life saving club runs just up the slipway from the beach and has been there, saving lives since 1953! If you look out across the bay, you’ll see two large rocky outcrops jutting out of the water, these are the “Bawden rocks” and have been the base for many local folk-law for millennia. They’re a bit weird, Maybe it’s just me but they appear to move depending on whereabouts you are whilst looking at them, (try it out for yourself and let me know). The rocks are also home to some very rare sealife and marine plants, such as the broad sea fan and multiple other species of crustaceans, fish and invertebrates. razorbills, cormorants, guillemots, great black-backed gulls and puffins also call these small islands home, so keep an eye out for em’… if you fancy the one and a half mile swim, that is!
When you get onto the beach, the first thing you’ll notice is the smell of the fresh, salty air, blowing inland from the Celtic sea, and then you will se the change from shale and rock at the top of the beach, down to golden sand as you near the shoreline. The cliffs that surround the cove are absolutely massive, and you can see the change in geology from millions of years of rock being piled atop one another. It really does look like a scene from star wars or something. It’s the perfect place to let time run away and spend the day having fun or sunbathing (depending on the incredibly unpredictable English weather)!
St Agnes History
If you’re a bit of a nerd, like me, you’ll want to know a little bit of the history behind the town and some of the thing you’ll encounter. If you aren’t arsed about the history I understand, just skip this part and look for some of the more practical parts of this post. If not, here’s a brief history of some of the aspects of St Agnes, (just keep in mind I’m not Wikipedia).
St Agnes is a small mining village that was founded in 1846, with it’s main export being tin, gathered from the local mines that you will see scattered around the hill tops around the village. The remains of these mines that are most noticeable are the old engine houses that were used to run massive engines for moving tin ore and men up and down the mine shafts and pumping water out of the mines, which reached deep under the water line. There are three engine houses in St Agnes, Wheal Coates, Wheal Friendly and Wheal Kitty. The most famous of which you’ll have
probably seen around on post cards and desktops all over the place, Wheal Coates. Wheal Coates is assessable via the picturesque South West coastal path towards Chapel porth, but more on that later.
If you take a walk down the slipway from Quay road onto the beach, you’ll notice a large amount of rectangular boulders, laying across the left side of the beach along the cliffs. These ‘boulders’ are actually the remnants of the last of 5 harbours that once housed ships for the export of Copper ore to be sent to Swansea for smelting. As you may notice though, it’s not really in working condition anymore, to be fair, it worked well for over a hundred years, until October 1915 when wind and extremely rough seas tore a massive hole in the side of the harbour, and in the commencing year, it fell apart. Moral of the story? Don’t build a harbour in St Agnes.
Say you’ve been out and about exploring the town for quite a while, you’re getting tired and hungry, what ill you do?! Lucky for you, there are loads of places to eat and drink in St Agnes, let me tell you about my favourite…
Pubs, Bars and Cafes
St Agnes is home to some fantastic pubs, bars and Cafe’s. They are located all around the town and in some very handy places, such as just up the slipway from the beach, the driftwood spars is a traditional 17th century pub that resides 160 metres from the beach, perfect for an ice cold pint after a day sweltering on the beach! There is also a small shipping crate that has been converted into a kiosk that sells coffee in the day, and locally brewed beer and cider, among other alcoholic drinks, along with an outdoor seating area directly across from the Driftwood. Just up Quay road, in Peterville Square, there is another pub that I would say is aimed more towards younger people, The Taphose is a great place to go and let your hair down after a day at the beach, with friendly staff and a warm and welcoming atmosphere, the taphouse is a great place to go for a bite to eat and a drink… or twelve. With fantastic food and live music, it’s definitely one to visit if you’re after a fun night out on the town.
There are loads of other small bars and restaurants worth visiting in St Agnes, such as the Bear bar and kitchen, Schooners bar and cafe (situated literally right on the beach), and Taste restaurant. In terms of Cafe’s, St Agnes has a great number of really decent ones, all with their own individual aspects that make each one great, such as the sorting office, a small, trendy and artistic coffee shop located In church town, just slightly up from the Nisa local convenience store. For a more in depth review of the sorting office, check out Kevin’s post at Coffeeblog.co.uk, he knows slightly more around the world of coffee than I do…
In terms of Practicality for beach-goers
though, I would say that Breakers beach cafe is by far the best! Situated right on the beach front, it’s the perfect place to run and grab a coffee, hot chocolate, tea or snack. With friendly staff and a fantastic view from the seating area inside the cafe, it’s too good to miss! There is nothing nicer than waking up in the morning, walking down to Breakers and grabbing a coffee, while looking across the cove, while it is still quiet. Oh, and there are beach huts available for rent as well just up from the beach, on the hillside. (If you are interested, just mention it to one of the staff and they’ll sort you out.)
St Agnes Holiday Lets
Duchy holidays have always been very good for us when we go down, They have a wide variety of different holiday lets up for rent, varying from spacious modern house, to cozy traditional Cornish cottages. They are based in Perranporth, just a 10 minute drive from St Agnes, and the idea is that you go to their headquarters, just off the high street of Perranporth, and you pick up your keys. Once your trip has ended, you go back and drop your keys through the pigeon hole at the rear of the building. Duchy, Please mark where the goddamn pigeon hole is! I spent a good 15 minutes trying to figure out its location… Whenever my family and I have gone down to St Agnes, we have always gone with Duchy, and have never had a bad experience. (By the way, I haven’t been paid to write nice things about Duchy holidays, but if they read this, a free stay at one of your finest beach side accommodations would be greatly appreciated!)
If you’re a more rugged, outgoing person, and don’t like the idea of being cooped up in a fancy-shmancy holiday home all week, there are plenty of campsites and caravan parks dotted around the area, such as chiverton park, Where luxury caravans are up for rent. For a stay of 7 nights, for 2 adults, You’re looking at a price range of around £400, and with that you get a spacious modern caravan with a sun deck and Central heating, located an 8 minute drive from St Agnes town centre, not bad… Or you could spend that £400 on one drink at Starbucks, it’s really up to you.
The camping situation around St Agnes is pretty good, though I’ve never camped there… yet, But as you drive into the town, you can see some of the Tents lining a couple of the surrounding hillsides, one of those being the Blue Hills camping site, A small, tranquil camping ground, based up on the hills of the Parish. With astounding views over the St Agnes beacon, and just a stone throw away from Travellas porth and Trevaunance cove. Unfortunately, this venue is only open in the summer months, closing on the 4th of October, then again, what kind of nutter wants to pitch a tent on the hills of north Cornwall in winter, unless you want your tent to become airborne due to the high winds the area can face during storms. Either way, During the summer months, I can’t think of many other places that can bring you so close to the action.
Things To Do
Some people like to completely relax when they go on holiday, sunbathing, long walks down the beach at sunset, rest and relaxation, I’m not one of these people, and I’m guessing some of you aren’t either. Luckily, St Agnes has some exhilarating, amusing and downright fun things to do… depending on what you fancy. If shopping is on your agenda, as briefly mentioned earlier, St Agnes is home to a boatload of small shops, but they aren’t exactly Selfridges, Prada and Apple, more like small independent art shops, organic fruit and veg places, small clothing shops, convenience stores and more, all within walking distance from the beach! Along with these small shops, there is a beauty parlour, jeweler, museum, and surf shop to visit, all within a relatively short walk of each other!
Sure, shopping is fun, but what if you’re a bit of an adrenaline junkie? Luckily St Agnes is home to a number of slubs, groups and classes that will provide you with a day out that you wont forget for quite a while. Koru kayaking is a company that offers to take you and your friends or family out in a group tour of the dramatic coastline around St Agnes, by means of Kayak! So if you’ve ever wanted to test your sea-legs, take a look at their website and maybe give it a go for yourself. Maybe Kayaking isn’t thrilling enough for you, well, if launching yourself off of steep cliffs into the Celtic sea, swimming around in the bays and lagoons around St Agnes, climbing up half submerged rocky outcrops and just doing all round Bad-Assery sounds like fun to you, take a day with the experienced instructors at Coastal Rush, and get the adrenaline pumping through your veins! Although I haven’t tried it yet, I tend to see them going out in groups and get extremely jealous… I will try it some time, so maybe I’ll see you there…
For me, surfing is the real deal! There’s something so satisfying about just being able to get out into the water, be around nature and completely disconnect from the outside world and just be in the moment. Another thing that I love to see is people experiencing that same feeling for the very first time. I would highly recommend learning for yourself, and St Agnes is the perfect place to do just that. The beach is a cove, so there tends to be very little wind. This is good because the last thing you want is to get blown about while carrying around what is essentially a massive sail! The waves break onto the beach, and the sea floor is mostly sand at low tide, with a few scattered rocks on the right hand side of the beach. If you want to learn how to surf, I recommend reaching out to the instructors at Breakers surf school, While I haven’t personally been on a session with them mysyelf, I always see them on the sand and in the water with groups of all ages, and by looking at their website and reading their reviews, I’m not surprised why they’re so popular! I may not have taken a class with them, but I have rented a few boards! £13 for the day! And I had the pleasure of chatting with some of the experienced staff that seem to have a very laid back, but professional approach to their work.
Don’t fancy getting drenched but still want to take in the nature and local landscape? If you walk past the Driftwood spars, going towards the beach, just as you pass the building you will notice a path that heads up a hill, this is the South West coastal path. 630 miles of untouched natural beauty that stretch from from Minehead to Poole Harbour. If you’re in the mood for a rather long hike, you can walk the entire length… although, it’ll probably take you a while. If you’re lazy- uh, I mean busy, like me, you don’t have the time to walk 630 miles, not to worry though, as you can use the South West coastal path t0 walk between local beaches.
If you follow the path near the driftwood spars, over the headland, it will take you across to Travellas cove to the East, and eventually Perranporth. As you cross the headland, you will come across a large slag heap (no, it’s not what you think it is… you wrongen), and if you follow one of the small tracks into the heather, you will discover a small DIY skate park, made by some of the locals, built into the foundations of the historic mines that once laid claim to the hilltop. Full of what is quite possibly the most progressive and right-on graffiti I’ve seen in a long time, although, maybe that’s because I live in Manchester, and the graffiti I’m used to seeing is poorly drawn cocks on street signs and shop shutters.
If you’d rather walk the opposite direction, you can keep left on Quay road as you near the beach, follow the road up the hill to the left hand side of the beach until you reach a gate, if you go through that gate and follow the coastal path you will wind up in the land of Oz… Okay, maybe not, but you will
be walking towards St Agnes head and the Beacon, Chapel porth and eventually Porthtowan. You can get a fantastic view of the Bawden rocks, out at sea, and if you look at the cliff side, you will notice an area where the cliff has collapsed into the sea… This area always seems so surreal to me.
If you continue on this path, you will eventually come across the mines at Wheal Coates, and as I mentioned before, They are well worth a visit for their historic values, but mostly because they are so God Damn aesthetically pleasing! I mean, just look at this picture… It’s Mother nature flashing her magnificent cleavage in an attempt to make everyone stuck at home at the moment jealous!
Peak Times
St Agnes is usually at its busiest during the summer months, it draws tourists from around the globe because of its stunning scenery and great beaches. The tourism industry is what fuels the local economy… which is a good thing! The only problem is that it can get quite busy at times, especially on those mega hot days where everyone seems to have the shared idea of going to the beach at the exact same time as you! Depending on the tide times, you can get either a really good spot on the beach, or end up cooped up like sardines in a tin at high tide, where only a tiny amount of beach remains. One way I get around this issue is to get down to the beach early, to avoid all the crowds, then leave when it gets busy, and come back down later in the evening when the majority of the crowds dissipate.
If you’re willing to sacrifice the idea of staying warm, late winter and early spring is a great time to visit st Agnes. While some shops may not be open, and the beach may not be lifeguarded, the winter sun will provide some gorgeous, tourist free landscapes, empty beaches and some great photo opportunities. It is also a much cheaper time to stay in St Agnes, so if you can brave the Dick-shriveling cold, then why not visit later on in the year?
Nearby Attractions
As briefly mentioned before, there are multiple great beaches around St Agnes, all with unique aspects that make them worth visiting. Porthtowan, for example is a gorgeous, golden, sandy beach, located 4 miles west of St Agnes, that is brilliant for surfing and body boarding, as well as having ample space on the beach to mess around and lose yourself in your surroundings. One lesser known part of the beach is the natural swimming pool, that is hidden among the cliffs to the east side of the beach. If you can manage the clamber over the boulders at the base of the cliffs, you’ll
come across a large, man made tidal swimming pool, that gets replenished with new water with the tides. It tends to be home to stranded sealife, such as small shoals of fish, crabs and megalodon sharks… Possibly.
To the East of St Agnes, you will come across the beaches of Travellas, Perranporth, Holywell Bay, Crantock and eventually, Fistral beach near Newquay. I’ve always found Perranporth beach to be slightly too big, its a trek and a half to get to the sea front at any time, and is known to be quite dangerous due to the rip currents and high winds that can rip across the beach. That being said, It has some unique qualities that are worth seeing, such as the rock formation at the Centre of the beach, that is home to multiple caves, a tidal swimming pool (much like the one found in Porthtowan), and a very dodgy viewing point at the top of the rocks, where a Cornish flag resides. I wouldn’t recommend climbing up, but it has never stopped me…. (Just do so at your own risk.)
Conclusion
If you like the idea of visiting St Agnes, there are multiple ways of reaching the town. If you are driving down, the main route I’d on the A30 through cornwall, if you are flying, you will land in Newquay airport, just 10 minutes from St Agnes (just make sure you don’t book a flight to St Agnes in the isles of scilly), and you can get the train into Newquay aswell, then take a taxi or Uber into St Agnes.
St Agnes is by far one of the most beautiful places in the country, and is well worth a visit, with a gorgeous beach, friendly locals, and some of the most amazing natural landscapes available to the human eye! With a great nightlife, unique little coffee shops and a plethora of other activities, places and experiences to occupy your time, Why not take a trip to North Cornwall this year and see the place for yourself. And who knows, I might just see you down there.
Another really good source of info for St Agnes is this video by the St Agnes chamber of commerce, take a look!
But that is all just my opinion on the place. Let me know what you think of St Agnes in the comments section just below this post, I’d love to get in contact with some of my readers and listen to other ideas, opinions and experiences of the places I write about!
Cheers for reading!
while your here, why not check out some of my other posts as well?
The Best Beginner Surfboards and Where to Get Em’
Top 7 Incredible Things To Do in Tenby!
Cayton Bay! The Beach to Fuel Your Obsession…
