Cawsand & Kingsand

South Cornwall


While many of the coastal villages have become gentrified to the point of being unrecognised, these twin villages still genuinely feel like the fishing ports they were of old. A string of stout-walled granite cottages run along the seafront, overlooked by a Victorian clock tower, and fronting a few small beaches that are great for a paddle. In bygone days, both villages were a notorious haven for smugglers, and secret tunnels are still said to run beneath the towns' streets.

The seafront also doubled as Margate in Mike Leigh's film Mr Turner, a testament to their traditional and unspoilt architecture. Fittingly, there's also a large and active artistic community here, and you might well run into someone painting en plein air down by the beach.

In summer, a ferry runs from Cawsand Beach to the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth. You can also walk to the village through the grounds of Mount Edgcumbe estate.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

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