The mining industry in Cornwall was a major driver of the local economy and provided jobs for thousands of people. Cornwall has a long and proud history of mining, with tin and copper being the most important minerals extracted from the ground. On my travels, I’ve heard lots of these Cornish facts, and have learned plenty more from my family and from my extensive research about Cornwall (I’ve even learned a little of the language – more on that below!). Cornwall is famous for being the home of the Cornish pasty and Cornish clotted cream.
If you’re looking for the perfect beach holiday, then Widemouth Bay is one of the best places to go in Cornwall. This 2-mile stretch of sandy beach backed by rolling dunes is a firm favorite with surfers as it takes the full force of the North Atlantic. The town is located a little inland a couple of miles from beautiful St Austell Bay. There are some great beaches around the area such as Crinnis beach which I particularly recommend for families.
This ultramafic rock also forms a very infertile soil which covers the flat and marshy heaths of the interior of the peninsula. This is home to rare plants, such as the Cornish Heath, which has been adopted as the county flower. The interior of the county consists of a roughly east–west spine of infertile and exposed upland, with a series of granite intrusions, such as Bodmin Moor, which contains the highest land within Cornwall. From east to west, and with approximately descending altitude, these are Bodmin Moor, Hensbarrow north of St Austell, Carnmenellis to the south of Camborne, and the Penwith or Land’s End peninsula.
If you’re a fan of the TV show, Doc Martin, the place in which the show is set is an actual village, Port Isaac. Soak up the views from atop Brown Willy, the highest point in Cornwall and one of the UK’s best hikes, or explore the stone circles and bronze age barrows surrounding the slopes of Rough Tor. Fans of Cornwall’s most famous author, Daphne du Maurier, won’t want to miss the real-life Jamaica Inn at the heart of the moor. As in the novel, this isolated inn was once used to stash smuggler’s contraband in the late 18th century.
Sweyn annexed Wessex to his Viking empire which included Denmark and Norway. He did not, however, annex Cornwall, Wales and Scotland, allowing these “”client nations”” self-rule in return for an annual payment of tribute or “”danegeld””. Between 1013 and 1035 Cornwall, Wales, much of Scotland and Ireland were not included in the territories of King Canute the Great. Kenstec acknowledged the authority of Ceolnoth, bringing Cornwall under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The first few bishops here were native Cornish, but those appointed from 963 onwards were all English. From around 1027, the see was held jointly with that of Crediton, and in 1050, they were merged to become the diocese of Exeter.
From its long and interesting history to the geography of its famous landscape, find out all you need to know about this beautiful county. Cornwall, unitary authority and historic county, southwestern England, occupying a peninsula jutting into the Atlantic Ocean. The unitary authority covers nearly the same area as the historic county. Agriculture, once an important part of the Cornish economy, has declined significantly relative to other industries.