St Agnes and Perranporth Area Guide

These two settlements are about 3 miles apart on the north Cornish coast and are very different in character. St Agnes is a small town with its centre away from the sea, while Perranporth is very much a seaside resort.

St Agnes was since prehistoric times a centre of the mining industry for copper and tin, but this ceased about 100 years ago. The whole area is protected with much industrial archaeology including Wheal Coates to the south of the town.

The coastline is spectacular in both directions and is traversed by the Southwest Coast Path which runs from Minehead in Somerset to Poole in Dorset. A short distance to the west of the town is the high ground of St Agnes Beacon from which superb views over much of Cornwall are available.

At the lower part of the town is Trevaunance Cove. This has a lovely beach popular with surfers. The most interesting way down to it is via Stippy Stappy, steps featuring a row of attractive miner's cottages.

To the northeast of St Agnes is Perranporth whose most significant feature is the 2 mile long Perran Beach. This faces the Atlantic and is therefore good for surfing. Behind the beach in sand dunes is St Piran' Oratory which was buried for centuries under the sand before being unearthed in the 19th century.

St Piran is the patron saint of miners and of Cornwall and is said to have come from Ireland in medieval times. His flag consists of a white cross on a black background and is used as the flag of Cornwall.