Outstanding Natural
Beauty
Geevor occupies a special position in an area of outstanding natural
beauty. The mine is set above the Atlantic on a narrow coastal
shelf at Pendeen in West Penwith. This area is a granite peninsula,
distinctly different from Cornwall east of the Hayle estuary.
| Overlooking
the ocean on the peninsula’s
northern coast is a range of small hills. Pendeen has its own
Carn, just behind the church, from where the granite was quarried
by miners in the mid-nineteenth century to build their church.
Gorse colours these moorland hills in spring, and with heather
brightens the landscape in early autumn, ancient hedges (granite
walls) divide the fields and the landscape is a patchwork that
has inspired many artists, enchanted by the quality of light
and perhaps by its history of farming and mining. |
 |
Many ancient monuments can be found on Penwith's
hills, some dating to six thousand years ago. See Chun Quoit, a
magnificent chambered burial place. Nearby is the Iron Age hill
fort, Chun Castle, astride the Tinners Way, leading from Cape Cornwall
to St Ives. Between Pendeen and St Just seek out Tregeseal Stone
Circle, nineteen stones almost hidden in thick heather and gorse.
Each season has its attractions here. Walk on the beaches or along
the cliff paths in winter and be amazed by the strength of the
gales, the force of the Atlantic waves crashing on beaches and
rocky shores. See seals apparently enjoying the rough seas. Watch
for migrating birds blown off course by the winds, and seeking
shelter in this temporary refuge.
The 'cliff castles' or 'promontory forts', such as the ones at
Kenidjack and Bosigran, were once thought to be defensive sites
but are now thought to have symbolic significance deriving from
the Celtic links with the sea.
 |
Spring
comes early, heralded by daffodils in the fields and vivid
yellow splashes of gorse. March is a blue, green and gold
month, with breathtaking views and the scent of gorse in
the air. By May the hedges are thronged with wildflowers,
pink, blue, white and yellow. The cliffs are brightened by
pink thrift and blue squill. |
And
for summer, there are golden sands with a perfect beach at nearby
Portherras, or at Sennen. Walk along the coastal path
and gaze at the sea from the cliffs - a deep turquoise colour
more
often associated with Mediterranean waters. New wildflowers appear
- foxgloves everywhere, strange sentinels in abandoned mine workings.
As summer turns to autumn the sea is still warm, and the season
is marked by the swallows and martins clustering as they prepare
to leave for the south. The turn of the season is signaled by
the autumn gales late in October. To see Penwith at its best,
visit
in the winter, when great storms often send sea spray over the
top of the cliffs. This is the time for the discerning visitor.
The beauty of West Penwith is a special part of our heritage. We
think of the hard lives of the inhabitants, then and now, and their
relationship with the land, the minerals it contains and the crops
and animals it sustains.
