This prominent headland on the stretch of coast between St
Ives and Lands End got its name from the fact that its shape is reminiscent of
the gurnard fish. There has always been
a lone pub on the headland as long as I can remember. Back in the day it was a normal, unassuming
St Austell Ales inn, but now, as a sign of the times, it has been turned into a
smart hotel and gastropub, no doubt a welcome stop along this wild coast for
those walking the South West Coast Path.
There is an iron age hill fort called Trereen Dinas (‘fort
at the farm on the point’) on the headland, the remnants of which can still
just about be made out in the form of a ditch and a bank with some drystone
walling. In the early 1800s there was a
copper mine named Wheal Treen in operation on Gurnard’s Head, but it fell into
disuse in 1877. Now there is just the
hotel and the nearby village of Treen.
The nearest beach to the headland is Treen Cove, a short distance to the
east of the headland. Probably not one
for families, as there are no facilities and no lifeguard cover, just the wild
beauty of the Atlantic breakers crashing on to the shore.
Map of the area.
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| Gurnard's Head, by Barbara Ashley |
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