Amid

Amid
the rugged cliffs and old engine houses of
Cornwall‘s north coast is an unassuming town of two
personalities. St Agnes is divided by terraced miners’ cottages
into village and beach. In the village, boutique bakeries and
delicatessens rub shoulders with zero-waste shops, a quaint high
street and the kind of church that wouldn’t look out of place in
the Cotswolds. The beach below looks as though it has been scooped
from the cliff using an enormous digger. Dramatic rather than
conventionally pretty, the beach is a hive of activity year-round,
an ocean playground for surfers, wild swimming groups and
rowers.

Sandwiched between two famous neighbours, Perranporth and
Porthtowan – both of which draw visitors during the summer and
lapse into sleepy, almost eerie hibernation in the winter – St
Agnes has a thriving community of permanent residents. Old mines
and engine houses have been transformed into hubs of innovation and
house brands of international acclaim (Wheal Kitty, perched on the
cliff above Trevaunance Cove, is the home of ethical, outdoor
clothing brand Finisterre). Former miners’ cottages squeezed
precipitously on vertigo-inducing hills have become picture-perfect
holiday cottages. Walks along the coastal path in either direction
reveal Elizabethan beacons, 18th-century mines and bunkers dating
back to the Second World War.

Whether you’re looking for a quieter alternative to St Ives for a
summer break or a coastal escape during the winter months, St Agnes
won’t disappoint. We’ve traipsed coastal paths in the footsteps of
the miners of old, surfed the waves and honed our pasty-critiquing
skills to bring you the best of
Cornwall‘s most up-and-coming little town.