Day trips by train – The Railholiday guide to Penzance

Penzance is a coastal town defined by its history, providing top quality attractions of ancient sites as well as a variety of nearby beaches to enjoy on sunny days. Take a stroll along the town’s seafront, or indulge yourself in a shopping frenzy in the many independent shops.

The town is surrounded by an area of magnificent natural beauty and Celtic culture, only 9 miles from the impressive scenery of Land’s End. A few miles away at Porthcurno the stunning Minack Theatre offers a great seasonal cultural scene, hosting live performances and music concerts in the summer. A visit to the island castle of St Michael’s Mount is a must with its enchanting castle and tropical garden. Alternatively walk or take the bus towards the picturesque fishing villages of Newlyn and Mousehole, with their thriving arts scenes and in winter fabulous Christmas light displays. I’ll be covering these, and more, with a further blog about places to visit from Penzance by bus.

The shopping area

Coming out of the station follow the road right and then left to reach the high street, Market Jew Street. This is dominated by the impressive Lloyd’s Bank building at the top of the hill. On this street you’ll find an array of independent and main stream shops, including some quirky second hand stores and the excellent End of the World Book Shop.

One of our favourite pubs, close to the station, is just off Market Jew Street. The Crown is a characterful place that brews its own beer. They don’t serve food, but you can do as we do and pick up a takeaway to eat with your ale. There is an open mic on Mondays from 7pm, and a quiz on Tuesdays.

The wonderful Market Cartel on Bread Street

At the top of the hill another street leads up to more independent stores and cafes, plus Penzance’s Savoy Cinema. I particularly like the Market Cartel bazaar on Bread Street, which is reached by turning right off Causeway Head, which is packed full of quirky antiques and vintage clothing. A useful simple map of the Penzance shopping area can be found here. Click on the streets to see a breakdown of the individual shops.

At the top of town, tucked away on a side street off Chapel Street, is the wonderful Acorn Theatre, with its active and well curated programme of almost daily events. The Acorn is a converted Methodist Church; one of many built in the late Victorian period in Cornwall. Methodism was a big part of Cornish culture. At one time 60% of people attending religious services in Cornwall were Methodists; higher than any other part of the country. In mining areas it was the wealthy that went to Anglican churches, and there was also a political division; Methodism was Liberal, Anglican Conservative. The division between the two churches was taken quite seriously; I once had an elderly friend who was born in about 1910, who commented “I’m very broad minded. My husband was Anglican and I’m Methodist.”

As you head down Chapel Street, a turning off on the left will take you to The Newlyn Art Gallery and Exchange a vibrant modern art gallery with two exhibition spaces. It is part of the Plus Tate group, a “A dynamic network of visual arts organisations stretching across the UK.” Newlyn has a long history of art, and this contemporary art gallery was founded in 1895, moving to the current site in 2007. The smaller Newlyn Art Gallery is in Newlyn itself.

Chapel Street, with the Ministry of Flavour on the right

Chapel Street leads down towards the sea from the top of town. This street is packed full of interesting places and considered to be one of the finest streets in Cornwall. On the right is the stunning Egyptian House, now owned by Landmark Trust. It was built between 1834 and 1837 to house the mineral collection of the dealer John Lavin. At the time it was built there was an blossoming of exotic architecture and plant collecting, influenced by a nineteenth century vogue for foreign travel. The Egyptian House was inspired by the now lost Egyptian Hall in Picadilly. A similar piece of architecture is the Old Fellows Hall, built in 1823 in Devonport in Plymouth.

Opposite the Egyptian House is The Union Hotel. Although now rather shabby around the edges, The Union Hotel was once one of Penzance’s finest hotels, and there are elements of this grandeur that still survive. If you get the opportunity to take go upstairs, there is a fabulous ballroom, with a balcony from which it was reputed came the first announcement of Nelson’s death. The Union has live music nights and if you’re lucky you might get to join in some Cornish Dancing.

Chapel Street, with The Union Hotel on the left and the Egyptian House on the right

The excellent Indian restaurant Ministry of Flavour is also on Chapel Street. The Artist’s Residence is also a popular place to eat. The characterful Admiral Benbow leans heavily on Cornwall’s history of smuggling. It is equipped inside like the interior of a boat. The Turks Head, the oldest pub in Penzance boasts a secret garden. In the same area is Chapel Street Music, bringing the best of classical music to Penzance.

Chapel street leads down to the sea. This area of Penzance has plenty of interest. In the east is the ferry port, where The Scillonian Ferry transports visitors to the Isles of Scilly. Westwards from the port is one of the jewels in Penzance’s Crown, the award-winning Jubilee Pool. The largest saltwater pool in the UK, Jubilee Pool was opened in 1935. Recent innovations have included the UK’s first geothermal pool, and a sauna. The cafe is excellent and open all year. In winter the pool and sauna is open for cold water dips on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings.

Penzance abounds with parks. The mild winters mean that tropical planting abounds here. Morrab Gardens is well worth a visit, as is Morrab Library, an independent library sitting within Morrab Gardens.

Another pleasant park is Penlee. This is home to Penlee House Gallery and Museum, which showcases the best of the famous Penzance art school paintings, as well as running beautifully curated visiting exhibitions. There is also an outdoor theatre that runs a varied programme throughout the summer months.

There is a lovely promenade along the beach from Jubilee Pool, all the way to the fishing town of Newlyn.The shingle and rock beach in Penzance stretches along the Promenade for a mile. Much of it is only accessible from mid to low tide. There is a skate park and toilets between the promenade and the park, about equidistant between Penzance and Newlyn.