Places to Visit near Zennor

Newlyn Art Gallery & The Exchange offers a wide and varied exhibition programme across two sites, presenting contemporary work in all media by regional, national and international artists, with a supporting programme of events.

The gallery has a long history of art-making in West Cornwall and celebrates contemporary art having supported artists for more than 125 years (and counting!) The Gallery Shop sells ceramics, jewellery, cards and art books, and the Studio Cafe serves tea, coffee and cakes during the summer. In the winter the space is used to display ceramics and crafts. The gallery recently completed a project to enhance its outdoor spaces including secluded gardens with pebble seating. The Picture Room is an additional gallery space presenting selling exhibitions by leading regional artists.

The second site is The Exchange which is located off historic Chapel Street, within easy walking distance of Penzance bus and train stations. It has a wonderful book and gift shop plus a café serving snacks and light lunches. Well-behaved dogs are welcome at both venues, but may not be allowed in the exhibition spaces during certain shows.

A great chance to enjoy some family time within a gallery setting, during the school holidays each of the venues offers free DIY Make & Do Activities often related to the current exhibition, and always lots of fun. To accompany their summer exhibitions they produce a booklet designed for visiting families to take a closer look at the exhibitions together.

Visit their website for more information and for information on family events, call 01736 780869

Penlee House Gallery & Museum, owned and operated by Penzance Council, is an award-winning gallery presenting a year-round programme of changing exhibitions featuring the art of West Cornwall from c.1880 to c.1940.

The majority of exhibitions focus on the world famous ‘Newlyn School’ and Lamorna artists such as Stanhope and Elizabeth Forbes, Walter Langley, Harold Harvey, Lamorna Birch and Laura Knight. Penlee House also features the archaeology and social history of the area including Crysede fabrics and Newlyn Copper. Set within an elegant Victorian house and park, the building is fully accessible and has an excellent café and shop.

Visit their website for more information or call 01736 363625

Artwork and sculptures adorn the tropical gardens of Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens just outside of Marazion which means every sense is affected when visiting. Discover inspirational works of art in Cornwall within the exotic and sub-tropical gardens with outstanding views across to St Michael’s Mount.

Dramatic landscapes and planting provide the canvas for contemplative but inspirational artworks. Over twenty artists, including five members of the Royal Academy of Arts have been involved with Tremenheere Garden to create permanent works of art in Cornwall harmonising beautifully with the setting. The many acres of the garden also provide a forum for transitory art in all its forms.

Dogs are welcome on the lead and the footpath through the garden is well-laid but can be uneven in places with steps to viewing platforms. There is a succulents nursery on-site as well as a cafe serving delicious food served using local ingredients and recipes. Mooch in their shop for some Cornish gifts to take home or visit the art gallery with its plentiful natural light show casing amazing pieces of art.

Visit their website for more information

A glorious walk along a valley separated by a river with rhododendrons and bluebells in full flower in May. Equally special in summer or a crisp winter’s walk.

The woods can be accessed either at Newmill or in Trevaylor itself, found on the Penzance to Gurnard’s Head Road – Gear Hill. There is parking for around 3 to 4 cars on the side of the road at Trevaylor where there is an uneven and bumpy track that leads you down to the valley bottom where the Trevaylor stream flows. You can cross the stream in wellies or with exceptional balance on fallen trees or on stepping stones and start your walk on either side of the water. The footpaths lead up and down the valley through a thick coppice of trees but where dappled sunlight shines down and creates a magical sense of romance. It’s a great walk with dogs on hot sunny days as there are plenty of cool places for them to rest and drink fresh water. For the adventurous or active children, there are some hand-made swings with ropes and branches for some old-fashioned fun or lots of fallen trees for balancing or monkeying around. If approaching from the Newmill end, there is a footpath that takes you from the road just outside Newmill just past Lower Crankan Farm. It’s a great walk to lose an hour or two and enjoy the feeling of space and freedom! For footpath directions, refer to the Land’s End, Penzance and St Ives 102 OS Map SW462 335.

Imagine living in a village in Cornwall over 2000 years ago! You can visit a site that was lived in once by a Romano-British settlement and Chysauster Ancient Village just over the hill from Zennor is one of the finest examples of such in the UK.

The village with its stone-walled homesteads known as ‘courtyard houses’, are found only on the Land’s End peninsula and the Isles of Scilly. The houses line a ‘village street’ and each had an open central courtyard surrounded by a number of thatched rooms. Farmers would have lived at Chysauster and archaeological investigations reveal that cereal crops were grown in the fields surrounding the village. It is also highly likely that pigs and goats were kept by the villagers and the site is believed to have been lived in for around 200 years.

Come and visit the village settlement to gain a sense of what the houses would have looked like and how the settlement was laid out. You will find the remains of an enigmatic ‘fogou’ underground passage – historians believe the purpose for this could have been as a ritual building, a hiding place or a cold store.

Chysauster Ancient Village has remarkable views across the countryside and out to the sea and is covered in a fantastic range of flora and fauna where wildlife and visiting birds enjoy the warm climate of the far west of Cornwall.

Visit English Heritage’s website for more information

A place like no other, the world-famous Minack Theatre is a must-see for visitors to Cornwall.

Discover the extraordinary story of how it was created and experience the magic of live theatre in this iconic space. The Minack stages a full programme of live performances and at other times you can explore the dramatic site and sub-tropical gardens full of exotic plants.

Advance booking for visits, tours and performances is essential.

Visit their website for more information or call them on 01736 810181

St Michael’s Mount is a great day out for all the family, visit the castle on its own island just off the coast of Marazion. The tropical gardens are remarkable and so very beautiful against the backdrop of the sea, well worth a visit!

The experience starts with either walking across the cobbled walkway from Marazion Beach at low tide to the island or taking a boat at high tide and disembarking into the small, sheltered harbour where the island residents live. There is a gift shop and cafe to mooch around as well as ice cream booths.  Then take a walk up through the gardens, uphill towards the castle (the walk is steep in places and uneven). Walk under the ancient doorways and discover its past from priory to fortified castle and, since the mid-1600s, home to the St Aubyn family, who still live there today. As you wander centuries-old corridors and unpeel layers of history, you will find artefacts, artwork and unusual souvenirs from around the world.

Please note dogs are welcome between 1st October and 31st March only.

Visit their website for more information

Geevor Tin Mine is a Cornish Mining World Heritage Site. As seen on BBC’s TV series ‘Poldark’, for centuries Cornwall’s main industry was tin and copper mining and the remains of the industry can be seen throughout the county.

Cornish miners and engineers were recognised as the world’s finest in the development of hard rock mining. Discover their stories and that of the Cornish tin and copper mining industry at Geevor Tin Mine. Geevor was the last mine to work the famous St Just Mining District once the site of the largest number of undersea tin and copper mines in the world! Visit the mine buildings and dip your toe into 18th-century Wheal Mexico Mine where men and boys worked 200 years ago.

Follow in the footsteps of Cornish miners! Geevor Tin Mine allows you to visit a real mine and learn what life was like for a Cornish miner. Be brave and put on your hard hat and explore the mine!

Stop fr a spot of lunch at the Count House Cafe and enjoy the stunning seascapes from your table.

Visit their website for more information and to book online

Land’s End Landmark is a day out for all the family! Arrive at the most westerly point in the UK and be blown away by the Area of Outstanding Natural beauty surrounding Land’s End.

There is plenty to do at Land’s End but our favourite thing to do there is walking the beautifully maintained and manicured paths suitable for all and taking in the epic scenery most particularly Longship’s Lighthouse. It can be a family day out with attractions such as Arthur’s Quest, Aardman Presents: A Grand Experience, Jolly Roger 4D Film or visit the furry animals at their 200-year-old restored farm with resident artists and silversmiths and of course THE signpost; a legendary Cornish icon.

There is a cafe, restaurant and ice-cream parlour as well as shops to buy lots of things you thought you wouldn’t need!

Dogs are welcome on leads and why not take a stroll from Land’s End to Sennen which is a short, yet beautiful walk.

Visit their website for more information on attractions available

Discover a museum experience at PK Porthcurno that explores the amazing story of our connected world, and how a tranquil valley in Cornwall became host to the past, present and future of worldwide communications.

From the discovery of electricity and Morse code to fibre optics and future technology, this award-winning museum mixes the beauty of science with extraordinary histories and tales of human efforts and aspirations from around the globe to Cornwall where the story of communications began.

Take the family around the interactive museum and chart the story of communications and where it all began. Listen to the staff demonstrations and see some of the museum’s original working equipment in action. Regular events take place for families visiting so keep an eye on their website to see what is up and coming. Dogs are welcome (on a short lead) to the museum all year round (apart from in the bunkers) and also in Cafe PK.

To read about our experience at PK Porthcurno, check out our ‘A Rainy Day In Cornwall‘ blog.

Visit their website for more information or call 01736 810966

The Jackson Foundation is a unique, ambitious, award-winning, carbon-positive art space celebrating the relationship between art and the natural world.

Visit The Jackson Foundation Gallery at a huge ex-industrial building in the centre of the thriving former mining town of St Just-in-Penwith. The Foundation was set up by leading contemporary artist Kurt Jackson and his wife Caroline where they host contemporary exhibitions in partnership with a variety of environmental and non-profit organisations. Free to the public, come and see the versatile world-class art gallery which bridges a gap between public and private art centres. It is an extraordinary venue for showcasing Kurt Jackson’s varied and eclectic range of artistic expression spanning painting, poetry, sculpture, installation and film.

Visit their website for more information on exhibitions and opening times