west cornwall

At the tiny village of Zennor, the Wayside Folk Museum is a real labour of love that began between the wars when a local man acquired a pile of locally made tools that was being sold for scrap. He realised this was part of Cornwall's rapidly disappearing folk history, and his collection grew and grew.

It now has agricultural, domestic and mining artefacts as well as a re-created cottage interior, all painstakingly explained with handwritten labels making it somewhere most visitors spend far longer in than they expect to. There is a children's quiz trail too.

The Tinners Arms is a useful spot for lunch, and the youth hostel serves snacks. There is a lovely shortish stroll onto Zennor Head for views along the coast in both directions, and Zennor Church is worth a look for its carving of a mermaid that depicts a local legend.