Porthgwarra

This quaint old fishing hamlet lies just northeast of the high cliffs of Gwennap Head from which there is a spectacular coastal walk to Land’s End, although walkers should be aware that the terrain is sometimes rugged. A tunnel runs from the slipway up to the road at Porthgwarra, and some people claim it was dug and used by smugglers. A more likely explanation, however, is that it was excavated to allow farmers to bring seaweed from the beach to their fields to use as fertiliser.

The small and cosy cove, with its sandy beach and backdrop of steep cliffs, was once known as Sweetheart’s Cove as this is where, many years ago, Nancy, a prosperous farmer’s daughter from the village, said goodbye to her forbidden lover, William, who had been a farmhand on her father’s farm. Nancy’s parents had objected to the marriage, considering William not to be good enough, but then relented, saying that before any marriage could take place, William had to go to sea for three years to make his fortune. Three years passed, and there was no sign of William, much to the parents’ delight. Nancy watched constantly from the shore for her lover’s return, and her parents eventually became worried by her peculiar behaviour. One evening Nancy’s Aunt Prudence heard voices coming from Nancy’s room and she eavesdropped, clearly hearing William say ‘Waken up and come to the shore, my love, where I await you’.

Nancy went to the shore, and her aunt followed, only to see Nancy safe in the arms of William by the shore. However, a sudden wave engulfed them both and they were swept out to sea. A few days later word reached the distraught parents that William had indeed been returning home on that fateful night, and that he had climbed the mast to get his first look at Porthgwarra where Nancy awaited him. Alas he fell from the mast, and was swept overboard and drowned. Neither he nor Nancy were ever seen again.

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