Set on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, St Just is the most westerly town in England and feels lost in time. It’s a UNESCO world heritage site with a rich history of mining and is surrounded by wild moors, stunning beaches and dramatic coastline. Centred around a market square it appears more like a village with its strong local community and great selection of cafes, galleries and pubs.

St Just is about 8 miles west of Penzance and the nearest town to Lands End, situated just back from the stunning Coastline. The town's past is reflected in the rows of granite cottages having originally been at the centre of the tin mining industry in the far west of Cornwall. The disused engine houses can still be seen around the landscape. It’s also the back drop for much of Poldark, including Ross’s Wheal Leisure at the nearby Crown Mines below Botallack.

It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and the Plain-an-Gwarry (Plen) is also a listed ancient monument. The Plain-an-Gwarry, commonly referred to now by locals as “the Plen”, is in the centre of the town and hosts the annual Lafrowda Festival; in medieval times the theatre was used for miracle plays.

Off the beaten track it’s a magical place with a strong community. It’s getting popular but luckily hasn't seen the imbalance tourism can create and there is a small selection of cottages to rent if you’re lucky enough to holiday here. Today the town has good pubs and cafés, two great local butchers and a few galleries including the famous Kurt Jackson gallery. There are fabulous walks out in every direction from St Just – including down to the sheltered garden of Cot Valley, or the rugged Cape Cornwall.

CAPE CORNWALL AND PRIEST'S COVE - is just a short walk away and for us it’s simply the most stunning spot to watch the sun set behind the sea, take a picnic (or takeaway!) and make an evening of it. There is no beach as such at Priest's Cove, and dogs are banned all year in the little harbour area but it’s great for swimming and at low tide there is a miner's pool. The Brisons are a mile offshore and part of an underwater reef that is responsible for many shipwrecks.

PORTHERAS - About 10 minutes’ drive out of St Just past Pendeen is a stunning and fairly hidden beach. It really is a local's beach. There are no signs, and even once you've found the rough field car park it's still a clamber to get there. But it's worth it, the sand is fine and generally clean. We often see seals bobbing about here. Dogs are welcome all year.

BOAT COVE - is usually a slip way for small fishing boats, but over the last couple of years it has been a very small, secret sandy beach. Park at Pendeen Watch, or in the field in Rose Valley signposted off the Pendeen to Morvah road.

COT VALLEY - also known as Port Nanven. It has the further name of 'Dinosaur Egg Beach' due to the boulders found there. It is only a mile along the coast from Cape Cornwall towards Sennen and offers another perfect sunset location.

TIN MINING MUSEUM & HISTORY - There are prehistoric sites, old standing stones and old tin mines all around St Just and along the coastline towards St Ives. Geevor Tin Mine was the last mine to close in this part of the country and the Geevor Tin Mining Museum is well worth visiting. There’s the museum, visitor's centre and underground tours led by knowledgeable staff. The café is also highly rated and it’s a great day out for the whole family. As is Pendeen Lighthouse, the views are breathtaking and you can just imagine the smuggling of years gone by!

CAPE CORNWALL - Priest's Cove is one of the places that you can only find in Cornwall and it’s a favourite here at The Cornish Way. It’s a rugged, often wild, rocky beach surrounded by the remains of the Victorian mining industry and fishermen’s sheds that have been overgrown with wildflowers. It holds a real draw. In 1987, the ‘Heinz’ food group donated the Cape, including the Cove, to the National Trust. The Atlantic storms are ferocious on the beach and surrounding cliffs during the winter and in the summer there’s a swimming race into the cove from The Brisons, the large rock outcrop about a kilometre out of the bay. The race isn’t advertised (or for the faint hearted) and the active fishing slipway gives easy access to the water. There’s even a small miner's pool built amongst the rocks although at high tide much of the beach is underwater. There’s a National Trust run car park above the beach with public toilets and a takeaway café open seasonally in the car park. Check the seasonal dog ban here.

SWIMMING - At low tide at Porth Nanven a lagoon forms, which locals call the Mermaid Pool, and there are lots of other little pools to explore. It is easily reached on foot from St Just, while another lovely beach, Priest's Cove, is also nearby.

WALKING - The route between St Just and Cape Cornwall heads across the fields from St Just, passing the remains of the Celtic chapel dedicated to St Helen before climbing to the monument on the Cape. The route between Porth Nanven and Nanquidno follows the granite cliffs from Porth Nanven to Nanquidno beach, both covered in boulders smoothed by a prehistoric ocean and lost beneath the soil when sea levels fell. The return route is across the fields to the top of the Cot Valley.

ISLES OF SCILLY - Lands End Aerodrome isn’t far away. An airbus flies to the Isles of Scilly from here and it’s definitely worth a day trip.

MOOMAID OF ZENNOR ICE CREAM - A Cornish ice cream company based at their dairy farm on the cliffs of Zennor. Aside from various flavours of delicious ice cream, you can also pick a coffee and a slice of cake, or some light lunch.

THE DOG AND RABBIT - A cosy café perfect for comforting homemade breakfast, lunches and cakes.

THE SQUARE - A lovely little independent for picking up breakfast, lunch or dinner. The salad bar is perfect for lunch on the way to the beach and they serve pizzas in the evening too.

MARIA CHICA - A lovely café/Restaurant in Pendeen with a fantastic menu of tapas-style Portuguese inspired dishes. Open for lunch and dinner.

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