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At the end of the line from London, Penzance is a very pleasant small town in which to linger (and shop) with a curious mix of seaside holiday-makers, locals, artists and New Age hippies. Newlyn, on the western edge of Penzance, was the center of a community of artists in the late 19th century; some of their handiwork can be inspected in Newlyn Museum and Art Gallery, New Rd.

The harbour spreads along Mount's Bay, with the ferry terminal to the east, the train and bus stations just to the north and the main beach to the south. The town itself spreads uphill towards the domed Lloyds Bank building with a statue of local man, Humphrey Davy, inventor of the miner's lamp, in front. Part of the bank now houses craft shops.

National Lighthouse Centre, Wharf Rd, relates the history of the lighthouses that have helped keep ships off this dangerous coast. It's open daily from March to October, from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm. Some examples of the Newlyn school of painting are exhibited in the Penzance Museum & Art Gallery, on Morrab Rd. It's open daily except Sunday.

The 25 mile section of the Coast Path around Land's End to/from St Ives is one of the most scenic parts of the whole route. It can be broken at the youth hostel at St Just (near Land's End), and there are plenty of other cheap farm B&Bs along the way.

Penzance is 281 miles from London, nine from Land's End and eight from St Ives.

There are five buses a day from Penzance to London (five hours) and Heathrow airport, one direct bus a day to Exeter (five hours) and three buses a day to Bristol via Truro and Plymouth. To St Ives (20 minutes) there are at least two services an hour. There are daily First Western National services to Land's End (one hour), hourly during the week, less frequent at weekends.

The train offers an enjoyable if pricey way to get to Penzance from London. There are five trains a day from London Paddington (five hours). There are frequent trains from Penzance to St Ives between 7 am and 8 pm (20 minutes).

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