Hotel Penzance Promenade

The Hotel Penzance sits right on the promenade with views across Mount's Bay - it's more of a landmark to pass than somewhere you'll necessarily go inside, but it's worth understanding what it represents. This Victorian building anchors the seafront at Penzance proper, commanding the curve of the bay with a certain faded grandeur that tells you the place has seen better days - and probably mellower ones too.

You'll walk past it if you're doing the coastal path from Newlyn, which is where most visitors base themselves anyway. The building itself is handsome in that slightly battered British seaside way - all honey-coloured stone and period detail. The promenade stretches either side, which is the real draw: decent for a walk with the kids, flat enough that buggies don't become an argument, and genuinely bracing on a windy day.

History types will get a kick out of the 1830s architecture and the stories of Penzance's tin-mining wealth that built this stretch of seafront. It's not a destination that requires hours of your time, but it's an essential anchor point when planning a coastal loop. If you're camping nearby - Foxglove Field Glamping is only 4 miles out - this is an obvious evening stroll after tea. The light at dusk is proper lovely here, softening all those stones.

Free to walk past and admire. Allow twenty minutes to half an hour if you're doing the full promenade walk. Go when the tide's out if you want to maximize the beach time either side.