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Land's End >  Google™ Map Nov 2017  Cornwall Coat of Arms

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Nov 2017

"One of Britain's most magnificent landmarks offering stunning scenery and a great day out for all the family in Cornwall, UK", they say.

Cornwall Coat of Arms

It's one of Britain's most magnificent landmarks offering stunning scenery and a great day out for all the family in Cornwall, UK, alright, but more on that in a minute.

Pretty much what it says and not quite as remote as first imagined since the most westerly point of mainland England, of course, has a major A road that brings you just about all the way. Not the most southerly point since that's at Lizard Point but you'll have to snake down a more-minor road for that[1].

It's not just the land that ends, it seems that time has too and by the look of the Visitor Centre entrance, that was around 1950.

Land's End - Visitor Centre
Land's End - Car Park

It's what the Isle of Wight is imagined to look like but the car park tariff is thoroughly modern although it's not thought there are too many 'parkies' checking the windscreens in November.

[1] Visit Cornwall describes it as 'mainland Britain's most south-westerly point.' but there's some confusion now? Which one is better, more south or more west? Wethinks things are being overthought and it's time for Bob to go and get a proper job, again.

  Greeb Farm and Craft Workshops

A short walk down a dip with more pounds required to gain entrance to the original farm that's now partly a petting 'zoo'. Advising trippers are largely positive although one of those animals appears to be a cat.

They're taking advantage of a gap during storm season to ready the facilities for next year.

Land's End Trading Co
Land's End - Arthur's Quest

That seems to include a new roof for one of the souvenir shops and a lick of paint to Arthur's Quest, a fee-paying attraction to a fictional king who's said to have lived around here somewhere.

You could always make a donation to the Cornwall Air Ambulance, a charitable operation who fly a pair of life-saving helicopters out of near Newquay.

Land's End - Cornwall Air Ambulance

This is the finishing point for frequent, fund-raising efforts, which usually involve bicycles, John O'Groats and nearly 900 miles.

  Model Village

It's not thought they'll be needing the scaffolding to fix the roof of Tintagel Post Office, just one of the dozen or so 1:10 scale models of typical Cornish buildings from the turn of the 20th century.

Land's End - Model Village

These all used to live in Lelant, an attractive resort up near St Ives, but were transported here when the bulldozers were called in there.

They're fixated firmly on the first and last theme here including the first and last postbox in England, no less.

Land's End - First and Last Postbox

It's currently non-operational so you'll have to use the one near the Visitor Centre, which is, technically, now the first and last postbox in England and isn't too far from the first and last cashpoint.

The first and last Victorian temperance hotel is now the first and last gift shop and art gallery although they don't actually make that claim for the former given those weren't exactly ten a penny.

The first and last house in England, however, is now your first and last chance for gifts and refreshments and as for the photograph of your signposted hometown?

Land's End - First and Last House
Land's End - Signpost

That's the first and last time you'll see the tenner that you've just taken out of the first and last cashpoint.

At last, the end of some land and, not surprisingly, the sea. They say you can see the Scilly Isles on a good day so that means not today.

Land's End
Land's End - Longships Lighthouse:

Settle instead for the Longships Lighthouse, which is just one of three navigational aids that still do blinding work in these parts.

Of course there's a short walk to be done atop the cliffs and it's along an old friend the South West Coast Path. Most of the folk on the old lookout point are presumed to have parked up in Sennen Cove, which is, sort of, the nearest settlement and won't charge you half as much for a couple of hours on their Tarmac™.

Near Land's End - Mayon Old Coastguard Lookout

With that in mind and despite Land's End reputation as an iconic destination for dawdling day-trippers, today's the first and last time that you'll feel the need to visit.

  South West Coast Path

If you're walking England's longest National Trail anticlockwise from Minehead you're about 260 miles in with just the 370-or-so to go to Dorset.

If you're coming from Dorset then well done but it's still about 260 miles to Minehead. Land's End is about a mile in from the start at Sennen Cove and there may be some scrambling required near the end, they say.

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