The Cornwall Coast

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

26907

Title

The Cornwall Coast

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Arthur L. Salmon's "The Cornwall Coast" serves as a comprehensive guide to the Duchy's rugged shoreline, blending geological insight with rich local history. From Plymouth to Land's End, this volume explores ancient legends, smuggling tales, and scenic beauty, offering practical advice for travelers while celebrating the enduring spirit of Cornish life against the Atlantic's wild forces.

Summary up to 500 words

Arthur L. Salmon's *The Cornwall Coast* offers a comprehensive exploration of the Duchy's geography, history, and enduring culture. Salmon establishes Cornwall's geological identity as a granitic peninsula rising from a submerged European platform, noting how its stark, eroded cliffs have survived centuries of Atlantic storms. The narrative traces the region's deep roots, from Neolithic settlements and the legendary lost land of Lyonesse to Roman-era trackways and the partial Celtic conquest of the Iberian inhabitants. Salmon delves into the area's turbulent past, highlighting the prevalence of smuggling, the ingenuity of local smugglers who used hidden duck-ponds to evade revenue officers, and the legendary exploits of figures like Corineus and the Mohun family. The text provides a chapter-by-chapter journey through key districts: the gateway of Plymouth, the fishing port of Polperro, the romantic estuary of Fowey, and the dramatic headlands of the Scilly Isles and Land's End. Throughout, Salmon balances practical information—such as Ordnance Survey map recommendations and ferry routes—with evocative descriptions of coastal scenery, local flora, and the "primal force" of wind and waves that define the Cornish character. The book preserves the voices of local historians like Jonathan Couch and literary figures like Hawker, weaving together folklore, saintly legends, and secular records of pirates and saints to create a vivid portrait of a coast where history and nature remain inextricably linked. Salmon emphasizes that while the coast has been shaped by natural forces, it has also been molded by human resilience, from the early trackways linking Devon and Cornwall to the later industrial shifts involving china-clay and stone. The work serves as both a practical guide for travelers and a historical record, capturing the unique atmosphere of a place where the sea remains a dominant, often deadly, yet beautiful presence.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26907.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg26907.epub

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Categories

• Travel
• Description and travel