
The name Penzance is derived from the Cornish Pen Sans, meaning holy headland, as a chapel once stood on the point to the west of the harbour more than a millennium ago. The town received various Royal Charters from 1512 onwards and has long been the commercial centre for the Land’s End Peninsula.
Down at the bottom, close to the harbour is the Dolphin Inn, which is said to have been the first place in Britain where tobacco was smoked. It is also said to have housed Sir John Hawkins during the wars with Spain and to have been the venue for trials over which Hanging Judge Jeffreys presided in the 17th century.
From Penzance harbour, ferries go to the Isles of Scilly. It is also possible to travel to the islands by helicopter from the newly reinstated Penzance Heliport and by small plane from Land’s End Airport. A little way along the seafront in the direction of Newlyn is the art deco Jubilee Swimming Pool, opened in 1935.
4 reviews (5.0)
5 stars★★★★★ Great for walking the coast path
I’ve used the Atlantic Coaster several times whilst walking on the South West coast path. Its fantastic for enabling linear walks back to your car. The route through small villages and past little coves is an absolute delight on a sunny day.
5 stars★★★★★ Great views from the top deck
I used this bus to walk sections of the coast path last year. It was brilliant and with a day rover ticket I could catch other buses, on a range of routes, back to St Ives or Penzance. I managed to walk all the way from Hayle to St Michael’s Mount this way (over a few months). Then back across country, St Michaels Mount to Lelant on the St Michaels Way.
5 stars★★★★★ Weather bad, trip great
We caught the 10.30 from Penzance and stayed on for the round trip. Driver, views and everything was great. An added bonus was we could use our freedom passes. Thank you
5 stars★★★★★ Amazing ride with stunning scenery!
Fantastic bus ride through stunning scenery! A great treat after walking a portion of the SW Coast Path. I cannot recommend this route enough for the views alone, and even better it is included in the Cornwall day pass (just £5 for unlimited bus travel throughout Cornwall for a day). This is an amazing route!