Best Landscape Photography Locations in Cornwall

Cornwall – or Kernow as they say in Cornish – is home to mile upon mile of dramatic coastline, golden sands, rolling countryside, rugged moorland and picturesque fishing villages. It really is no surprise that this is one of the foremost holiday destinations in Europe and one of the most photogenic counties in the UK. If you are a keen landscape photographer, you really need to begin planning a road-trip to Cornwall in order to capture its breathtaking scenery.

Travel and Logistics

Cornwall lies in the southwest of England. Getting around Cornwall is easy by rental car. If you book a cottage or apartment somewhere around Newquay, you'll reach every photo location from Cornwall's north to its western tip within 90 minutes. Most likely, if you plan to visit Cornwall from outside the UK, you'll fly into London. From there, you can rent a car and embark on the five-hour drive to Cornwall — no need to hop on another flight.

Top Coastal Photo Locations

Holywell Bay

Holywell Bay is a wide stretch of golden sand surrounded by dunes and cliffs. Toward its western end, you find two large sea stacks called Gull Rock. At sunset, those provide a beautiful subject in the distance. If you climb the dunes along the beach, you can use the golden grasses as foreground interest. The best time to photograph Holywell Bay is when the tide is receding. When the tide is out, you'll have a lot more areas to explore.

Godrevy Lighthouse

A little north of Gwithian, the rocks facing Godrevy Lighthouse provide another spectacular photo spot. Between the rocks, you find many crevices you can use to frame your photos. Keeping an eye on the tides is crucial when photographing this location, as getting there is only possible at low tide. If you spend some time in Cornwall, try to visit Godrevy Lighthouse on a stormy day with waves crashing on the rocks.

Porth Nanven

Close to St Just in the west of Cornwall, you'll find a cove very popular with local photographers - Porth Nanven. The roundish rocks at the beach offer beautiful foreground interest. In many locations, sea stacks or little islands on the horizon provide additional interest; here, two little islands called the Brisons offer a subject in the distance.

Sunrise and Night Photography

Pednvounder Beach

Now it's time for a sunrise location you can photograph at any tide - Pednvounder Beach. In late May, this area is filled with coastal flowers, making it a beautiful coastal garden. Rocks and coastal flowers provide foreground interest at this location. The best view is where the path starts heading downward.

Nanjizal

Nanjizal is a hidden natural beauty spot that only locals tend to know about. During the winter months, the sun sets in such a way that a magnificent glow of light shines through the hole in the rocks. The powerful glow of light illuminates the rocks which have a wonderful stark texture against the ethereal sunlight.

Rinsey and St Michael’s Mount

For Rinsey, you can head out on a beautiful clear night to capture the mine building underneath the Milky Way. It is a breath-taking scene of Cornwall’s mining history beneath a blanket of stars. Additionally, St Michael’s Mount offers spectacular views; its turrets protrude up into the air, prominent against the colourful sky as the sun peaks over the hillside.

St Ives

To capture some of the best shots, you have to be prepared to get your feet wet. At Porthminster Beach, the sun rising from the east casts a golden glow onto the buildings of the harbour front. In the clear, calm waters you can see the rippled sands from the overnight tidal currents.

Location	Best Time / Tide	Main Subject
Holywell Bay	Sunset / Receding Tide	Gull Rock sea stacks
Godrevy Lighthouse	Low Tide	Lighthouse and rock crevices
Porth Nanven	Sunset	Roundish rocks and the Brisons
Pednvounder Beach	Sunrise / Any Tide	Coastal flowers and cliffs
Nanjizal	Winter Sunset	Glow through the rock crack
Rinsey	Night / Clear Sky	Mine building and Milky Way