Wilkie Collins on Cornwall

Before the railway came to Cornwall, novelist Wilkie Collins and his artist friend Henry Brandling set out on foot from Plymouth to explore the then ‘rarely visited’ peninsula. In 1850, tourism was in its infancy and the pair had many adventures, visiting Land’s End, Tintagel, St Michael’s Mount and Loe Pool. A local guide took them on an extraordinary tour down Botallack mine, and another showed them how to scramble up the Devil’s Bellows at Kynance Cove.

This charming account of their travels includes fascinating descriptions of legends and customs, pilchard fishing, ancient monuments, eccentric innkeepers and local cuisine, painting a vivid and affectionate picture of Cornwall as it was nearly 200 years ago.