England

From the secluded coves and tree-clad creeks along the county's southern coast to the wild grandeur of the north coast cliffs, Cornwall is one of Britain's most breathtakingly beautiful counties. It's also an intriguing mix of old and new, where futuristic greenhouses and world-class galleries meet crumbling mines and ancient market towns.

Before the 20th century

Cornwall was first settled by hunter-gatherers around 8000 BC. The Celts, who arrived around 800BC, are widely regarded as the progenitors of today's Cornish people. Cornwall is considered by many, not least the Cornish themselves, to be one of the Celtic nations, a group including Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The Romans, who ruled the roost for a time, gave the county its name, which probably came from the tribal name 'Cornovii', meaning the 'horn people' (possibly referring to its location at the end of the south-western peninsula). When they packed up their sandals and left, Cornwall reverted to rule by Celtic chieftains. The first written account of Cornwall was by the historian Diodorus Siculus, who mentioned the Greek geographer Pytheas' reference to Land's End in Britain. Around AD 700, the Cornish had to fend off an invasion from the West Saxons, an action they were forced to reprise repeatedly over the next century. By this stage the Cornish had allied themselves with some rather ruthless and brutish Vikings, but clearly ruthlenssness and brutishness were not enough to save them from a defeat by Egbert of Wessex in 838. In 936 Athelstan, King of England, set the border of England and Cornwall as the Tamar River. The tin trade became very important in Cornwall around the Middle Ages, and, in 1497, a group of tin miners played a significant part in the Cornish Rebellion that marched on London. Unfortunately for these lads, royal troops crushed them like the proverbial tin can. In the 19th century, the tin trade began to decline; around this time many Cornish emigrated to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The Cornish language, one of the Celtic tongues, was spoken widely in the area until around the late 18th century, when it began to steadily disappear (although the 20th century saw a revival of sorts). Cornwall has been the location of literary and artistic classics, for example, Daphne Du Maurier's Jamaica Inn is set here, as is Gilbert and Sullivan's famous opera The Pirates of Penzance.

Modern history

Cornwall's 20th-century economy became increasingly dependent on tourism. Nevertheless, the county was, and remains, one of the poorest parts of the UK, and was granted Objective One funding by the European Union. A political party, Mebyon Kernow (MK, or 'Sons of Cornwall') was formed in 1951 to fulfil the dream of Cornish autonomy, and is still around today. However, electoral success has remained largely elusive.

Recent history

Cornwall submitted a proposal to be allowed to enter the 2006 Commonwealth Games, but it was rejected on the grounds that the Commonwealth Games Federation did not have the jurisdiction to decide whether Cornwall was a separate nation or not.

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Cornwall enjoys a mild, maritime climate, due to the Gulf Stream coming across the Atlantic. Winters tend to be short and snow is a rarity. Rain, however, is not, so come prepared. Summer temperatures hover around 19°C, while the average winter (January) temperature is a chilly 6°C.

Transport

Getting around

The main bus operator in Cornwall is First (www.firstgroup.com). The FirstDay ticket offers unlimited travel on its bus networks for 24hr; it's also available in weekly and monthly versions. Two of the smaller companies, Truronian (www.truronian.com) and Western Greyhound (www.westerngreyhound.com), also offer handy Day Rover tickets. Many tourist attractions offer discounts if you arrive by bus. For the latest timetables, call 01872 322003 or visit www.cornwall.gov.uk/buses.

Most of Cornwall's main bus, train and ferry timetables are collected into one handy brochure, free from bus stations and tourist offices.

If you're taking the train, phone National Rail Enquiries (tel: 08457 484950) for the latest timetables and fares. The main route from London passes through Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Liskeard, Truro and Camborne en route to Penzance; there are also branch lines to St Ives, Falmouth, Newquay and Looe. The Cornish Day Ranger ticket allows one day's travel on trains after 09:30 Mon-Fri and all weekend. There are also Branch Rover tickets, which are valid on one of the county's spur lines, and the Cornish Railcard entitles you to 33% off most train fares in Cornwall.

Getting there and away

Newquay Cornwall Airport (www.newquay-airport.co.uk), 6km (3.7mi) outside the town of Newquay on the Atlantic coast, is a good alternative to arriving by road or rail. BA and Ryanair have daily flights to and from London (Gatwick and Stanstead, respectively). Europcar and Hertz have offices at the airport, if you need to hire a car. Brittany Ferries (www.brittanyferries.com) runs services to/from Roscoff (France) and Santander (Spain) to Plymouth, just across the Devon county border.