Description
Gribbin Head is a gentle green headland referred to locally as "The Gribbin". The headland is topped by the red-and-white striped Daymark Tower which was erected in 1832 as a safety measure. It seems that sailors often mistook Gribbin Head for St. Anthony's Head at the entrance of Falmouth Estuary. Many accidents resulted from the confusion until the Daymark Tower was built to distinguish the two headlands.
The South Cornish coastline is more gentle than the rugged Northern shore, with flowering gorse creating a vivid yellow carpet over the land in early spring. The South West Coast Path runs along the clifftop on its 600-mile journey from Poole to Minehead. This stretch to coast is also a popular boating centre, with Porthallow, Fowey, and Looe harbours being crowded with sailing craft in the summer months.
The entire coast is punctuated by Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Gribbin Head is owned and administered by the National Trust, and the Trust organises regular "open days" during the summer when visitors can climb to the top of Daymark Tower.
Area Countryside attractions
The South West Coast Path
Easily the longest and, in places, the most arduous, of England's National Trails. The path is actually the amalgamation of four paths; the Somerset & North Devon, Cornwall, South Devon, and Dorset Coastal paths. The route is quite popular, and it can be crowded in the summer months, though there are always long stretches where your only company will be a chorus of sea birds. More ...
Maps
OS Landranger series #201, 204
