An autumn photography tour to England’s far southwestern Atlantic toe
Wild West Cornwall
Dates: 3rd – 8th November 2024
Location: In the far west of Cornwall, southwest England
Maximum number of participants: 4
Price: £900 per person
Price includes local minibus transportation, plus Nigel’s guidance and photographic tuition. Food and accommodation are not included (see further details below).
Come and join us for this fantastic and exclusive Wild West Cornwall photography tour in November 2024. We’ll be taking in some of this remote region’s most beautiful and most famous coastal landscapes, as well as a few lesser known places, all made possible through my intimate local knowledge.
With five nights and four full days, there’ll be time to explore and photograph many of Wild West Cornwall’s coastal landscapes, using a couple of the area’s best-placed hotels as our base.
I’ve deliberately kept the group size very small in order to help enhance your experience of the trip, to help maximise your photographic time, and also the amount of time I’m able to give each participant. You won’t have to share either me or the photo locations with many people!
Why photograph Wild West Cornwall?
The far west of Cornwall, encompassing the Lizard and Land’s End peninsulas, England’s final toes protruding into the Altantic, are renowned for some of Britain’s most dramatic coastal scenes. These range from the mighty granite cliffs at Gwennap Head, Commando Ridge and Land’s End itself, through to spectacular white sand beaches, such as Sennen Cove and Porthcurno.
Then there are the marks of human activity, ranging from the grandeur of castle-topped St Michael’s Mount (see the image above) situated on an island just offshore at Marazion, through numerous fishing villages and towns (such as Mousehole, Newlyn and St Ives). Then there are the scattered ruins of 19th century tin mines (such as those at Botallack and Pendeen), to the many small prehistoric remains that lie scattered across this peninsula.
Finally, the skies here can be very dark, opening up the possibility – weather permitting, of course – for some night sky photography. Our visit will be timed to coincide with a New Moon, further enhancing our chances of night sky success.
During our four full days together, I’ll be taking you around by minibus, so you’ll be able to leave your car and satnav behind. Instead, you’ll be able to relax while I guide you straight to the best locations at the right time of day and state of the tide, and in the best available weather!
Why in November?
You might well ask this question. After all, at this time of year the days are getting rather short and the weather less than reliable. So why risk it in November?
Much of the answer lies in those very same questions. The days are short, yes, but that means the sun is always low in the sky, making for some dramatic, low-angled light all day long. What’s more, although the weather is unlikely to deliver the calm and peaceful scenes typical of summer, that’s actually the point. The rough seas, ragged, stormy, racing clouds – coupled of course with that low light – are perfect for those wild and windswept images that do full justice to such a wild, rugged and windswept coastline. Those calm summer-like days don’t really cut it for such a rough, angry coast!
What’s more, in November all the crowds of visitors that clog up Cornwall through much of the year have dissipated, leaving most of the coast empty and enjoyable for the few adventurous souls – namely us! And you won’t have to be frustrated by endless lines of people marring your otherwise perfect landscape shots!
Some of the main highlights in Wild West Cornwall
Here are some of the main highlight locations that we will aim to photograph during the tour:
St Michael’s Mount
One of Cornwall’s most famous sights, the castle-topped rocky island, connected to Marazion by a tidal causeway.
The cliffs and sands of Treen and Logan Rock
Another of Cornwall’s famous sights, the cliffs and sands at Treen and Logan Rock, on west Cornwall’s south coast.
The cliffside tin mines of Botallack
One of Cornwall’s most heavily photographed views, that of the ruined 19th century tin mines clinging to the cliffsides at Botallack.
The granite cliffs of Gwennap Head
Less famous than nearby Land’s End but more spectacular, Gwennap Head’s great granite columns mark the point where Cornwall’s south coast turns to face west and the open Atlantic.
The sands and surf of Sennen Cove
One of west Cornwall’s most spectacular beaches, just place is just a joy to visit, quite apart from the photography!
The prehistoric remains of west Cornwall
The landscape here is littered with prehistoric remains dating back thousands of years, many of them truly worth some photography.
There are many more places that I could highlight, but this makes for a good introduction. I hope you’ll love what you see here!
The Wild West Cornwall itinerary
Much of the photography we’ll be doing will be highly weather-dependent, so it is difficult to pin down an exact itinerary. We will at all times need to be flexible, to choose photo locations that best suit the developing weather patterns on any given day.
That said, a rough outline is possible, so to see that click on the link below. Just bear in mind that things may change at any time.
See a gallery of sample images below. Just click on any image to enlarge and scroll through.
Wild West Cornwall accommodation
Accommodation is not included in the fee for the tour, so you will need to make your own accommodation bookings. That said, it is intended that we will all be able to stay in the same hotels, and to that end at the time of writing (November 2023) I’m finalising our hotel options.
We’ll be staying at just two hotels during the tour. The first, where we’ll stay for two nights, will be on west Cornwall’s south coast., probably in Marazion to ensure that we’re close to St Michael’s Mount. The second will be on the north coast, hopefully at Sennen Cove, where we’ll stay for three nights. This hotel will give us direct access to one of Cornwall’s most spectacular beaches, as well as being close to many of the area’s most dramatic and rugged coastal scenes.
Both hotels will have several room types available, giving you the choice of kind of room and budget you would like.
Booking a place
Needless to say, I really hope you will want to come along on this fantastic photography tour. If you’d like to book a place just click on the link below, and then fill in and submit the form, and pay the deposit.
The deposit to secure a place is £90.00 per person. There is no need to pay the full amount at the time of booking: this will come later. The deposit is non-returnable, unless I am forced to cancel the tour for some reason, in which case any money you have paid me will be returned to you.
If you have a query, just click on the link below.
Non-participating partners
You are welcome to bring a non-participating partner along with you. I won’t be charging a fee for this, and any such partners will be able to come in the minibus, provided there is space. You will, of course, need to make the appropriate arrangements with the hotels.
What is included in the tour fee
- Local transportation by minibus in west Cornwall during the tour.
- Nigel’s expert local guidance and photography knowledge and tuition.
What is not included in the tour fee
- Long distance transportation between your home and west Cornwall. However, by prior arrangement minibus transportation will be available from the Exeter area to west Cornwall at no extra cost.
- Any accommodation costs. You will need to make you own hotel booking, though we can assist with this. Hotels will be recommended, but it is not compulsory to stay at the recommended venue.
- Any food or drink.
