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The Great Britain Guide

Towns & cities · South West England

Cadgwith

Free admission

Cadgwith — village in Cornwall, United Kingdom.

Cadgwith, towns & cities in South West England

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
3 h–6 h
  • Free entry
  • Family-friendly
  • Dog-friendly

About

Cadgwith is a town, city, village or settlement in the United Kingdom. Address: TR12. Wikidata describes it as: "village in Cornwall, United Kingdom". Coordinates: 49.9872°, -5.1805°.

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Protected designations

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: Caerthillian to Kennack SSSI
  • National Nature Reserve: THE LIZARD
  • Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Cornwall

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Cadgwith (Cornish: Porthkajwydh, meaning cove of the thicket) is a village and fishing port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is on the Lizard Peninsula between The Lizard and Coverack. It is in the civil parish of Grade Ruan.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The village has its origins in medieval times as a collection of fish cellars in a sheltered south-east facing coastal valley with a shingle cove. Fishing subsidised local farmers' livelihoods. Cadgwith was originally called 'Porthcaswydh', becoming 'Por Cadjwydh' in Late Cornish, and is derived from the Cornish word for 'a thicket', literally meaning battle of trees, probably because the valley was densely wooded. From the 16th century, the village became inhabited, with fishing as the main occupation. Subsequently, houses, lofts, capstan houses, and cellars constructed of local stone or cob walls and thatched or slated roofs were built along the beach and up the sides of the valley…

Visiting

Tourism is the major source of income in the village nowadays, due to the decline in the fishing industry, and many of the houses are let as holiday accommodation. Cadgwith has long been popular as a holiday destination, especially during the summer when there are numerous local events: gig racing days, summer barbecues, a regatta, Morris dancing, musical bands, and regular singing by the Cadgwith Singers in the public house, the Cadgwith Cove Inn, which is thought to be over 400 years old. The South West Coast Path traverses the village and is regularly used as destination to stop over and gain refreshment. A local fisherman runs a fishmonger's which provides fresh fish with recipes and…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
49.9872, -5.1805
District
Cornwall
Parish
Grade-Ruan
Postcode
TR12
Parliamentary constituency
St Ives
Official site
www.cadgwith.com

Sources

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Nearby

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Cadgwith?
Cadgwith is in South-West England, United Kingdom (postcode TR12), in the parish of Grade-Ruan.
Is Cadgwith a protected site?
Yes — Cadgwith is part of the Caerthillian to Kennack SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the THE LIZARD National Nature Reserve.
Is Cadgwith free to visit?
Yes, Cadgwith is free to enter.
How do I get to Cadgwith?
Drivers can navigate to postcode TR12. It sits within the St Ives parliamentary constituency.