The Most Unusual Hidden Gems in Cornwall
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The the most unusual hidden gems in Cornwall are Warbstow Bury, Godrevy Point, The Minack Theatre, Men-an-Tol, Zennor Quoit, Stithians Reservoir, Ballowall Barrow and Tregiffian Burial Chamber.
Cornwall has more than its share of the unusual. Look beyond the postcard views and you will find places that exist nowhere else, shaped by hand, by time or by the strangeness of the ground itself.
At Porthcurno, the Minack Theatre steps down a granite cliff toward the Atlantic, carved out over decades by one determined woman. On the moors of West Penwith, the holed granite of Men-an-Tol and the slipped capstone of Zennor Quoit stand as puzzles from deep prehistory.
There is the great Iron Age hillfort of Warbstow Bury with its Giant's Grave, the seal-watching cliffs of Godrevy Point, and the odd, rebuilt Bronze Age cairn of Ballowall Barrow above the sea near St Just. Add a busy inland reservoir at Stithians and a Neolithic grave half-cut by a roadside at Tregiffian, and you have a county full of one-of-a-kind corners.
Each is distinctive in its own way and worth the detour. Here are eight of the most unusual hidden gems to seek out in Cornwall.
Warbstow Bury
Photo: David Hawgood via Geograph.org.uk
Warbstow Bury is a large Iron Age hillfort on a ridge about half a mile west of Warbstow village, one of the biggest and best-preserved earthworks in the county. Visitors walk open grazed grassland among the concentric grassy banks and ditches, with two entrances and wide views from the top.
What makes it stand out is the long mound near the centre, known as the Giant's Grave, whose real origin is uncertain and adds a note of curiosity to the site. There are no ticket booths or barriers here; it is simply open to walk freely at any time.
Come for the earthworks and stay for the view over the surrounding country.
Godrevy Point
Photo: Richard Rogerson via Geograph.org.uk
Godrevy Point is a National Trust headland at the eastern end of St Ives Bay, a stretch of cliff, cove and grassland looking across to the lighthouse offshore. What sets it apart is Mutton Cove, just along the coast path, where a colony of grey seals hauls out on the beach below and can be watched from the clifftop above.
A long sweep of sand runs south from the point along the bay, and a car park and cafe sit near the headland. Few places let you watch wild seals so easily from dry land.
Follow the coast path out to the point and look down for the seals on the sand.
The Minack Theatre
Photo: Brian Smith via Geograph.org.uk
The Minack Theatre is an open-air theatre carved into a granite cliff above the sea at Porthcurno, near Land's End, with terraced stone seats stepping down toward a stage backed by the Atlantic. It was the work of Rowena Cade, who began building it by hand in her garden in the 1930s and kept adding to it for the rest of her life.
That story of a theatre shaped stone by stone into a cliff is what makes it truly one of a kind. It works as a theatre with a summer season of shows and is also open by day, with an exhibition, cafe and cliff gardens.
Tickets are needed for shows and daytime visits, so book ahead.
Men-an-Tol
Photo: Bob Jones via Geograph.org.uk
Men-an-Tol is a prehistoric stone setting on open moorland near Madron in the far west of Cornwall, its best-known feature a round granite stone with a hole through the middle, flanked by two upright stones. That holed stone is what makes it so distinctive, unlike any other setting in the county.
It dates from somewhere between the late Neolithic and the middle Bronze Age, and may be what is left of a larger stone circle rearranged over the centuries, though its exact purpose is unknown. By old custom people passed children through the hole to cure illness, and visitors today often photograph themselves framed by the ring of stone.
Reach it by a short walk from a rough track.
Zennor Quoit
Photo: Chris Andrews via Geograph.org.uk
Zennor Quoit is a ruined Neolithic burial chamber on the moors of West Penwith, about a mile east of Zennor village. A huge capstone, now slipped off its supports, lies at an angle against tall standing stones that once formed the chamber, with the low remains of a round cairn around it.
What gives it real character are the drill-holes in some of the stones, marks of a 19th-century attempt to break it up for building, stopped when the local vicar stepped in. So it survives as a mix of deep prehistory and a near miss.
It stands on open moorland reached on foot from the road, and it is a protected ancient monument. Walk out and find it.
Stithians Reservoir
Photo: N Chadwick via Geograph.org.uk
Stithians Reservoir is a large inland lake near Redruth, the biggest stretch of fresh water in the west of the county, made by damming a valley in the 1960s. What makes it stand out is how much it offers in one place: it is a busy watersports spot, with sailing, windsurfing, kayaking and paddleboarding run from a lake centre on the shore, along with fly-fishing for trout.
A walking trail of about five miles loops the water, and the quieter arms are a well-known place for birdwatching, with hides looking out over the lake. There is a cafe, a campsite and a play area by the shore.
Come for a paddle or a quiet walk around the water.
Ballowall Barrow
Photo: Stuart Logan via Geograph.org.uk
Ballowall Barrow, also called Carn Gluze, is a Bronze Age burial cairn perched on the cliffs near St Just, at the far western tip of Cornwall. It is a broad, curious mound of stone, around twenty metres across, with chambers and stone-lined cists built into it and a walled hollow at its heart.
What makes it so unusual is that much of what you see took shape when the antiquarian William Borlase dug it out in 1878, after it had lain buried under mining waste, and rebuilt parts as he went, so it is a mix of the ancient and the Victorian. The setting is open, grassy clifftop above the Atlantic.
Follow the coast path just below it.
Tregiffian Burial Chamber
Photo: Chris Gunns via Geograph.org.uk
Tregiffian Burial Chamber sits right beside the B3315 between St Buryan and Lamorna in west Cornwall, about a hundred metres from the Merry Maidens stone circle. What makes it unusual is how close it sits to the road: it is a Neolithic entrance grave, a low mound with a stone-lined passage you can look into from the roadside, topped by a capstone.
A cup-marked stone stands at the entrance, though this is a replica, with the original kept at the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro. Roughly half the mound was cut away when the road was built.
Cornwall Heritage Trust looks after it, and entry is free. Pause on the way past and peer inside.
FAQs
What makes the Minack Theatre so unusual?
The Minack Theatre was carved by hand into a granite cliff above the sea at Porthcurno, the work of Rowena Cade over many years from the 1930s. It is both a working open-air theatre and a place to visit by day, which makes it unlike anywhere else in the county.
Do you need a ticket for these Cornwall gems?
Some do and some do not. The Minack Theatre needs tickets for shows and daytime visits, while sites like Warbstow Bury and Tregiffian Burial Chamber are open and free to walk up to. It is worth checking before you travel.
Where can you see seals near Godrevy Point?
Grey seals haul out at Mutton Cove, just along the coast path from Godrevy Point, and can be watched from the clifftop above. A car park and cafe sit near the headland, making it an easy walk out to the viewpoint.
Conclusion
Few counties pack in so many one-of-a-kind places as Cornwall. There is nothing quite like the Minack Theatre stepping down its granite cliff, the holed stone of Men-an-Tol on the moor, or the slipped capstone of Zennor Quoit above the heather.
Warbstow Bury guards its curious Giant's Grave, Ballowall Barrow blends ancient stone with Victorian rebuilding, and Tregiffian Burial Chamber sits half-cut beside a country road. Add the seal cliffs of Godrevy Point and the busy water at Stithians Reservoir, and you have a set of places that each stand alone.
Some are free and open, others need a ticket, so it is worth checking ahead before you go. Whether shaped by hand or by deep time, these are the most unusual hidden gems to seek out in Cornwall.
