Chapel Carn Brea | Cornwall Guide

Chapel Carn Brea

Not to be confused with Carn Brea between Camborne and Redruth is Chapel Carn Brea.It is often referred to as the "first and last hill in Cornwall", which I suppose it is.

What appears as a smallish hillock from a distance and even the bottom, seems much higher when you make the short climb to the top as the surrounding Land's end peninsula is almost devoid of any large hills. From here you can see from Land's End to the Lizard and both coasts. St Buryan church is the most noticable feature to the south, with Carn Kenidjack to the north with it's circles and menhirs.

The chapel here was a hermitage, built on the site of a late neolithic or early bronze age entrance grave. Little remains of this, although some drystone walling and parts of the capstone can be seen. The reason for the destruction of the tomb was firstly the hermitage, built in the 1400's and finally demolished in 1816, and then a WW2 radar beacon built right on top of the grave finishing it off.

Local legend tells of one of the hermits in 17th century named Harry who was accused of being a sorcerer by the Dean of St. Buryan. This was on account of those who crossed him allegedly lost crops and livestock.Rumour has it that the early christian cross at the nearby village of Crows-an-Wra, which means "Witch's Cross", is a memorial to the unfortunate Harry.

On Midsummer’s Eve druids light a beacon at the summit of the carn to celebrate the solstice.