ANCIENT CORNWALL

England's wild far-western shores are scattered with mysterious ancient sites. Melanie O'Shea walks you back through time to the Celtic roots of Cornwall's ruggedly beautiful West Penwith peninsula

- Melanie O'Shea

I'm sitting in the sun, my head resting against the stones of an Iron Age roundhouse. Its walls encircle me, sheltering me from the wind and offering a view through its entrance across the vibrant heather, foxgloves and gorse of the moors to the sea beyond.

On the wind, I hear laughter and voices, yet there's no-one else here; all is silent, except for the skylarks calling.

Yet as I sit here, a strong feeling of place, community and people fills me, an embracing acceptance emanating from the ancient village itself.

This quiet moment, leaning against the timeworn, ancient ruin of Carn Euny (of which more later) sums up the way history pervades this part of the world. West Penwith - the far southwestern peninsula of Cornwall literally resonates with its past.

You can walk its coast path or stride out across its moorland peaks and everywhere around you are remnants of our ancestors. Ancient places, buzzing with the memories of other lives lived, other powers worshipped.

Surrounded by the sea on three sides, West Penwith feels like an island. Its westerly position ensures it benefits from comparatively warm winds and waters year-round, while it also bears the brunt of the harsh westerly Atlantic storms.

A HOTSPOT OF PREHISTORY

Geologically, it's a landscape formed by granite forced upwards by tectonic movement through softer sedimentary rocks.

The strength and porosity of granite created the high peaks of the moors and the soaring cliff faces of the coastline, while enabling the rich mineral deposits and resultant mining bounty. Historically, it's a vitally important landscape, with more than 700 prehistoric sites - the highest density of ancient sites in Europe.