Merry Maidens


Among the best-preserved of Penwith's stone circles, this group of 19 stones supposedly mark the petrified remains of a group of girls who were turned to stone for dancing on the Sabbath.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Lamorna Cove

1.13 MILES

About a mile south of Mousehole is the weeny cove of Lamorna, a pocket of rocks, cliffs and pebbly sand which was a popular subject for many of the key…

2. Penberth Cove

2.19 MILES

Cut into the cliffside, this steep cove looks inescapably romantic, with its little cluster of stone-walled cottages and a steep slipway sliding down into…

3. Boscawen-un Stone Circle

2.22 MILES

Pronounced boscawen-oon, this is a large and well-defined stone circle (actually an ellipse), consisting of 19 upright stones, plus one leaning stone near…

4. Logan Rock

2.74 MILES

Perched on the end of the headland above Porthcurno, this massive boulder once famously rocked back and forth on its own natural pivot with only the…

5. Porthcurno Telegraph Museum

3.16 MILES

This fascinating museum charts the unlikely tale of Porthcurno's role in transatlantic telecommunications. In 1870 an underwater cable was laid here,…

7. Carn Euny

3.4 MILES

This Iron Age village is one of only a few in Penwith to have survived the centuries relatively intact. The remains of several circular huts can still be…

8. Newlyn Art Gallery

3.45 MILES

On the edge of Newlyn, this historic gallery was founded in 1895 to display the work of the artists of the Newlyn School, but since 2007 the gallery's…