ancient ruins
The Hurlers
Three Bronze Age stone circles in a line on Bodmin Moor near Minions, beside the natural stack of the Cheesewring.
3 km · about 5 min drive
EuropeUnited KingdomEngland
Pensilva
England, United Kingdom · Europe
About Pensilva
Pensilva works well as a base: 10 minutes from North Hill, 26km from Vixen Tor.
Pensilva is in England, United Kingdom, with about 1,700 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is North Hill, about 5 km away.
Pensilva (Cornish: Pennsilva) is a village in the civil parish of St Ive and Pensilva, in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is at OS grid ref SX291697 about four miles (6 km) northeast of Liskeard. Nearby settlements include Charaton Cross and Middlehill.
The original small settlement grew quickly during theRead more
nineteenth century in response to industrial activity on the moorland north and west of the village. There is a Church of England chapel of St John (a chapel-of-ease to St Ive).
The village centre is about a mile from the edge of Bodmin Moor. At Caradon Hill, there is a large mast for the transmission for TV signals to the area. Caradon Hill is heavy with ancient mineshafts and engine houses dating from the 1900s. The hill was once famous for its copper mines but these are now closed. The South Caradon Copper Mine, 1 km to the south-west of the transmitter, was the biggest copper mine in the UK in the second half of the 19th century. From the top of the hill, you can see Plymouth and the Tamar estuary.
Pensilva is not generally considered a destination for tourists although nearby Minions has better-known historical attractions in the form of the Cheesewring—a natural granite tor at the edge of a disused quarry—and The Hurlers, three stone circles.
The local pub in Minions—The Cheesewring—burnt down on Christmas Eve 2021. Other nearby pubs are The Wheal Tor, and The Crows Nest in Darite. As of 26 December 2022, the Victoria Inn, the village pub, closed permanently. There is one general-grocery shop in the middle of the village.
The Millennium House in Pensilva is a community owned social centre built in 1999. Over the years it has waxed and waned in popularity and the incumbent small bar has changed from a club to a pub in that time. It is the location of the part-time Post Office and a volunteer-run café is open during PO hours.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Pensilva?
Within an hour or so of Pensilva: The Hurlers (3 km), Golitha Falls, Bodmin Moor (6 km), Golitha Falls (7 km), Brown Willy (16 km).
Are there any good drives near Pensilva?
The nearest famous roads are B3212 across Dartmoor, Atlantic Highway (A39) and A39 Atlantic Highway (Barnstaple to Bude).
Where is Pensilva?
Pensilva is in England, United Kingdom, about 5 km from North Hill.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 1,663
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- England
- Timezone
- Europe/London
- Coordinates
- 50.5030, -4.4149
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in United Kingdom
112 also works. NHS non-emergency medical advice: 111. National Highways breakdown assistance on motorways: 0300 123 5000.
Full driving guide for United KingdomTags
Worth the detour from Pensilva
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
waterfall
Golitha Falls, Bodmin Moor
A series of cascades through ancient oak woodland on the River Fowey, a National Nature Reserve.
6 km · about 10 min drive
waterfall
Golitha Falls
A series of cascades where the River Fowey drops through ancient oak woodland on the southern edge of Bodmin Moor.
7 km · about 10 min drive
scenic viewpoint
Brown Willy
The highest point in Cornwall at 420 m, a long granite-topped ridge in the middle of Bodmin Moor.
16 km · about 20 min drive
landmark
Polperro
A car-free fishing village of whitewashed cottages packed into a narrow ravine on Cornwall's south coast.
20 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
National Marine Aquarium
The UK's largest aquarium in Plymouth dedicated to ocean conservation with Atlantic Ocean and deep reef exhibits.
25 km · about 30 min drive
scenic viewpoint
Rame Head
A conical headland on Cornwall's south-east tip crowned by a 14th-century chapel, with views across Plymouth Sound.
25 km · about 30 min drive
natural wonder
Vixen Tor
One of Dartmoor's tallest tors at around 30 m, on private land near Merrivale and long the subject of an access dispute.
26 km · about 30 min drive
Driving roads near Pensilva
- 16 kmBrown WillyThe highest point in Cornwall at 420 m, a long granite-topped ridge in the middle of Bodmin Moor.
- 25 kmRame HeadA conical headland on Cornwall's south-east tip crowned by a 14th-century chapel, with views across Plymouth Sound.
- 35 kmB3212 across DartmoorThe open moorland crossing from Moretonhampstead to Yelverton past Postbridge and Princetown, with ponies on the road.
- 37 kmPostbridge Clapper BridgeA 13th-century granite slab bridge over the East Dart, the best-preserved clapper bridge on Dartmoor.
- 38 kmAtlantic Highway (A39)Spectacular coastal road running through north Devon and Cornwall past dramatic cliffs, surfing beaches and picturesque harbour villages.
- 38 kmThe RumpsA twin-headed promontory near Polzeath ringed by Iron Age ramparts, with a fine short walk from Pentire Point.
Driving in United Kingdom
- Drives on
- the left
- Petrol
- ~€1.73/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
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