Coventry Telegraph

A FAMILY HIT THAT WAS HEAVEN SENT

ADRIAN CAFFERY ENJOYS THE CORNISH HOLIDAY DESTINATIO­N FOUNDED BY A SAINT

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THE thousands of families who holiday each year at Cornwall’s Perran Sands resort probably don’t realise their caravans stand next to one of Britain’s earliest places of Christian worship.

Back in the sixth century, so the story goes, tribal kings in Ireland grew afraid of the power and influence of a holy man named Piran (or Perran), who was renowned for performing miraculous deeds.

They tied a millstone around Piran’s neck and threw him over a cliff into a tempestuou­s sea. However, the sea immediatel­y calmed and the millstone floated – all the way to the north Cornish coast.

In thanks to God, Piran built a chapel in the large expanse of sand dunes next to where he was washed up and it is said that his first Christian converts were a fox, a badger and a boar.

People flocked to see Piran as news of his teachings spread. He reputedly lived to the grand old age of 206, his relics were venerated for over 1,000 years and he became Cornwall’s patron saint.

Piran also rediscover­ed an ancient method of smelting and his crest – a white cross on a black background, which was adopted as the Cornish flag – is said to signify the tin coming out of black ore.

On St Piran’s Day, every March 5, hundreds of people dressed in black and white march across the dunes to watch a reenactmen­t of his life. Almost every Cornish community stages some kind of celebratio­n.

Over time, his chapel became more and more susceptibl­e to the surroundin­g sands and around the 12th century it was abandoned in favour of a new church built further inland. However, the sands kept encroachin­g and by 1795 this new place of worship was also left to the elements after parishione­rs had got fed up of digging their way in and out.

The beach St Piran was washed up on and the town that grew up near to his chapel were both named after him – Perran Sands and Perranport­h respective­ly.

Today, Perranport­h is a familyfrie­ndly holiday resort, better known nationwide for its connection­s to the literary character Poldark than to St Piran. The second season of the BBC’s adaptation of the books, starring the brooding Aidan Turner, was recently drawing eight million viewers on Sunday nights.

Poldark author Winston Graham was in the Coastguard during the Second World War and was stationed overlookin­g Perranport­h beach. He wrote the first of his 12-book series, Ross Poldark, during the depths of the war and his second book, Demelza, towards the end.

The first BBC series, screened in 2015, was based on these two books, in which Ross returns to Cornwall from the American Civil War to find the family fortune in tatters and the woman he loved engaged to his cousin.

Perranport­h, with its steep cliffs, surfer-friendly waves and, derelict tin mines, was Winston’s inspiratio­n for Hendrawna in his stories.

Separated from Perranport­h by a golf course is Haven’s cliff-top Perran Sands resort, offering a sports court, crazy golf, a climbing wall, bungee trampoline­s, roller blading, kart hire, sand art, amusements, bowling and an abundance of playground­s.

There are heated indoor (with waterslide) and outdoor pools where you can ride Aqua Gliders – a mix between a dodgem car and a jetski – or grab hold of an Aquajet and be propelled underwater.

Sea paddle boarding and surfing lessons take place on the beach.

There’s also an all-inclusive and extensive leisure and entertainm­ent schedule organised by the yellowjack­eted Funstars, including crafts, dance, music and sporting activities.

They are ably assisted by the Seaside Squad – Rory the tiger, Bradley the bear, Greedy the gorilla and Anxious the elephant, who, as the name suggests, is of a nervous dispositio­n.

In the evenings, the Funstars take to the stage to reveal their hidden talents, such as dancing and singing, in interactiv­e shows for all ages.

Haven’s beach (where Piran was washed up) is nice and wide but walking back up the the zig-zag ramp can be tiring, especially with a pushchair, so we preffered to take the five-minute drive to Perranport­h.

The easily accessible beach there is a dream for children (big and small!) with stepping stones, rock pooling and a natural tidal pool, plus caves and stunning rock formations formed through mining.

For our midweek break we stayed in a ‘‘Prestige’’ caravan, which came with two bedrooms, central heating, double glazing, a surprising­ly large shower and decking with views over the sand dunes to the sea.

The decking was the perfect spot for a Cornish cream tea, I thought, so off I went to the Spar shop not more than 100m from our caravan for some calorific supplies.

While tucking into my scones I foolishly turned my back on my plate for two seconds and, whoosh, a thieving sweet-toothed seagull had swooped. After that, word must have got round of my foolish behaviour and there was a permanent gathering of seagulls on our caravan roof.

I wasn’t at war with all the local wildlife, though, and I caught my first ever glimpse of a stoat. Apparently, a tribe of them hangs out in the dunes.

The giant dunes were just a stone’s

throw from our caravan and our children, aged five and two, had a great time charging down them, despite sometimes going splat on their faces.

But, like any good father, I put a stop to their fun to give them a lesson in local history then led the family in search of the remains of St Piran’s chapel.

After scaling the highest dune, we spotted a giant stone cross atop another dune, which seemed like it might be a clue. Sure enough, from beneath the cross (erected in the 1940s to act as a waymarker for pilgrims) we could see the remains of the chapel, although from a distance it looked more like a building site.

The chapel – probably built of wattle and daub originally and replaced in stone later – was engulfed by sand in the Middle Ages but became visible again in 1835.

It started to attract visitors from far and wide but in 1910, following damage by treasure hunters and the encroachin­g sands, it was encased in a protective concrete structure.

During these works, a large number of burials from as early as 900AD were uncovered, including the skeleton of a woman with a child in her arms near the doorway, plus a skull placed in a stone cist. In 1980, after further problems with vandalism, the chapel and its concrete shell was reburied for its own protection. But two years ago it was uncovered again and the casing removed and work is ongoing to conserve the building, and eventually open it to the public.

Since our visit, a fun app called Dune Detectives has been launched to help holidaymak­ers explore the area. It’s available on iOS and Android.

 ??  ?? There’s plenty to sea and do. You could cross Perranport­h beach on stepping stones or have a little peaceful contemplat­ion by the ruins of St Piran’s chapel
There’s plenty to sea and do. You could cross Perranport­h beach on stepping stones or have a little peaceful contemplat­ion by the ruins of St Piran’s chapel
 ??  ?? The area around Perranport­h is stunning and you can enjoy the views from the comfort of your own holiday home – who knows, you might even spot Ross and Demelza Poldark
The area around Perranport­h is stunning and you can enjoy the views from the comfort of your own holiday home – who knows, you might even spot Ross and Demelza Poldark

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