Locals angry at £14 fee to walk around Mount
A NEW £14 fee to access St Michael’s Mount, its shops and cafe has left locals claiming it’s “not worth” visiting.
The island – which you can walk to via a causeway at lower tides or pay a small fee to visit by boat – used to be free to access and explore. Only visits of the castle itself had to be paid for on the famous island with its cafe and cottages.
A new pre-booking system, which was introduced to manage visitors during the pandemic, now means that everyone aside from National Trust members – who will still have to pre-book their visit online – will have to pay to access the island and facilities.
Visitors can still walk the causeway, but will require a ticket to get past the gate.
But residents in nearby Penzance said the landmark was “not worth going to anymore”.
Andrew Trinder wrote: “Why is it £14 to get onto St Michael’s Mount now when it used to be free? Someone said to control numbers but why not just the set times without the charge?”
Julie Allen added: “We had family down in the summer. We always used to walk across to the Mount and use the cafe and spend a fair bit of money but at the prices they charge to get over it’s not worth going anymore.”
Wendy Chiffers commented: “I for one won’t ever pay.”
Rachel Chivers added: “It’s appalling! We often walked over with the dog, had a cream tea, bought a few bits in the shops. But no more! Disgraceful!”
The National Trust said the move “has had the significant benefit of greatly improving the experience of visitors to the castle and garden”.
It added that, during November and December, the harbour and village, shops and cafes will be accessible to all, for free, without the need to purchase a ticket on selected days.