Marazion lies on the shore of Mounts Bay 2 miles (3 km) east of Penzance and is a small tourist resort with an active community of artists, whose work can be viewed in the town's numerous art galleries.
The town's winding streets are filled with quaint little gift shops, fisherman's cottages and several old seafarer's inns that date back to the time when Marazion was a thriving port, exporting tin, copper and other goods to Europe.
The name Marazion is based on the old Cornish term Marghas Yow, meaning 'Thursday Market'. It is a pleasant little town, built on the edge of St Mount's Bay, which boasts some of the loveliest stretches of wide sandy beaches in West Cornwall. The bay is a mecca for watersports enthusiasts and is frequented by windsurfers and kitesurfers during the summer season.
St Michael's Mount, © Travel About Britain
Just a kilometre offshore sits St Michael's Mount, a romantic hill of granite crowned with a medieval church and castle. The Mount was originally inland and surrounded by trees as the Cornish name "the grey rock in the wood" suggests; but long ago the sea level rose to create this tidal island.
According to local legend, the island was once home to a mischievous giant, who was felled by a local lad, called Jack, who cut out the giant's heart, which then turned to stone. The heart can still be found embedded in the pathway leading up to the castle entrance. Legend also claims that the mount was once part of the ancient kingdom of Lyonesse, where the knight's of King Arthur once roamed.