Helston is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, which is famous for its Furry Dance, which welcome spring with dancing through the street. The Museum of Cornish Life in Helston explains the history of this ancient custom.The Georgian houses and inns of Coinagehall Street are a reminder that Helston was once a thriving stannary town where tin ingots were brought for weighing and stamping before being sold.

Did you know?

In the days before income tax, the main form of government income came from tax on imported luxury goods, such as brandy and perfume. Huge profits were to be made  by evading these taxes. With its caves and rivers penetrating deep into the mainland, Cornwall was prime smuggling territory.

In 1880, Helson’s trade was taken over by new harbor created to the East on the River Helford, at Gweek. Today,  Gweek  is the home of the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, where sick seals are nursed before being returned to the sea.

Further south is Britain’s most southerly tourist attraction, the Lizard Lighthouse Heritage Center. Built in 1619, the tower was automated in 1998. Interactive displays describe the working of a lightjouse.

Local shops sell souvenirs carved from serpentine, a soft  greenish stone which forms the unusual -shaped rocks that rise from the sandy beach at Kynance Cove.