Perranzabuloe

Perranzabuloe is a large rural parish on the north Cornwall coast. The name means ‘Piran in the Sand,’ referring to the oratory of St Piran - the patron saint of Cornwall - which was repeatedly buried by shifting sand dunes over the centuries. Historic England dates the oratory probably to the seventh century, and records it on Gear Sands, about a mile from the coast at Perran Bay. A walk from the Perran Sands Holiday Park heads north into the dunes to the site, which has an interpretation board but little signposting. St Piran’s Cross, believed to be the earliest recorded stone cross in Cornwall, stands in the dunes nearby.

The parish includes the village of Perranporth, which has a 3-mile stretch of sandy beach popular with surfers; see Perranporth Beach for dog rules, parking and conditions. The surrounding countryside is a mix of farmland and former mining landscape. Truro is about 8 miles south-east. Holiday properties in the parish range from coastal apartments in Perranporth to rural cottages in the farming hinterland.