Priest Cove ( kw, Porth Ust, meaning ''St Just's Cove'') or Priest's Cove is a small cove one mile (1.6 km) west of St Just, Cornwall, UK. The name is from the Cornish ''Porth Ust'', the port or cove of St Just, which was shortened to ''Por’ Ust''. The apostrophised name "Priest’s" is a spelling mistake and the site has no connection with the clergy.

Geography

The cove lies next to

Cape Cornwall Cape Cornwall ( kw, Kilgoodh Ust, meaning "goose back of St Just") is a small headland in West Cornwall, UK. It is four miles north of Land's End near the town of St Just.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 ''Land's End'' Until the first O ...

which was also linked to St Just, being called ''Kilgoodh Ust'', meaning ''goose-back of St Just'', in the Cornish language. The cove and surrounding area are designated as part of the Aire Point To Carrick Du

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

(SSSI). The

South West Coast Path The South West Coast Path is England's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Because it rises a ...

, which follows the coast of south west England from Somerset to Dorset passes by on the cliffs above the cove.

Fishery

In around 1830, cellars were erected for the purpose of establishing a pilchard fishery. The speculation was abandoned owing to the exposed coast. A small fishing fleet is based at Priests Cove, and for example, pollack ('' Pollachius pollachius'') were landed in December 1879.

Recreation

Approximately out to sea are the

Brisons The Brisons ( kw, Enys Vordardh, meaning ''breaker island'') is a twin-peaked islet in the Celtic Sea situated 1 mile (1.6 km) offshore from Cape Cornwall in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Geography The Brisons (the name is French: brisant, ' ...

, a pair of small islands to which an annual swim is held. In 1881 the Cape Cornwall Regatta was held in the cove. There were five races; and boats had to race the course over two rounds and just the once. The cliffs were lined with a large crowd of spectators.

References

External links

Beaches of Penwith Ports and harbours of Cornwall St Just in Penwith Coves of Cornwall {{Penwith-geo-stub