Pillars of Hercules

At the mouth of English Harbour the sea has cut into a bed of soft limestone and left a row of columns and honeycombed rock faces, weathered into shapes that suggested classical architecture to whoever named them. They are reached on a walk of twenty minutes or so along the shore from Galleon Beach, scrambling over rock in places, or by boat. English Harbour behind is the World Heritage naval dockyard. The rock is the same soft limestone the naval dockyard was partly quarried from, which is why it has weathered into shapes nothing else on this coast matches.

What you actually see

• The columns - eroded limestone pillars at the harbour mouth.
• The honeycombed rock - the weathered faces beside them.
• The shore walk - the scramble round from Galleon Beach.
• The harbour entrance - the channel into English Harbour beside the rocks.

When to go

December to April is the dry season and calmest for the shore walk. Swell makes the scramble difficult. Morning light is best on the rock.

Honest expectations

The shore route involves scrambling over rock and is not straightforward. Swell can cut it off. There are no facilities and no shade on the route.

Nearby

English Harbour is behind, and Falmouth Harbour is west.