The key characteristics of the Cornish Killas are. . .

152. Cornish Killas

The key characteristics of the Cornish Killas are:

• Undulating slate plateau with little woodland and few hedgerow trees. 

• Numerous broadleaved wooded valleys, varying greatly in size. Northern valleys generally narrow and densely wooded. In the south there are drowned valleys (rias) with wide estuaries.

• Rugged coastal scenery. Exposed and windswept cliffs in the north with limited access to the sea, more sheltered and wooded in the south.

• Outstanding historic parks, mainly in the sheltered valleys in the south.

• Generally a dispersed settlement pattern of hamlets, farmsteads and small fishing villages.

• Variable field pattern dominated by stone-built Cornish hedges.

• Important archaeological and industrial-archaeological sites.

For further details on this character area and for an introduction to the region, please see the PDF documents in the box at the top right hand side of this page.