Park your car in the small, free car park, cross the main road, and walk down Church Lane for 200 yards. The church is dedicated to St Just, a 6th-century Celtic saint, and building started in 1261, although most work took place in the 15th century. From the Lych Gate, a winding pathway leads down through the most beautiful churchyard, luxuriant with subtropical plants, trees, and shrubs such as camellias, rhododendrons, hydrangeas, fuchsias, and various palms. Some are rare specimens, such as the African Strawberry tree and the Chilean Myrtle.

This planting had begun in the mid-19th century by the then rector Rev. C.W. Carlyon and has been continued by his successors up to the present. The pathway twists its way down to the shore of a tidal creek full of yachts and abandoned barges off the Fal estuary. The church is so close to the shoreline that at high tide it’s mirror image is reflected in the water.

The path is lined with granite blocks inscribed with quotations and verses from the Bible, and with the fabulous vegetation and warm sea breezes, it is certainly more akin to southern Spain, Italy, or Greece.

In the churchyard is to be found a Holy Well, its waters running down through the yard into the creek. The well is clearly marked and positioned along another tiny but luxuriantly planted pathway. Be aware that the water is not drinkable.

At the southeast end of the church is a second Lych Gate, notable for its granite cattle grid. Opposite are the rectory and cottage, both restored and hung with local slate.

Words cannot do justice to this lovely setting, so I hope the pictures convey some of the beauty of what I would recommend as a must-see whilst visiting the peninsula, or for that matter, anywhere in Cornwall.

The church is quintessentially pretty and it is hard to believe that the scene is real when high tide is at the same time as sunset. It is situated immediately beside the water and the church gardens are really well maintained.

This is a place in Cornwall which looks just like it always has but, of course, it cannot be. When one of the few houses comes onto the market, it is unimaginable that anyone local could afford it and it is likely to become a holiday home if it is not already. Even so, it is a place which should be on the list of any visitor to Cornwall who loves simple beauty with no commercial adornments.