The Coffin Path

Martin Rieser

The poems in this volume were mostly written about a remote valley to the far west of Cornwall, in the area of West Penwith, which forms a granite near-island at the very tip of the country. The poet meditates on the continuity of memory in a landscape scarred by past industry and changing habitat, where the layers of history and geology are randomly strewn across its rugged topography and mortality is embodied in megaliths, walls and rocks of its ancient landscape.

“West Penwith is a granite bastion jutting out into the Atlantic, ringed by seaswept high cliffs. The coastline is irregular and complex, indented by many small, intimate coves and narrow inlets known locally as ‘zawns’. The higher ground is predominantly moorland and rough pasture with a rugged and remote character. It has a simple land use pattern of wind-swept, rock-strewn heaths, ancient field systems and settlements, with frequent remains of a bygone mining industry clearly evident. The settlements have an austere and simple architecture which make good use of the hard local stone and slate. The coast dominates this landscape and provides the background and influence for many of the activities. 

This higher northern section of the plateau is dominated by a north-facing heath-covered ridge sloping down through a farmed coastal plain and a narrow strip of coastal heath to steep cliffs that plunge into the Atlantic. The landscape is criss-crossed by narrow lanes and tracks. The high granite cliffs rise up in great columnar steps and blocks. These are considered to be some of the most magnificent cliffs in Britain.”