Glorious aerial views of the county together in new book

IT'S a Christmas present as Cornish as saffron cake and clotted cream.

Yet there's nothing fattening about this particular stocking filler.

West Cornwall pilot Peter Channon has produced a delightful catalogue of aerial views of the county, published with Christmas in mind.

The spectacular photographs in Over Cornwall focus on our spectacular coastline – "this rugged land of legend", as Peter puts it.

It's a glossy collection of the sort of images that made our own Coastal Cornwall supplement earlier this year such a winner with readers far and wide.

We sold thousands of extra papers, many of which were sent away and overseas to give friends and relatives a reminder of Cornwall's priceless, timeless beauty and charm.

In his book, Peter includes a few potted notes on the landscape with which he is so familiar.

His intimate knowledge of the coastline results from thousands of hours spent towing promotional banners over our resorts and beaches.

He waits for the very best conditions to photograph Cornwall at its glorious best.

The back cover is dedicated to one of his most recent photographic trips, capturing the awe-inspiring scene of countless yachts and small craft accompanying the graceful Tall Ships as they set sail from Falmouth for Portugal.

The front cover features The Island at St Ives, surrounded by those distinctive golden sands and that unmistakable turquoise sea.

Photographs of Porthcurno – the beach and the Minack clifftop theatre – boast those same perfect hues.

"This book has all been produced in Cornwall," said Peter. "It could have been printed elsewhere, but I wanted it to be done from start to finish in Cornwall.

"My first view over Cornwall was flying a glider around The Lizard peninsula, where from only 1,000 feet the view was fantastic, covering from Land's End in the west to the Dodman in the east, with ships passing Lizard Point looking like models on a boating lake.

"A few years later, when flying a VW-powered ultra light aircraft, I used to carry a tiny Rollie 35mm camera to record events.

"Aerial photography is all about the weather.

"In the days of black and white, a yellow or orange filter could be used to reduce the effect of haze, but when colour became the norm, the weather dictated the quality of the final result, although the advent of the digital age has improved matters."

He added: "For a serious aerial photographer, there are no weekends or bank holidays, only good working days or waiting for the weather. In Cornwall you have to add in the factor of the tide, too.

"Mainly new images have been used for this book, the colours of which will vary according to the time of the day and the season. Also included are some earlier shots taken on film."

Over Cornwall is priced £9.99 (plus £1 postage and packaging) and can be ordered by telephone on 01858 438742 (quote reference OC01. It contains 56 aerial photographs of Cornwall.

Go to www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/overcornwall to have a look.