Cornwall Coast Path

UK Guides: Cornwall Coast Path

Jake Davies

At a total length of slightly under 300 miles, the footpath that follows the coast of Cornwall encompasses some of the most spectacular and stunning coastal scenery of anywhere in the British Isles.

Perranporth Beach, Cornwall, UK. — Perranporth Beach, Cornwall

Cornwall Scenery

From golden beaches stretching along wide bays to towering cliffs above crashing surf, walking the path will take you through secret hidden coves and picturesque fishing villages as well as all the major tourist towns of Cornwall.

Part of, in fact almost half of, the much longer, 630 mile South West Coast Path, rated by Lonely Planet as one of the best walks in the world, which runs from Minehead in Somerset to Poole in Dorset, through Teignmouth, Beer, Seaton and Lyme Regis.

The Cornish section of the South West Coast Path began life as a route for customs officers to be able to check every nook and cranny of the coastline that was used by smugglers.

Part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, Cornwall, UK. — Part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, Cornwall

Now it not only offers fantastic chances for vacationers to experience and see nature and wildlife, it also passes through sites of historical and cultural importance including megalithic stone circles and standing stones, ancient castles, sub-tropical gardens and the UNESCO World Heritage mining sites such as the Geevor Mine and Levant Mine as well as some important art galleries and the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth.

The route also passes through the most westerly point of mainland England, the aptly named Land's End, and the most southerly point of the British mainland, Lizard Point.

Near Lands End, Cornwall, UK. — Near Land's End, Cornwall

South West Coast Path

Many people visit Cornwall specifically to walk the path, the more adventurous taking in the whole route in one go. For those who choose this option there are luggage services that will pick up your luggage from your accommodation and drop it of for you at your next destination.

For most visitors though the path is enjoyed as day trips, because no matter where you are in the county you are never more than a few miles from the coast. The route covers a great diversity of landscapes, some sections, particularly on the south coast east towards Devon, include long sections that are quite flat or with no great changes in altitude, however the most dramatic sections often entail a considerable amount of up and down.

It is estimated that to walk the whole South West Coast means climbing the equivalent of four Mount Everests.

In wet weather there can be a lot of muddy sections, and some parts include clambering over boulders, which can become slippery when wet, but all the numerous guidebooks for the path give details on the level of difficulty for each of the sections so it is easy to decide what can be done with family and which sections are best tackled with good boots and sticks.

The route is well marked with signs and markers, and any diversions are also well marked. While opinions obviously differ, there are several sections of the route that draw special praise, the first the section from St. Ives to Zennor on the north coast, and the section from Kynance Cove to Lizard Point on the Lizard Peninsula.

Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall, UK. — Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall

Cornwall Access - Getting To Cornwall

Exeter in Devon, located at the end of the M5 motorway, coming south from Bristol makes for a good starting point if you are driving into Cornwall. Exeter is also a good place to hire a car.

From Exeter follow the A30 dual carriageway, north of Dartmoor through Okehampton, Launceston, Bodmin and Penzance.

Alternatively take the A38, which skirts the southern edge of Dartmoor, through Plymouth and Saltash on in to Cornwall, where it joins the A30 at Bodmin.

The A390 begins after Liskeard on the A38 and goes south west through St. Austell and Truro, where the A39 goes south in the direction of Falmouth.

Exeter's main railway station is Exeter St David's Station with rail links to Bristol, Birmingham and London Paddington Station as well as on to Plymouth.

St Ives, Cornwall, UK. — St Ives, Cornwall

Great Western run the overnight Night Riviera Sleeper Service (www.gwr.com/plan-journey/journey-information/on-board/night-riviera-sleeper) from London Paddington to Penzance.

Exeter International Airport, just 5 miles to the east of Exeter city near Clyst Honiton off the A30 has regular domestic flights to Aberdeen, Alicante, Belfast, Edinburgh, Faro, Geneva, Guernsey/Jersey, the Isles of Scilly, Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle. International destinations include Amsterdam, Dubrovnik, Dublin, Funchal, Hannover, Larnaca, Nice, Palma, Paris, Malaga and Salzburg.

The inner harbour at Falmouth, Cornwall, UK. — The inner harbour at Falmouth, Cornwall

National Express coaches take about 7-8 hours to Truro from either Birmingham or London.

Newquay Cornwall Airport (NQY) has connecting flights to Bristol Airport, Cardiff, Glasgow, St Mary's Isles of Scilly, Leeds Bradford, London Gatwick, Manchester Airport, Newcastle and international flights to Cork and Dublin in Ireland as well as seasonal flights to Alicante in Spain with Ryanair and Dusseldorf in Germany with Lufthansa.

Most UK flights are operated by Air Southwest. The airport offers airport parking for over 500 cars. An Airport Development Fee of 5 GBP is currently levied on all departing passengers.

There is a passenger ferry from Penzance to the Scilly Isles. The Scillonian III passenger ferry takes between 2 hours 40 minutes and 3 hours. (Timetable and further information here: https://www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk/ferry/travel-information)

There are Skybus flights to the Scilly Isles from Exeter, Newquay and Land's End airports.