Cornwall walks

This nice and easy walk mainly using the South West Coast path and the Saints way explores Gribbin Head including his daymark, Polridmouth Cove and Carlyon Bay.

This interesting walk mainly in woods provides a way of visiting the impressive Luxulyan Valley Heritage site including Treffry Viaduct, The Wheel Pit or Trevanney china clay kiln.

This nice walk explores Bodmin Moor using paths next to Little Rough Tor until you reach Brown Willy summit (420m) with spectacular views. The return way uses mainly pretty flat paths around Rough Tor and goes past Fernacre Stone Circle.

A lovely circular walk from Calstock, first along the river Tamar leading to the famous Cotehele Quay before heading mainly to woodlands and meadows.

This walk from Coombe Farm provides a way to discover Fowey making a detour, St Catherine's Castle, the secluded Coombe Haven and Polridmouth Cove using partly the South West Coast path.

This pleasant walk with steep sections mainly along the coast provides a way to discover the stunning Lantic beach and the mouth of River Fowey including Polruan's old fishing village and his blockhouse built in the 15th century or Lanteglos church.

During this easy circular walk, You will discover Tehidy Woods along Illogan BR 2 trail and North cliffs using a small section of the South West Coast path.

This circular walk in varied paths provides a way to Discover the largest area of woodland in West Cornwall named Tehidy Country Park. Then, you will enjoy as well North cliffs and beautiful Carvannel Downs along Portreath coast.

This pleasant circular walk explores a beautiful section of the South West Coast path leading to Mullion Cove. You can visit Porth Mellin as well before you go back using paths and tracks inland.

This easy circular walk from Bodinnick partly using the famous Hall walk provides a way to enjoy beautiful viewpoints over Fowey, Polruan and the estuary. You can discover as well the ferry terminal in use since the 13th century and Hall chapel in ruins.

This circular walk starting from the Church of St Mary and St Julian, mainly along the coastal path, provides a way of visiting World Heritage sites around the mouth of River Tamar including Mount Edgcumbe and Cremyll.

A short, summer walk from Perranuthnoe towards Marzion, Through the small village across designated footpaths. With views of St Micheal's Mount, and the South Cornish Coast. Returning along a section of the South West Coast Path (SWCP).

This beautiful and well-marked walk in Kilminorth woods local nature reserve and along East Looe provides a way of visiting interest sites including the Giant's Hedge.

This easy circular walk provides a way to discover the largest freshwater lake in Cornwall and Loe Bar using pretty flat tracks and paths in beautiful National Trust land.

This pleasant amble across the inland moors of Cornwall includes a number of ancient monuments including Chun Quoit, Chun Castle, the Dancing Stones and the Boslow Stone.

It's a pleasant circular walk from Church Bridge. The route follows West Looe River before climb gently close to Muchlarnick for a nice view over hills and valleys.

This circular walk from the lovely village of Zennor explores the coast path (with several ascents and descents in rocky paths) and uses also paths inland during the return route.

This beautiful walk from Penlee Battery, mostly using the coastal path along Rame peninsula, provides a way of visiting places including Queen Adelaïde's grotto, St Mickael's chapel and Cawsand village.

Well waymarked route along the Bude canal, then across fields to the coastal path.There is an alternative to the very coastal path, which runs alongside further from the edge; it is possible to switch between the paths as you go along.

A coastal walk along the Cornish coast, accessible by public transport (bus routes 24 and 25). Highlights: Fowey estuary, cliffs, coastal villages, Gribbin Head tower, Georgian harbour at Charlestown.

This route starts at the Shire Inn (permission required) and leads through the Pendarvas Estate, the woodland and passes remnants of mining in the area. You then follow a valley up to a hamlet known as Knave-Go-By, and onto the hamlet of Treslothan, and the Giants Quoit, before going back through the woodlands of Pendarvas to the start.

Tehidy Woods is a former woodland that surrounds a large country house, now a Country Park, with many woodland trails. Throughout the woods, there are a variety of trees, including a Beech Tree with a twisted trunk, one of the 70 different trees in the country, forming the'Queens Green Canopy', commemorating the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

On the east side of Bodmin moors is a small moorland village of Minions, where there is a pleasant walk along a disused railway line, with a short climb to the top of Stowe Hill and the Cheesewring, before following a track back to a standing stone and The Hulers stone circles.

This relatively short route offers some fascinating finds, starting at a 13th-century pub, passing St John's Holy Well, one of the many in Cornwall. Then, through the churchyard, to see the vicarage, with its unusual chimneys, the ship's figurehead, used as a tombstone, and then onto Hawker's Hut, built by an eccentric clergyman, where he spent many hours writing poetry, etc.

Starting at the small hamlet of Crowan, and following a route across the countryside, through the Clowance Estate, now a holiday resort, which also had a very fascinating past. The route then leaves the estate following some country lanes and tracks, skirting the small Cornish village of Praze-an-Beeb, making its way back to Crowan.

Myth or legend, King Arthur, has many deep-seated roots here in Cornwall, from nearby Tintagel Castle, Excalibur's Sword in Dozmary Pool. King Arthur's Hall, high up on Bodmin Moor, adds more to the legend of the King. The route pays homage to the Wessex memorial, climbs the highest point in Cornwall, and then onto King Arthur's Hall, a neolithic enclosure; however, recent research has suggested that the whole area could be hundreds of years earlier.

St Ives Bay, 3 miles of golden sands, surfing, and sand castles. But what of the past? Was it always a tourist attraction? The huge dunes along the shoreline hide an amazing past. This is a figure-of-eight route with numerous start points, dependent on parking availability. This route is dependent on the tides, see Notes below.

From Pendeen Lighthouse (small free car park) at the northern tip of the parish of St Just, the walk follows the coastal path to Cape Cornwall. Cape Cornwall, while not strictly the westernmost point of England, is much more appealing than Land's End for nature lovers. The main feature of this route is that it passes through a series of old copper and tin mines that operated from around 1820 to the end of the 20th century: Geevor (the museum site is slightly further east), Levant (visits by appointment), Crowns, Bottalack, Wheal Owles, Wheal Edwards, and Kenidjack Valley. You will learn that copper was mined before tin and that some sites also extracted a considerable amount of arsenic.

Does King Arthur ring a bell? If not, look up and watch some of the Monty Python films and you will be convinced that the English legend is (not) just a legend! Whether King Arthur was born here or not is not very important. Whether Merlin lived in the caves carved out by the Atlantic Ocean at the foot of this medieval castle or not is not very important either. The important thing is to enjoy the place and, if you wish, treat yourself to a (paid) tour of the peninsula, which is clearly visible from Barras Nose, the nearby rocky outcrop. In short, the coastline here is very beautiful, as is the path running along the foot of this ancient fortress.

A circular walk that could be started at either Church Cove or perhaps Chyanvounder, where there is a country inn offering good pub grub. As this is a circular, there is the option to start at (2). But would suggest the route as plotted.

Walking along a section of the South West Coast Path, a section which could be described as the longest outdoor staircase in the southwest. Then passing an interesting old mining site, with many ruins to explore. The route then follows a trail inland to meet up with another long-distance walk, walking part of the Coast to Coast, before heading back to the start. The walk, in effect, is around an old RAF Portreath airfield, which had an interesting past during the Cold War, then known as Nancekuke, and now the RAF's again. RRH Portreath with a Fire Service training site.

The Hayle Estuary Nature Reserve offers the opportunity to see migratory birds, and is also a starting point for a reasonably level walk, with estuary views. Walking around Carnsew Pool, an amazing piece of Victorian engineering, which helps keep the Hayle harbour from silting up. Then, through a part of the town to the Mill pond, with old ruins to explore, and the pond. The walk then leads through a memorial garden, a high point at Hayle, which was an Iron Age Hill Fort, before leading back to the start.

Starting at the town's beach car park, the walk initially walking across the beach to the western side, subject to the tides climbs onto Battery Hill, then follows a Green Lane. Taking in the view as the lane leads out to the main road, the walk then works its way to Feadon Lane footpath, which skirts a holiday complex, leading to the Illogan Woods, and returning to Portreath.

A circular walk in the Mylor Bridge area that leads out to Mylor Churchtown. Walking mainly on country lanes, with a section down through a wooded valley, which in the spring is full of bluebells. Walking through the churchyard, and seeing the magnificent old yew tree and the memorial of HMS Ganges, before ending up at the marina. The route then follows Mylor Creek back to the start.

This is a circular walk between two public houses, each offering its own historical charm. Leaving the small village of Mylor Bridge and walking out to Weir Point before following the estuary up to Restronguet Passage, where there is the Pandora Inn, a 13th-century thatched public house, a convenient place to stop, and enjoy the surroundings, before heading inland and the Lemon Inn. This circular walk sounds like a pub crawl, but it is a really nice walk, with many interesting finds.

A section of the Southwest Coast Path to the old mine workings of Wheal Charlotte, with views looking over Chapel Porth in the valley below. Looking further up the coast to more disused mine workings, perched on the edge of the cliff side. On low spring tides, the remains of a shipwreck can be seen. The walk then leads inland to near Towan Cross, where a small detour leads to a country public house.

The walking trail starts in nearby Redruth, known as the Tolgus Trail. This section starts in the Cornwall Gold car park. The trail follows an old mining stream down the valley before meeting up with an old mining tramway, which in its day went from Portreath to Devoran on the south coast. The old mining works, now a visitor attraction, features exhibitions of mining history, other attractions, and a café.

A coastal path walk to one of the best coves on the south coast of Cornwall, Maenporth. Where the golden sands meet the crystal clear waters. The path passes a memorial dedicated to the local home guard. Although returning the same way, there is an option to take the route across the golf course, offering a different perspective.

Perhaps an out-of-season walk, taking advantage of the winter free parking and fewer visitors to the area. Walking along the seafront towards Pendennis Point, with the opportunity to visit Pendennis Castle, the Gyllyngdune Gardens, a sub-tropical garden with plant species referenced to Charles Darwin's travels, and his association with Falmouth. There are many interesting artifacts, which make this walk all the more interesting. On the return, walking through the Queen Mary Garden.

From the National Trust car park at Penrose Hill, and heading around farm fields along Cornish hedges filled with blackberries (well, when in season). Walking high above The Loe, and as the path winds its way south, the views open up to panoramic views of the south Cornish coast and the Loe Bar. Heading towards Porthleven, seeing the clock tower, which, during the winter storms, the seas wash over. After exploring the ancient harbour, the route works it way back up to the start.

St. Piran is the patron saint of tin miners and Cornwall. A walk into the dunes to where St. Piran landed and built an oratory, and later a church. The walk-in, to be fair, could be seen as a little featureless, making the way through the dunes. Looking deeper, and in the eyes of the beholder, there can be plenty to discover, from the flora and fauna to the historic facts relating to the dunes. To find such historic remains in the middle of the dunes poses many questions, but simple to explain.

A gentle circular walk along the King George V Memorial Walk, through some of Hayle's historic past. Walking along sandy paths through the dunes, seeing three miles of golden sand of St Ives Bay, with St Ives on the left and Godrevey Lighthouse on the opposite headland. Then heading inland, passing the old part of Phillack with the church, black brick buildings, and the Bucket of Blood Inn, with its unusual name.

A circular walk that follows a stream up through woodlands. From the small village, walking down the lane to the stream, then entering the woodland, discovering some of the mining past, which nature is claiming back.

From the small village of Mullion on the south Cornish coast, the walk leads down through the valley to Polurrian Cove. As the South West Coast path winds its way back along the coastline to Mullion Cove, before heading back past the Chocolate factory, and back through the old village.

Walking from the small Cornish village of Mullion to the coast, and following the South West Coast path, along with the coastal views, passing the historic monument and museum of Marconi, where the first trans-Atlantic radio transmission was made from.

This walk starts at the Long Rock car park, and follows a section of the St Michael's Way, South West Coast Path, and the coastal promenade towards Marazion and St Michael's Mount. A walk, where perhaps checking on the tides may be an advantage, with the possibility of crossing the causeway to the Mount. The route follows through the wetland bird sanctuary, before returning along the promenade.

An interesting circular walk, starting in a small Cornish coastal village of Perranuthnoe, along designated footpaths, up to Rosudgeon, passing through farm fields and small, remote hamlets before descending to the coast and the South West Coast Path. The walk offers panoramic views across Mounts Bay and St Michael's Mount, where the rugged Cornish coastline passes Prussia Cove, a location steeped in history with smugglers and ship wrecks.

From the well-published Great Flat Lode Trail, with the whole area having a history of mining for tin and copper, it is perhaps no surprise that there are many routes across the whole area, where perhaps the miners used to get from their homes to the mines where they worked. It's when walking on such paths, one can only wonder about the hard work and hours they toiled. That is where we now see green fields where once was a patchwork of mining activities. This walk passes through some hamlets where perhaps the miners lived.

Starting at the most easterly National Trust (free) car park before Bassett Cove, walking down into Combe and following the Red River, which is now a Nature Reserve, then following the trail back to Hell's Mouth and then the South West Coast Path to the start.

Of the 630 miles of the long-distance Southwest Coast Path (SWCP), this is a small section that offers both cliff-top walking and some of the undulations the SWCP has, especially in Cornwall. At Portreath, a small seaside town, the SWCP continues onwards. Bassett Cove also offers an option for a more sedate walk along North Cliff, Southwest of the parking area.