Cornwall Walking

We collect guests arriving today from Bodmin Parkway train station in the late morning and transfer into Padstow in our support vehicle. Here we meet guests who have stayed in Padstow the evening before and get to know our group over a café lunch, or a traditional Cornish pasty on the beach. We catch the foot ferry across the Camel estuary to the small seaside village of Rock and walk through the sand dunes to the famous St Enodoc Church with its peculiar spire, ‘bent like a crooked witch’s hat’ as Sir John Betjeman once wrote. We spend the afternoon walking along the idyllic beaches of Polzeath and Daymer Bay before returning to Padstow by foot ferry in the late afternoon. We dine on Rick Stein’s famous fresh caught Fish and Chips in the evening and head to our hotel in the centre of town.

Mileage: 4-6 miles

From Padstow we walk out of town and along the coastal path up to the cliffs at Stepper Point, past the observatory with panoramic views of ocean, town and estuary. Keep an eye out for Peregrine Falcons, the fastest birds in the world, known to fly and nest in this area, as we traverse the coast and beaches towards lunch in Trevone or Harlyn Bay. Catching the support vehicle back across the headland in the afternoon gives guests plenty of time to explore Padstow, with further walking options available. Guests dine on their own in town with a wealth of restaurants to choose from by the harbour.

Mileage: 5-7 miles

In the morning we transfer further South to Lelant for our walk into the jewel of Cornwall that is St Ives. Best known for its spectacular light and as a haven for painters for the last few hundred years and now home to the Tate St Ives Art Gallery, this town is truly magnificent. Our stunning coastal walk passes by historic churches, beaches and Carbis Bay before entering the town. We lunch at one of the wonderful seafood cafes and have plenty of time to walk around and visit the Tate St Ives or Barbara Hepworth’s Sculpture Garden. We hop across to the South Coast in the afternoon to Penzance where we’ll stay for the next three nights. 

Mileage: 5-8 miles

We walk the South Cornish coast at Marazion and in the afternoon cross the causeway – tide permitting – to the mysterious 14th Century castle on St Michael’s Mount, perched atop a great granite crag. Steeped in legend and folklore, the island has panoramic views across to Land’s End and to Lizard Point, the most Southerly point in Britain. We walk back toward Penzance and onto the bustling fishing port of Newlyn and onto Mousehole – one of the prettiest coastal villages in Cornwall. There’s also the opportunity to bathe in the famous Penzance Lido, with its 35c geothermal pool.

Mileage: 7-9 miles

Today we transfer to ‘the end of the world’ at Land’s End. This stretch of coast marks the most Westerly point of England and one of the world’s most famous landmarks. From the breath-taking 200ft high granite cliffs you can see the Isles of Scilly and, beyond that, out to the Atlantic Ocean and North America. We walk the rugged coast to lunch at the beach café in Sennan Cove and transfer back towards St Ives for a pretty afternoon walk from Zennor into town. We celebrate our last night together with a dinner out at a local restaurant and enjoy our last evening by the coast.

Mileage: 4-10 miles

After a relaxed breakfast we walk to Penzance Station, helping all guests with their ongoing travel arrangements.

Cornwall is an easy train journey from London, Bristol and the Midlands, taking you to the start of your walking trip. Trains come into Bodmin Parkway where there is a short transfer required to get to the start of the tour in Padstow.

We have handpicked a selection of hotels and bed and breakfasts in ideal locations along the beautiful Cornish coast, with great access into towns and views over the harbours and ocean. There is a wealth of great restaurants and gastro-pubs in each location and your hotels are the perfect place to rest your legs and relax during the evenings while on your tour.

Read M.W’s review of our hotels: “The accommodations were first rate — small inns scattered throughout the countryside. And the food — out of this world! […] It was so relaxing to have the whole trip prearranged.”

Don’t feel obliged to walk the full distance each day. There are shorter options for guests, with opportunities to spend more time at the iconic sites, manors, gardens, beaches and in the towns for those wishing to walk fewer miles each day.