The Route

Starting in Padstow, a charming fishing port surrounded by glorious sandy beaches, at the head of the Camel River, the route follows the shores of the Camel Estuary. Winding through little coves the trail then descends to Porthcothan Bay, passes the large Iron Age fort remains at Trevelgue Head and continues to bustling Newquay, surfing capital of the UK.

Coves and headlands lead to Perranporth Beach. From there onwards the remains of tin mines often dot the landscape. Clifftop paths lead past Porthtowan to the harbour at Portreath. The trail now slowly climbs for a few kilometres before descending to a ‘Hell’s Mouth’, a spectacular breach in the cliffs.

Look out for seals and other wildlife as the trail passes near the lighthouse at Godrevy Point. A long beach walk leads to the busy port of Hayle. Sand dunes and more beaches link this with the delightful seaside resort of St Ives, once the most important fishing port in Cornwall.

Further on, the route passes the ‘Carracks’, notorious ship-wrecking rocks, before continuing west along the coast past coves and old tin mines. After Pendeen Watch lighthouse the path visits Cape Cornwall and skirts a little inland past St. Just village. It then, once more, hugs the coast on its way to the pretty fishing village of Sennan Cove.

Nearby is famous Land’s End, where the Atlantic pounds landmarks such as ‘Wolf Rock’ and the ‘Long Ships’. Continuing to Porthcurno the trail passes a famous open-air theatre at Minack Point. A little further a sheltered, seemingly sub-tropical valley at Lamorna invites for a break in an old smuggler’s pub.

Not far from there, the impressive St. Michael’s Mount can often be seen on the far side of Mount’s Bay. Passing through the pretty fishing village of Mousehole the route enters the busy resort of Newlyn and finally Penzance, the end of our longest tours.

Terrain Overview

The walking on the South West Coast Path is generally easy with well maintained footpaths and pleasant beaches and, for most sections, the route never strays far from villages and towns. The terrain between St Ives and Pendeen is more rugged and challenging, but is not beyond anybody with a reasonable level of fitness

The highest point of this section of the trail is only 110m above sea level and in general the route stays well below 100m. However there are many ups and downs throughout the route where the trail climbs from cliff height down to sea level and then back up again. The total aggregate ascent adds up to approximately 5,300m over the route from Padstow to Penzance.

Elevation Profile

The South West Coast Path (Cornwall) passes through many coastal villages. Treat yourself to a day off along the way and relax on the beach!

Padstow: With its lively harbour and shops, cafes and restaurants Padstow is an ideal base to soak up the unique Cornish atmosphere.

St Agnes: Relax on one of the four golden beaches in this picturesque village with its thriving community and many galleries and craft workshops.

St Ives: Explore the narrow cobbled streets and picturesque harbour of this bustling fishing town where museums, cafes, galleries and beautiful beaches invite to relax and enjoy the atmosphere.

Penzance: Stroll along the magnificent promenade with its famous Jubilee Pool or visit the nearby amazing island world of St Michael’s Mount with over a thousand years of history.

Staying at the very best accommodation during your time in England can transform a “good” hiking tour into a “great” hiking tour.

That’s why, at Hillwalk Tours, we take the quality of our accommodation partners seriously. So much so that you will find we strive to only work with high-quality and well-reviewed accommodation. Additionally, most of our accommodation partners have been personally checked by a member of the Hillwalk Tours team to ensure your comfort.

As keen hikers ourselves we know you’ll want somewhere relaxing to put your feet up in the evening. A place where a warm smile from your hosts makes you feel welcome as soon as you step through the door. If your hiking gear gets wet, it’s nice to know that you can dry it or, if you ask, it may even be taken from you and returned nice and dry the next morning.

Comfy beds, en-suite bathrooms (where available), tasty breakfast menus, and a friendly & cosy atmosphere – these are all the things that we like so you can rest assured that we’ll do our best to find them for you as well.

To find out more about the types of accommodation you can expect to find on a Hillwalk Tours walking holiday, read here: Accommodation on your Walking Tour

In addition, if you’d like to stay an extra night at any location during your hiking tour, just let us know.

Getting to and from your South West Coast Path (Cornwall) hiking tour is easy… when you know how!

In your walking pack, you will receive all the necessary public transport information you need to make your journey as convenient as possible.

In the meantime, if you’d like to do some advance planning yourself, here are our tips:

Departing from Cornwall after your Hiking Tour:

Use train or bus services to Newquay, Bristol, Exeter or London.

Travelling by car?

If you would like to leave your car at the first or last accommodation on your tour, for the duration of the tour, then you can directly contact the accommodation owners before the start of your tour to check that this is possible. We will provide contact details for the accommodation provider.