Walking in Cornwall

40 coast, country and moorland walks

By Graham Uney

ISBN

9781852846848

Availability

Published

8 May 2015

Reprinted

3 Aug 2021

Edition

First

Pages

160

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.00cm

Weight

180g

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This guidebook includes routes to 40 day walks in Cornwall. From short, easy strolls to longer, wilder routes, there is plenty to appeal to both families and experienced walkers. The walks explore the interior and coasts including walks through picturesque villages, old tin-mining areas and the Lizard and Land's End Peninsulas.

Seasons

There really isn't an off-season in Cornwall. The coastal walks are great at any time of year, as are the archaeological sites. Only Bodmin Moor is best left for the summer months.

Centres

Good bases are St Just, St Ives, Porthleven, St Agnes, St Austell, Padstow, Boscastle and Bude.

Difficulty

Most of the routes in this book are short easy walks following obvious paths and tracks, although a handful are more challenging. Walking boots and waterproofs are necessary, especially on exposed cliff-top walks, and for all the routes on Bodmin Moor.

Must See

Explore the amazing cliff-top paths of the Cornish coast. Discover signs of ancient man at scores of archaeological sites. Uncover the history of the Cornish tin mines. Stride out across the wildest parts of Bodmin Moor.

ISBN

9781852846848

Availability

Published

8 May 2015

Reprinted

3 Aug 2021

Edition

First

Pages

160

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.00cm

Weight

180g

Overview

This guidebook offers walkers 40 half to full day rambles on the coasts and inland hills of Cornwall. With routes ranging from short, 2 mile strolls to longer walks of over 8 miles, as well as plenty of opportunities to combine routes together, this guide provides plenty of variety for walkers of all abilities. The guidebook is divided into sections, including walks on Bodmin Moor (for which good navigational skills are required), the North coast, Penwith and West Cornwall, the Inland Mining Districts, Land's End and the Lizard and Roseland Peninsulas. Cornwall has a lot to offer walkers; stunning coastal scenery and long stretches of wild moorland, with quiet estuaries cutting through high and rocky headlands. Birdlife and wildlife, from choughs to falcons to seals are found throughout the county, as are historical sites from the neolithic, to Iron Age hill forts and a long history of mining. The towns and villages of Cornwall, from the popular spots such as St Ives, Newquay and Padstow, to quiet inland hamlets and tucked away fishing villages are also included and provide perfect bases for going out to explore the country. Alongside the 40 walking routes, this guidebook also includes plenty of practical information on getting to and around Cornwall, as well as details on each walk's distance, timing, terrain, ascent and nearest town. Throughout the walk descriptions, there are details of places of interest along the way, as well as annotated OS maps and stunning photography. The result is an ideal companion to stepping out and exploring the best of Cornwall.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Map key

Overview map

Introduction

Geology

History

Industrial heritage

Wildlife

Cornish language

Cornish fare

Getting there

Getting around

When to go

Information sources

Maps

Using this guide

Bodmin Moor

Walk 1 The Hurlers and the Cheesewring

Walk 2 Twelve Men’s Moor and Trewortha Village

Walk 3 Brown Willy from Priddacombe Downs

Walk 4 Brown Willy from Garrow Downs

Walk 5 Brown Willy and the source of the River Fowey

Walk 6 Rough Tor and Brown Willy from the north

Walk 7 Bray Down and Leskernick Hill

The North Coast

Walk 8 Sharpnose Point from Coombe

Walk 9 Crackington Haven to Dizzard Point

Walk 10 The Strangles and Cambeak

Walk 11 Boscastle

Walk 12 Tintagel and Willapark

Walk 13 Around Port Isaac Bay

Walk 14 Pentire Point

Walk 15 Stepper Point

Walk 16 Trevose Head

Walk 17 Kelsey Head and Cubert Common

Walk 18 St Agnes Head and Beacon

Walk 19 Godrevy Point, Navax Point and Hudder Down

Penwith and West Cornwall

Walk 20 The Hayle Estuary Nature Reserves

Walk 21 Wicca Pool and Zennor Head

Walk 22 Zennor Hill

Walk 23 Gurnard’s Head

Walk 24 Hannibal’s Carn, the Nine Maidens and Mên-an-Tol

Walk 25 Chûn Quoit and Castle

Walk 26 Pendeen Watch and the Levant Mines

Walk 27 The Kenidjack Valley and Cape Cornwall

Walk 28 The Cot Valley from St Just

The Inland Mining Districts

Walk 29 The Porkellis Engine Houses

Walk 30 Carn Brea and Piece

Walk 31 Redruth and Gwennap Pit

Land’s End

Walk 32 Carn Brea, Carn Euny, and Bartinney Downs

Walk 33 Sennen Cove and Land’s End

Walk 34 Around Gwennap Head and Porthcurno

Walk 35 Lamorna Cove and Valley from Mousehole

The Lizard and Roseland Peninsulas

Walk 36 Porthleven and Trewavas Head

Walk 37 Halzephron Cliffs from Cury

Walk 38 Mullion Cove and Predannack Head

Walk 39 Around the Lizard from Cadgwith

Walk 40 Zone Point

Appendix A Route summary table

Appendix B Useful contacts

Maps

Maps

The Ordnance Survey Explorer series of maps (1: 25 000) are without a doubt the best ones to buy to help you follow the walks in this book. (The map extracts that appear within the routes are taken from the 1:50,000 OS mapping blown up to 1:40,000 (2.5cm to a kilometre) for greater clarity but are intended for planning purposes only.) The sheet numbers that cover the county are: 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 111, 112 and 126.

The OS Landranger series are useful for planning and when travelling by car, or perhaps on a cycling tour, but their lack of fine detail can make it difficult to follow a route when walking.

Updates

December 2021

2021 reprint route updates

684 Walking in Cornwall 2021 reprint (225.234 KB)

November 2020

Walk 13

The walk passes through Trewethart Farm, however Cornwall County Council has confirmed that there is no right of way through this farm. Thank you to Ian for supplying this alternative route.

From the point where the valley path from Trewartha enters Port Gaverne, the description would be:

Go right a few metres and take the road on the right at Pilchards Cafe, to follow the north side of the valley you have just walked down. Continue for about 750 metres to the end of the caravan storage field and find a path on the left, through some small trees, leading uphill towards the top right-hand corner of the field. At the top of the field take the path to the left of the large building and through the farm to the road at Tregaverne.

Right along the road for a little over 200 metres to find a footpath on the left, 100 metres before the turning off to the right. Over the stile and onwards, a little overgrown, to the coast path where you turn left and continue back into Port Gaverne.

The description then picks up the original one in the guide.

November 2020

Walk 8

The footpaths around Woodford described on page 47 have changed considerably. The 'green lane' is very overgrown, and may be impassable.

An alternative is to take the footpath at right angles to it, thus continuing in an easterly direction.

On reaching the road at Woodford turn right (south) and take the next turning (west), continue along road, bending left past Shears Farm. Then turn right along the public footpath as the farm lane continues to bend round to the left. This is the footpath described in the book as taking you slightly up hill then down into the valley of Woodford Wood.

Thank you to Diana S Kahn for supplying the information

Reviews

"Extremely helpful" guidebooks

I ordered Walking in The Cotswolds and in Walking in Cornwall in England as I hope one fine day to get back to the UK and take a much more up close and personal look. These books provide rich detail of the region, history, geology, and footpath difficulty. Informative, compact print with color images help the reader know what they are getting into. Each of the books are written by locals with in depth knowledge of the nuances of the places they call home. They share specific instructions on how to get to the trailheads with detailed maps. In addition, they give you information on the nearest transport, if it is wise to rent a car or to take public transport. Suggestions for accommodations near the footpaths listed in the books are extremely helpful for the traveler.

Linda, by email

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Graham Uney

Graham Uney runs Wild Walks Wales from his home in Welshpool, where he leads walking groups in the beautiful hills of the Welsh borders and mid-Wales. He previously ran Shetland Walking and Wildlife from his home on the Westside of Shetland. Graham also runs week-long skills courses for hillwalkers, National Navigation Award Scheme courses at all levels and digital photography workshops for beginners.

Graham has had 15 books published to date. He is also a freelance journalist and photographer, and an occasional ecological surveyor. In his spare time he is rediscovering rock climbing and is a keen bird ringer, mandolin and guitar player, gardener and dog walker.

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