Walking in Cornwall

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.

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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
Introduction
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

Updates

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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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