Start: St Ives
Finish: Zennor

Distance: 7 miles | Height gain: 1890 feet/576 metres
Time walking: 4 hours 30 minutes excluding breaks

Difficulty: Difficult. The distance is short but there are several steep hills and rocky/muddy sections.

Highlights: The Barbara Hepworth museum in St Ives, Porthmeor beach (and cafe), the view from Clodgy Point, Zennor Head and the mermaid chair in Zennor Church.

Leaving behind the Tate gallery and surf-lined Porthmoer beach (St Ives), the path soon heads along the empty and dramatic cliffs of West Cornwall. Here, the path winds along a narrow section between the rugged moorland hills and deeply incised cliffs. It is a harsh landscape, softened by the rich blue seas and summer flowers that somehow hang on in the thin soil.

This is the beginning of the isolated Lands End Peninsula and it is important to remember that long sections of the coastline are inaccessible and offer no refreshments or relief once you are underway.

The sea views are fantastic and high headlands are separated by the narrowest of coves cut out by the often violent waves.

Start Point: Zennor
Finish Point: Pendeen

Distance: 7.5 miles | Height gain: 1296 feet/395 metres
Time walking: 4 hours 15 minutes excluding breaks

Difficulty: Moderate to difficult. The path is hilly, narrow and for the first 6 miles it is littered with rocks, making for slow progress.

Highlights: Bosigran cliffs, Portherras Beach, Pendeen Watch lighthouse, Geevor tin mine at Pendeen (underground tour of the mine workings).

Along rocky paths and moorland fringes, the route passes through hard countryside littered with blocks of granite, towards the Pendeen and St Just mining districts. The harsh landscape maintains a beauty in its wildness, one that inspires countless stories of piskies and giants (how else can you explain the lumps of granite thrown across the land?).

Sections of the path take you away from the sea edge and there are grand views of the granite hills (carns) that back the coast. Particularly impressive are the Carn Galvers and Watch Croft. Finally, passing by beautiful Portherras beach, the coast path winds past Pendeen Watch lighthouse.

Start Point: Pendeen
Finish Point: Pendeen

Distance: 9 miles | Height gain: 1903 feet/580 metres
Time walking: 4 hours 30 minutes excluding breaks

Difficulty: Moderate. There are no major hills but the path can be uneven and muddy.

Highlights: Chun Castle and Quoit, the mysterious Men an tol, Lanyon Quoit, the bird life.

This is a circular walk around the famous stone monuments of West Cornwall. From Pendeen, the route heads inland to the barren moors. These empty spaces stretch across the Penwith peninsula and offer outstanding and unexpected views of the south coast. Gorse, heathers and bracken dominate the landscape and hide many secrets.

Many have also been uncovered such as Men-an-tol (Bronze Age monument), Lanyon Quoit (Stone Age Dolman) and Boskednan Nine Maidens stone cirles. This walk takes you around all of these and a few lesser known gems.

With ramshackle cottages, old tin mine workings, Bronze Age burial chambers and Stone Age standing stones, you will cover over 6000 years of Cornish history before heading back to Pendeen and the twenty first century.

Start Point: Pendeen
Finish Point: Sennen

Distance: 9 miles | Height gain: 1903 feet/580 metres
Time walking: 4 hours 30 minutes excluding breaks

Difficulty: A moderate beginning with few hills but some rubble on the path. Several moderatley steep hills are encountered later on and a little scrambling over/around rocks is required.

Highlights: The Crowns Mines at Botallack, the raised beach and 'dinosaur egg' rocks at the Cot Valley, surfing at Sennen Cove.

Passing through the Pendeen and St Just mining district, abandoned workings perch on high cliffs and evidence of this once great industry is present everywhere. The remains at Geevor, Levant and Botallack are impressive; a sudden tale of humanity and heritage after miles of empty coast path. This really is a beautiful section of the coast and a favourite with artists from across the globe.

Along high cliffs and barren hills, the path soon arrives at Cape Cornwall, passing by the picturesque Nancherrow valley. The views are great and it is well worth walking out to the top of the Cape, where the Atlantic currents split; north towards the Irish Sea and south towards the English Channel.

Having turned the corner onto the West coast, the scenery changes once again as the path makes its way past granite boulders and storm carved coves, with the long sandy beach at Sennen visible in the distance.

Start Point: Sennen
Finish Point: Porthcurno

Distance: 6.5 miles | Height gain: 1854 feet/565 metres
Time walking: 3 hours 30 minutes excluding breaks

Difficulty: Moderate - just one or two hills of note.

Highlights: The sea arches around Lands End, the view from across to Treen headland and the Minack Theatre. To watch a performance on a summer’s night at the open air Minack Theatre is a magical experience.

A short walk packed full of incredible scenery. Some of the most photographed and most acclaimed Cornish landscapes are to be found here. From the vaulted cliffs and sea arches of Lands End to the outstanding pink hued cliffs of Porthcurno Bay. Add to this crystal clear waters and a profusion of wild flowers and the region’s popularity is easily understood.

Despite this popularity, it is still easy to leave the crowds behind. Shortly after Lands End you will more than likely walk alone until approaching Porthcurno. Hidden gems such as Porthchapel beach and Mill Bay add a touch of the unexpected.