Take time to unwind and explore the magnificent coast between two of Cornwall’s most famous get-aways, St Ives and Padstow. From headland to cove and on to golden sands, the scenery changes as fast as the weather (well, it is Cornwall!).
The shorter daily distances give plenty of time soak up the views and the wild rocky coastline has to be seen to be believed. Bedruthan Steps and Holywell Bay, Newquay town beaches and sparkling St Ives all add their beauty and charm to this fantastic walk.
(includes bed and breakfast, bag transfers, maps & info packs, arrival and departure transfers between accommodation and local train stations/car parks. B&B includes the night prior to starting the walk and the night after finishing the walk)
(includes bed and breakfast, bag transfers, maps & info packs, arrival and departure transfers between accommodation and local train stations/car parks. B&B includes the night prior to starting the walk and the night after finishing the walk)
Plenty of opportunity to get in the ocean on this walk. Take a surf lesson (wetsuits provided!), rent a Stand Up Paddle board or just get in for a swim. Mention this when planning and we can let you know the best spots.
After all that walking you will deserve a little pampering. St Ives, Newquay and Padstow offer some fantastic upgrades – just ask us for details when booking.
Rest weary legs in this charming town. Great views, a pub and good restaurants – what more do you need on a day off?
Treat yourself to an extra day in Cornwall at the end of your walk. Rent a bike on the Camel Trail, relax on the beach, enjoy some top-notch cuisine or visit Prideaux Place.
Bed and Breakfast - includes night prior to starting the walk and the night after finishing the walk
Luggage Transfers
Maps & Route Notes
Arrival and departure transfers between accommodation and local train stations/car parks
Help, support and great customer service
Itinerary
Afternoon transfer from Penzance train station to your St Ives accommodation. Arrive early to enjoy time in the town.
Distance:
6 Miles/9.5 Kilometres
Height Gain:
742 feet/ 226 metres
Time Walking:
3 hours excluding breaks
Difficulty:
Easy with just one or two gentle hills. Parts of the route are on pavement.
Description:
The route initially works its way past the splendid beaches of St Ives and Carbis Bay. These were among the first beaches in Cornwall to attract holidaymakers, who arrived by rail in the 19th Century. With their calm blue seas and golden sand it’s easy to see why.
The final section of the day’s walk, between Lelant and Hayle harbour, requires a traverse of busy roads and residential areas – a rare experience on the Cornish coast path. This only lasts for a couple of miles however, and beyond Hayle there is the promise of more wild, windswept Cornish scenery in the miles ahead.
Distance:
12 Miles/19 Kilometres
Height Gain:
1211 feet/ 369 metres
Time Walking:
4 hours 30 minutes excluding breaks
Difficulty:
Generally easy, though the first stage involves walking over sand, and there are two steep hills in the later stages.
Description:
From the wild and windswept dunes that flank the eastern side of St Ives Bay, to the high black cliffs beyond Godrevy, this is all remote and invigorating country.
The exposed nature of this stretch of coast has left it largely untainted by buildings and industry. There are no harbours or coastal settlements until you reach Portreath, and it is a windswept region with little shelter from the elements both on land and at sea. In the later stages of the walk the heights can be dizzying as the path veers close to the edge of vertical cliffs.
Distance:
8 Miles/13 Kilometres
Height Gain:
1385 feet/ 422 metres
Time Walking:
3 hours 15 minutes excluding breaks
Difficulty:
Moderate. One or two very steep hills to climb and the path is comprised mostly of loose shingle.
Description:
Climbing out of Portreath, the coast path heads through the heartland of Cornwall’s mining heritage. Until the late 19th Century the region between St Agnes, Camborne and Poole thrived on tin and copper mining. Reminders are everywhere: engine houses and stacks can be seen all along the coast and silhouetted on distant inland hill tops. More high cliffs and crashing seas provide the backdrop on this windswept section.
Porthtowan, Chapel Porth and Trevaunance Cove all provide a little sandy relief from the high cliffs, but not from the North coast waves. Catch them on a good day and they will be full of surfers braving the Atlantic swells.
Distance:
4 Miles/6.5 Kilometres
Height Gain:
843 feet/257 metres
Time Walking:
2 hours excluding breaks
Difficulty:
Moderate. This is a short section with one or two hills. The path is comprised mostly of loose shingle.
Description:
This short stage takes in a surprisingly rugged stretch of coast with fine views stretching back to the west. The cliffs and narrow valleys here are studded with the crumbling relics of Cornwall’s industrial past, while in the sheltered Trevellas Combe, tin mining survives as a cottage industry.
Journey’s end, meanwhile, is at the edge of a vast expanse of golden sand, with the promise of more wild and beautiful coastline ahead.
Distance:
11.5 Miles/19 Kilometres
Height Gain:
1690 feet/ 515 metres
Time Walking:
4 hours 30 minutes excluding breaks
Difficulty:
Moderate to easy. There are few hills, but depending on the tide you may have to walk across energy-draining sand dunes.
Description:
Threading the 12 miles between two of Cornwall’s busiest resorts, this is a walk that takes you through some unexpectedly wild landscapes with magnificent views back west and past some of the best beaches on the north Cornish coast.
Leading at first through the windswept dunes that back the two-mile expanse of Perranporth Beach, the path rounds craggy headland after craggy headland before a gentle final approach to Newquay along the tree-lined banks of the Gannel River.
Distance:
11 Miles/18 Kilometres
Height Gain:
1644 feet/ 501 metres
Time Walking:
4 hours excluding breaks
Difficulty:
Moderate. There are a couple of long hills to begin with but much of the walk is along open cliff tops.
Description:
Three great beaches mark this section of the walk. The surf-swept expanses of Watergate Bay and Mawgan Porth form the first two staging posts, and the lovely Porthcothan marks the day’s end point. In between these you will find cliff faces that reveal layer upon layer of fantastic twisted sediments. Craggy pinnacles and offshore outcrops mark this entire section of coastline. For much of the route the path sticks to high open cliff tops with fine views in both directions.
Distance:
8 Miles/13 Kilometres
Height Gain:
866 feet/264 metres
Time Walking:
3 hours 30 minutes excluding breaks
Difficulty:
Moderate. There are several hills but nothing very steep nor long and the path is good underfoot.
Description:
With six beaches, one mighty headland and numerous sandy coves, the chances that you will take all day to cover this short section are high. It is an easy and pleasant walk but on a sunny day the temptation to enjoy the sand or dip your toes in the sea can be too much. From the calm and sheltered (not to mention curiously named) Mother Ivey’s to the wild and surf battered Booby’s Bay (Booby is a local name for the gannet), there is good variety to be found even on such a short walk.
A rough and ready atmosphere dominates the landscape and even in the popular beaches there is a sense of the untamed – this shore is open to the full brunt of the Atlantic Ocean.
Distance:
5.5 Miles/9 Kilometres
Height Gain:
689 feet/ 210 metres
Time Walking:
2 hours 30 minutes excluding breaks
Difficulty:
Moderate to easy. There are several climbs but nothing very difficult and the path is generally in good condition.
Description:
This short final stage leads you into the sheltered waters of Padstow Bay. The estuarine beaches and calm blue waters that lead into the River Camel offer a dreamlike serenity and will carry you right to journey’s end in the busy heart of Padstow.
Map
Interests
Fancy a little luxury at the end of a long day walking?
Why not include stays in St George’s (Perranporth), The Esplanade (Newquay) and The Metropole (Padstow)?
Let us know if you would like to include upgraded accommodation (surcharges apply).
St Ives, Gwithian, Bedruthan Steps, Lusty Glaze and St Agnes Head are just a few of the locations used to film the popular Rosamund Pilcher television movies and they are all included in this incredible walk.
You can enjoy great food in many of the stop over towns on this walk.
The Cellar Bistro (St Ives), The Fish House (Newquay), Jamie Oliver’s 15 (Watergate Bay), Rick Stein’s (Padstow) all boast great reputations.
Mention this when booking and we will try to book your accommodation close to the best restaurants.
Walk through St Agnes Head, Holywell Bay, Park Head and Porthcothan Bay – all featured in the hit BBC drama.
Terrain
The coast path is much more demanding and time consuming than hill walking and a 10 mile (16 km) hike typically takes five hours.
Throughout most of West Cornwall the coast path is made of compacted earth, sand and natural rock. Steps are often cut into the ground but it is rare that you will find a hand rail to support yourself.
The coast path runs close to the cliff edge and if you suffer from dizziness or vertigo, a coast path walking holiday may not be for you. However it is rare that you will be walking along high cliffs with a sheer drop to the sea. More commonly there is a series of rocky platforms leading down to the sea. The exception to this is on the north coast between Hayle and Perranporth and then Newquay to Padstow where the path meanders to within one metre of the cliff tops and usually there is no barrier.
The are a lot of hills in Cornwall and for every descent down towards the sea there is a corresponding climb back up. Consider that over its total 630 miles, the South West Coast offers an estimated 35,000 metres to climb – that’s almost four times the height of Mount Everest!
The South West Coast Path is a natural trail and signage is minimal. There are discreet signs at most junctions but in some places you will need to use a map.
We provide route notes and 1:25000 maps and most walkers find that as they progress along the path they become quite adept at spotting the coast path signs.
Map reading skills are an advantage but with a smart phone/GPS, our route notes and a little common sense you should be fine. If you feel uncomfortable with this and would prefer a walk with regular sign posts, we advise looking for an alternative holiday.
Accommodation
We are walkers ourselves and we know that at the end of a long day you want a warm welcome and a comfortable bed. That is why we use B&Bs, hotels and guesthouses that we have carefully selected and importantly, visited ourselves. These are chosen for their access from our walking routes, their quality and their friendly atmosphere.
In practice this means that you will not have to walk more than 20 minutes from the coast path to your accommodation, there are restaurants or pubs within a short walk of all the B&Bs, you will be greeted by a friendly owner and enjoy a decent breakfast.
Double room
One bed for two people. The standard UK dimensions are 135cm x 190cm.
Twin room
Two single beds in one room. The standard UK dimensions for a single bed are 90cm x 190cm. These offer less floor space than a double due to space between the beds.
Single room
Smaller rooms, often with a shared or private bathroom. The standard UK dimensions are 90cm x 190cm.
Family room
A double bed plus single bed or a double bed plus bunk beds. These can accommodate three or four people.
Ensuite – Toilet, shower and wash basin are contained within the room.
Private – Facilities are outside the room but are not shared with any other room.
Shared – Facilities are shared with at least one other room.
Travel Information
Most of our international clients arrive at one of London’s major international airports (Heathrow or Gatwick) and then make their way to Cornwall by train (five hours 30 minutes from London Paddington).
Heathrow
Good connections with the main London Paddington to Penzance train and journey time is 6 to 7 hours. Connecting flights to Newquay take less than one hour.
National Express coaches run to Penzance and journey time is approximately 8 hours.
Gatwick
Trains connect with the main London Paddington to Penzance train service at Reading and total journey time is 6 to 7 hours.
Newquay
Cornwall’s own airport receives flights from major cities across the UK and Dusseldorf and Stuttgart.
We can include airport transfers at the start and end of your holiday for an additional cost (typically £20 to £35 per person). Journey times are approximately one hour to St Ives, Penzance and Falmouth.
London Stansted
It is necessary to travel into Central London if you wish to travel to Cornwall by public transport. Total journey time is approximately 7 hours 30 minutes.
Bristol
An express bus service connects the airport to Bristol Temple Meads train station (30 minute journey) from where there are trains to Penzance (4 hours 30 minutes).
If you are travelling to Cornwall by train, we suggest that you come to Penzance, from where we will provide a transfer to your B&B in St Ives. Although St Ives does have a train station, it is not on the main line and requires changing trains at St Erth. Penzance is the last stop on the main line and it is a pleasant 20 minute journey across to St Ives.
There are direct trains to Penzance from London Paddington (via Reading for airport connections) and journey time is 5 hours 30 minutes with trains leaving at approximately hourly intervals.
Driving to West Cornwall is straight forward but journey times can be long and in July/ August heavy traffic can be an issue. Once you leave the motorway (M5), just follow the A30 all of the way to Penzance.
Rental Cars – In addition to a standard rental, one way rentals are also possible, allowing you to pick up a car from anywhere in the UK and return it locally.
Parking – This can be difficult in St Ives, especially in the summer months and so we recommend leaving your vehicle in Penzance. We will provide transfers from your car to the first B&B and then back to your car at the end.
Journey times – For accurate driving times, use a journey planner. The following times are approximate and do not include rest breaks:
Heathrow/Gatwick – 5 hours
Central London – 5 hours 40 minutes
Bristol – 3 hours 15 minutes
Plymouth – 1 hour 45 minutes
Exeter – 2 hours
Dover – 7 hours
The South West Coast Path is Britain’s longest natural trail. That’s 630 miles of beautiful coastal scenery and four times the height gain of climbing Mount Everest.
This is the South West Coast Path in Cornwall, the most westerly and most beautiful section of the trail.
This is your chance to experience life on the South West Coast Path. Superb scenery, excellent hiking, top dining and as much (or as little) adventure as you like.
We had a great holiday in Cornwall. Thank you so much. We would recommend your company very highly. Hope to see you again
We're an 60+ couple and up to now we never commented on a (hiking)holiday - this time it's different! The guys from Western Discoveries (Russ) offered a perfect hiking-tour along the South West Coast Path. The info-material was straightforward, very helpful, informative and the organisation plainly perfect. The chosen B&B's were cosy, our hosts friendly and helpful. Since even the weather was on the bright side, we enjoyed a challenging but splendid hiking along Cornwall's coast.
We are very satisfied with our holiday as organised by you, amd we have used every opportunity after we returned home to recommend your services. The information package is comprehensive and the size of the individual items fits well with the trouser pockets.
We want to thank you for making our trip so wonderful. We found all the B&B’ s lovely, beds and pillows excellent, hosts/hostesses friendly, helpful and gracious. The walks were both beautiful and challenging...and we were grateful to jump into the luggage transfer van when the weather was, in a word, nasty! This experience will be on the top of our list of travel memories!
Yes Russ and Matt, your organisation and support as required during our recent Cornwall walk was “par excellence”. It all worked liked clockwork each day. Thank you again, and yes we will be up for a walk next year, but not sure exactly where !
Hi, had a lovely time again. Everything went perfect just as before. I have and still will recommend you. Thanks ... Tim
Thanks for your email and, more importantly, for the really excellent service you provided to my wife and me, and also our daughter and her friend. We and I had a great time walking from St. Just to The Lizard. The accommodations were excellent, and just what I expected, and the luggage transfers worked perfectly. You also arranged for remarkably good weather; we had rain on a couple of days but nothing that was a problem. I am not sure how you managed that, but thanks for that also. We had a great return trip to the Lizard Peninsula and also enjoyed the chance to see some parts further West with which we were not familiar. I would certainly use Western Discoveries again and will gladly recommend you to friends who are planning similar trips.
we realy enjoyed our trip on the coast path of Cornwell. The scenery was very beautiful and impressing. All Britains we met were realy friendly and helpful. The organization by Western Discoveries was prefect. All B&Bs were nice and their owners realy kindly.
We had a wonderfull time in Cornwall, thank you very much. The weather was good for hiking. We were surprised how different the northern coast is from the south. Also we enjoyed all the great beaches and the lovely towns. We don´t regret our upgrates, because our hotels were very nice, especially the Carlton in Newquay. We loved it!
We had an incredible experience in Cornwall. We are home now and watching old Poldark shows and are "homesick" for the scenery and people we met along the way. At this point I am not sure we have any suggestions, just compliments for you and all of the inns that we stayed in.
we had a wonderful hiking-week and your service for us was perfect! Every day we are talking about our travel in Cornwall and we will recommend your company to our friends.
Thanks for a great holiday. Very well organised, the pack was invaluable and everything ran very smoothly.
Thanks for facilitating our Cornwall hike - the service you provide at Western Discoveries was absolutely spot on for our needs. It provided us with the freedom to walk at our own pace without the worry planning routes, booking accommodation, or carrying heavy packs.
We have nothing but good things to say about our recent visit to Cornwall! We loved the scenery, the hiking, and the incredible variety of Inns along the way. And, of course, the Innkeepers -- welcoming and helpful without exception! Your staff made our holiday seamless -- never a problem with accommodations or baggage. And when we did experience a couple of bumps along the way (train delays, traffic jams, etc.) you made it work out smoothly.
We enjoyed the walk around the cost of Cornwall very much. You have organized everything very well. The B&Bs have been very nice, the people friendly and helpfull. Thank you very much for everything! If every we will be so happy to come back one day, we would choose Westen Dixcoveries for a second journey!
Thank you for organizing our trip to Cornwall. We were not disappointed by the incredibly beautiful scenery or the great service we received. I've hiked Ireland and Scotland with another company and Western Discoveries was just as good or better. We never had to worry about our bags and the accommodations we're variable but always good.
We very much enjoyed our holiday and the beautiful scenery of Cornwal. We also like to thank you for the perfect organization and your kindness. Everything was right! Thank you again and we will certainly choose again for Western Discoveries if we decide to do another hike holiday and of course we will recommend here in the Netherlands!
thank you for helping us out with our holiday. We found breath taking views, even more beautiful than anticipated. Great places to stay at, with Gurnard's Head as our absolute favourite. Using your services was a pleasant experience, you manage to be professional and personal - a wonderful combination.
Our hiking holidays were fantastic. Thank you for the super organisation of the B&Bs and the transport of the luggage. We were very happy with it all. The B&Bs were all very well chosen. They were all very nice and the people were very friendly.
We enjoyed our days in Cornwall. The hiking was fantastic; the boys really enjoyed it. The B&B's were all well chosen. Thanks and we will come back for sure.
We enjoyed every part of it, the relaxed atmosphere, beautiful scenery, wonderful beaches, all the friendly people and the lovely dogs we met on the way. Evenings at wonderful local pubs or restaurants, sitting down and enjoying scones with clotted cream (the jam first) in a spectacular environment, night at the Minack, the lovely weather and of course the hiking.
Uur Coast pad hiking tour was one of the best holidays we have ever had! Thank you very much indeed for your help. We were really impressed about your perfect organisation.
We really enjoyed our holiday and the landscape is amazing. Thanks for the great organization and setup of the journey and your reliability. We felt well taken-care of.
We Hade such a Great Time at Cornwall . All was Perfect . Thank you, and i think it wasn‘t the last once.
We had a great holiday, wonderful hiking , wonderful scenery, great weather. Everything worked very well, contact with you was easy, everything was done on time, there were no problems at all. It’s been years since I’ve stayed at a B and B, but we were both positively surprised at the standard of all the B and B s booked. Great breakfasts. Cornwall was beautiful. We would love to come back.
We enjoyed our hiking holidays very much. Thank you for the perfect oranisation! The weather was almost always sunny but sometimes a little hot. The maps and descriptions were very helpful. We enjoyed our stays in the different accomodations and liked espiacially the ones in Zennor, Treen and Lizard very much!
We would like to thank you for your excellent service during our stay in Cornwall. We really apprechiated your "flexibility" and look Forward to visit Cornwall again.
Experience the most varied and spectacular scenery in the county. From vaulted cliffs to pebble beaches, golden sand to open moorland and promenades – it’s all here.
Walk the wild and windswept paths of Cornwall's north coast. With stellar views and sandy bays, proud headlands and smuggler's coves, the inspirational views are as frequent as the hills.
When we get chance to head to the beach, there are a few we always make a beeline for. Here’s Western Discoveries’ selection of West Cornwall’s best beaches
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