England: Cornwall (Lands End Circuit) Ancient Trails, Great Tales, Dramatic Coastal Walking…And Seals!
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Telephone: +44 (0) 1722 322 652 Email: [email protected] England: Cornwall (Lands End Circuit) Ancient trails, great tales, dramatic coastal walking…and seals! https://www.onfootholidays.co.uk/routes/england-cornwall-lands-end-circuit/ Route Summary At a glance 6 nights (5 full days walking). We recommend extra nights in St Ives to explore the town more fully. Dog-friendly October to March only, or miss St Ives. How much walking? Full days: 10-22km, 3-7 hrs walking Using shortening options: No shortening options. Max. Grade: page 1/10 The ancient Greeks knew this part of Cornwall as Belerion, which translates as ‘Shining Land’, or a little less romantically as ‘Seat of Storms’, and it’s not hard to see why, on both counts. Of course, we like Shining Land best and although those ancient visitors were probably less-impressed by the clear blue skies, glistening azure seas and special artists’ light than by the tin mining industry that has shaped the landscape over the last millenia, there’s no doubting that this has always been a very special place indeed. Our route is, we think, a perfectly formed circuit, offering a taste of everything a walker could wish for. Starting with a micro-pilgrimage from St Ives across the rural peninsula to St Michael’s Mount, we then spend three days exploring some of the best of the South West Coastal Path. Pass through Marazion, Mousehole and Porthgwarra – all names made famous in fiction and art but as beautiful in reality as in the mind’s eye and then explore the picturesque remains of the mining industry. Wildlife lovers will be spoilt too – watch seals as they chase fish across the bay in Lamorna and spot now rare Cornish choughs with their red feet and bills, signifying King Arthur’s violent and bloody end. For your final walk back to St Ives, we loved the Tinner’s Way across Woon Gumpus common, with its mining heritage, stone circles, castles and quoits, leading directly to St Ives. If you prefer, you can stay on the coastal path all the way to St Ives, feeling supremely satisfied and with a smile etched from ear to ear. Route Highlights ● St Ives and its galleries ● The Tinner’s Way ● The St Michael’s Way – a micro pilgrimage to St Michael’s Mount ● Dramatic coastal walking around the Land’s End peninsula ● Plentiful wildlife, including seals and the Cornish chough ● Abundant folklore, ancient tales and more modern ones too ● Relics of the Cornish tin mining industry We Recommend Plan a long enough stay in St Ives to fully explore this pretty town and its galleries. Grading Full days: 10-22km, 3-7 hrs walking Using shortening options: No shortening options. page 2/10 Warm up with a relatively long but easy walk on the St Michael's Way. Then comes some challenging walking on the South West Coastal Path, where navigation is easy but the paths are rocky and there's considerable ascent and descent. For the walk into St Ives, there's a choice to stay on the coastal path or you can strike off inland onto the easier Tinners' Way. Mainly easy navigation using our notes, maps and GPS files. Coastal walking requires good boots and walking poles and some of the walking may worry the acrophobic. Medium-hard: Average cumulative uphill stretches (CUSs) 712m (530m-800m) per day. Medium: CUSs 684m (530m-800m) per day using shortening options where available (ending at Marazion on the first day and bussing into Penzance, and starting the following day at Mousehole after a short transfer). GPX file available for handheld GPS or smartphone. Important note: Times given for each day are walking times for an “average” walker and exclude stops. “CUSs” stands for “Cumulative Uphill Stretches” and measures the aggregated ascents in each day, expressed in metres of climb. See “Walk Grading” for more information. When to go The best months to walk: April, May, June, September, October Other possible months: March, July, early November Please note: date ranges shown are for a 'normal' year. While Covid-19 restrictions remain, please contact us to discuss your plans and availability. Itinerary Day 1 - Arrive in St Ives Arrive in St Ives, check in to your accommodation and then get your bearings around the pretty town and its coast. Perhaps visit a gallery if time allows and certainly eat well tonight. page 3/10 Day 2 - St Ives to Marazion and St Michael’ Mount: The St Michael’s Way The St Michael’s Way is part of a network of paths that lead to Santiago de Compostela, so today’s leg stretching walk is a mini pilgrimage in its own right. Follow in the footsteps of the pilgrims who arrived from Ireland and Wales and abandoned their ships to walk across the peninsula rather than navigate the treacherous waters around Land’s End, converting the locals as they went. Starting in pretty St Ives, wend your way across to impressive Carbis Bay before heading inland and up to Knill’s Monument with some fabulous views of St Ives Bay. Then comes Bowl Rock, said to have been created by a giant (they feature large in Cornish folklore and are much blamed for the rocky landscapes you will encounter), before a short climb up and over Trencom Hill, a Neolithic hillfort. Ludgvan is the next place of interest – the church was used as a meeting point for pilgrims and is worth a visit, before you descend through the bird-filled Marazion marshes and on to the village of Marazion itself, and St Michael’s Mount at the end of the causeway. (4¼hrs walking time (allow 5¾hrs), 14¼kms, CUSs 460m). Alternatives: No shortening options BUT you could extend the walk by c. 4½km by following the SWCP all the way into Penzance (we think the bus is best!). VISITING ST MICHAEL'S MOUNT: At low tide you can walk to St Michael’s Mount, and small ferry boats run when the causeway is impassable. A visit to the castle and the island (and ferry if needed) must be pre-booked at www.stmichaelsmount.co.uk. Closed on Saturday. National Trust property – free entrance to members. Day 3 - Penzance to Porthcurno A fabulous day of walking, with something for everyone. But it’s tough and long if done in its entirety so we recommend, actually, that you miss the first section of the walk by taking the bus into Mousehole (pronounced ‘Mau zel’) and starting from there, which is where the exciting coastal walking begins. Mousehole, so named after the small entrance to its harbour, is a pretty village and it’s easy to get distracted by its charms. But don’t linger for long as Lamorna is not without appeal – seals reside in the harbour and can be seen hunting for breakfast and lazily eating their spoils, whilst floating on their backs. From here, the path wends its undulating way along the coast with dramatic scenes around each headland: lighthouses, smugglers’ coves and even an iron age hillfort to explore. Today’s journey ends in pretty Porthcurno. Either stay in Porthcurno for the night, or take a transfer on to Sennen Cove. (6 hrs walking time from Mousehole (allow 7 hrs), 13kms, CUSs 650m.) Day 4 - Porthcurno to Sennen Cove Another lovely day of dramatic coastal walking beginning in pretty Porthcurno, probably best-known for its internationally renowned Minack Theatre, fascinating Telegraph Museum and stunning natural beauty. Plan to spend some time here (the Minack and the museum must be pre-booked) before striking out across the cliffs, with views around every corner, some as far-reaching as the Isles of Scilly. A paddle at Porthgwarra Beach is on the cards today before enjoying the lookout from Gwennap Head and then the long, relatively uninterrupted walk around Land’s End, iconic in its own right. Having posed for the ubiquitous selfies beside the signpost, leave the madding crowds behind and enjoy an easy walk down to Sennen Cove to find your accommodation, right on the coast path. (4 hrs walking time (allow 5 hrs), 11kms, CUSs 650m.) page 4/10 Day 5 - Sennen Cove to Pendeen Today’s walk begins by heading around the enormous golden expanse of Whitesand Bay, popular with surfers as they catch the Atlantic rollers. Pass mineshafts (be sure to stick to the marked path), pretty coves, fantastic headlands and ancient burial grounds on your way to Cape Cornwall, originally thought to be England’s most westerly point and certainly more charming than its successor. Having taken some time to climb to the Cape’s lookout station, the path now passes around the Kenidjack Valley and the remains of a mining industry long past. Chimneys and old mine buildings make their indelible mark on this industrial landscape, culminating for the day just beyond the Botallack mines. Head inland to peaceful Pendeen, for your accommodation tonight, and a much-deserved, home-cooked dinner. (6 hrs walking time (allow 7 hrs), 14 kms, CUSs 800m.) Day 6 - Pendeen to St Ives A day of choices. For those who want to see a little more of the interior of West Penwith, follow the ancient Tinner’s Way all the way to St Ives, passing by stone circles, quoits and menhirs along the way. Woon Gumpus Common, Men-An-Tol, Ding Dong Mine and the Nine Maidens are like sirens, luring the unwary walker along the trail. The Tinner’s Way probably dates back as far as the Bronze Age and the introduction of metal working, and offers a sense of isolation that’s missed on the busier coastal path.