This section of the South West Coast Path is full of treasures to delight any adventurer. You’ll have the chance to spot a wide variety of flora and fauna, including seals. The geology here is some of the most interesting in the South West - yes, staring at the rocks will reward you greatly - from multicolour clifftops to secrets hidden in caves. There is evidence here of human activity from thousand of years ago, in the form of settlements and mines: you will walk the ground once trod by St Piran, the patron saint of Cornwall. Established more recently are the variety of restaurants and bars that will provide gourmet refreshment, ideal for beginning, breaking or ending your adventure. And of course, this is all set against a backdrop of the Atlantic ocean, lapping at your feet or crashing way below you. This is Cornwall at it’s finest: as usual, allow extra time to stop and soak in all the exquisite details.
I visited this stretch of the coast path on a linear walk, rather than a circular. I parked at one end, walked to the other end, and then got a lift back to my car at the start. The details below reflect the route I took, but in case you’re not able to arrange something similar, or fancy plotting a different route, I’ll individually reference each of the places I visited along the way. You could spend an entire day at each spot!
BEFORE YOU GO
Time: 6 hours
Terrain: Over this 20km stretch, you’ll encounter tarmac, rock, grass and sand. The path skirts close to the cliff tops in places, but nothing drastic. Some steep climbs. Lots of chances to get in the water if you like.
Rest points: Refreshments at Holywell, lots of places at Perranporth and at St Agnes. You can either stock up your supplies or stop for food and drink at any of these places.
How to get there: car parking at Poly Joke car park. You can also get the 87 bus to Crantock.
Directions: You can see my linear route saved on OS Maps here.
CRANTOCK, POLY JOKE and KELSEY HEAD
The village of Crantock is not quite as famous as close-by Newquay - which means less bustle and more space. If you’re visiting the area and want to get out of the densely packed crowds at Newquay’s Fistral Beach, make your way down to Crantock beach for a more peaceful alternative. There are a few very nice looking spots for lunch here too, at each of the multiple car parks available here. I started by walking along the cliffs above Crantock beach, around the West Pentire Peninsula which is noted for its wildflowers, and down to Poly Joke beach.
Poly Joke beach is smaller and even more peaceful than nearby Crantock. If you’re looking for a beach to quietly appreciate a day of Cornish summer sunshine, then here is a fine candidate. There are rock pools and mini caves to explore too. If you’re just stopping here for the day, make sure you head west up the cliffs and look at the coves below, where there is a great chance of spotting seals. I watched a mother seal with its baby for about 15 minutes here, swimming in the clear water and then sunning on a rock.
Continue west to the tip of this peninsula (Kelsey Head) and you will see a large rocky ‘island’. Known as ‘The Chick’, it often plays home and sanctuary to a large number of seals. I sat on the edge of Kelsey Head and had a snack as I watched the seals - I counted nearly 50! There was lots of noise (what noise does a seal make? Barking?) and I don’t know what they were talking about, but they all seemed quite content, sunning on the rocks.
You might also spot some fulmars: grey and white birds that look like gulls but are actually related to albatrosses. Their ingenious Pokemon move is, when threatened, to spit a foul-smelling oily mixture, which has the same effect on predators as being caught in an oil slick. Appreciate them from afar as you continue round the peninsula and are greeted by the sight of Holywell beach.
BONUS - Kelsey Head is home to the remains of an Iron Age hill fort. As you walk around, look out for signs of an earthen bank and ditches. Flints and potsherds have been found here, but the site is yet to be fully excavated.
HOLYWELL BEACH
A great beach for surfers and sun-loungers alike. At high tide, you can retreat to the towering sand dunes at the rear of the beach, but it’s at low tide that the beach’s namesake treasure is revealed. At the north end of the beach, you can find Holywell cave. Unassuming from the outside, but torchlight inside will reveal a shimmering multicoloured grotto, with calcium carbonate basins fed from a freshwater spring.
Old-time historians have been documenting the splendour of this magical place for some time:
“The same stands in a dark cavern of the sea- cliff’ rocks, beneath full sea-mark on spring-tides ; from the top of which cavern foils down or distils continually drops of water, from the white, blue, red, and green veins of those rocks. And accordingly, in the place where those drops of water fall, it swells to a lump of considerable bigness, and there petrifies to the hardness of ice, glass, or freestone, of the several colours aforesaid, according to the nature of those veins in the rock from whence it proceeds, and is of a hard brittle nature, apt to break like glass.”
- William Hals, History of Cornwall, 1685-1736
“This well has Nature only for its architect, no mark of man’s hand being seen in its construction ; a pink enamelled basin, filled by drippings from the stalactitic roof, forms a picture of which it is difficult to describe the loveliness. What wonder, then, that the simple folk around should endow it with mystic virtues?”
- Thomas Quiller-Couch, Holy Wells of Cornwall, 1894
“The virtues of the waters are, if taken inward, a notable vomit, or as a purgent. If applied outward, it presently strikes in, or dries up, all itch, scurf, dandriff, and such-like distempers in men or women. Numbers of persons in summer season frequent this place and waters from countries far distant. It is a petrifying well.”
- Richard Polwhele, History of Cornwall, 1803
So in summary: a wonderful spot to visit, don’t drink the water but maybe rub it on yourself (thanks Richard)
If you do get to visit, make sure not to get trapped by the tide, and take care not to slip on the slime-green steps - you’ll see what I mean.
Once you’ve had your fill at Holywell beach, continue west. You’ll have to go inland slightly in the direction of Holywell beach (snack opportunities available) before climbing back up the headland and around Penhale point. Here lies the remains of another Iron Age hill fort, with evidence of earthen banks: although I was more drawn to some of the more modern X-Men looking structures atop the site. Continue past the camp here, above Hoblyn’s Cove and around to Ligger Point. Eventually you will be greeted by the great stretch of Ligger Bay, which runs a fair distance to meet up with Perranporth beach, which you will also see ahead of you.
PERRANPORTH AND PERRAN SANDS
This stretch of bay is a tale of two tides. When the tide is out, a continuous four kilometre stretch of sand is exposed. When the tide is in, the remaining beach of Perran Sands and Ligger Bay is cut off from Perranporth beach. If this is the case, fear not: your travel across the bay will take you into the massive expanse of sand dunes nearby, in which it is quite easy to lose your bearing! You can walk across the top of the dunes above the beach if you’re travelling north to south, or if you fancy a detour, an exploration of the dunes may reward you with a few treasures.
BONUS - hidden among these sand dunes lie two monuments to St Piran, the patron saint of Cornwall who landed at Perranporth (or Piran’s Harbour in Cornish) to bring fortune to the county. With some assistance from Google Maps and a willingness to get sand in your shoes, you will find St Piran’s Cross, which stands eight feet high, and is the oldest stone cross in Cornwall. Nearby lies St Piran’s Oratory, one of the oldest Christian sites in Britain, dated at about 1500 years old. It’s fenced off now to protect against sand damage, but you can still get a good view of the structure. Two unique and slightly spooky places that sum up Cornwall very nicely.
On my adventure, the tide was way out, and so I chose to walk along the beach. Walking along this sandy expanse, meandering in and out with the lapping waves, was a real pleasure. The vast space begins to give way to other people, and as you approach Perranporth, you can add people-watching to your appreciation of the scene: there are plenty of surfers but also plenty of dogs here too! You will notice on your left the Watering Hole, a fine establishment that serves food, drinks, sandcastle equipment, and live music: it has hosted acts such as Tom Jones. I saw Mungo’s Hi-Fi and Cat Empire there in 2019 (not at the same time!) so there is usually something for everyone there. In my case, it marked the halfway point of my walk, and the end of a long power walk across the sand, so a stop for lunch and a beer was much appreciated.
There are facilities aplenty in Perranporth should you need to stop for anything. This includes a Wetherspoons, but wouldn’t you rather give your beer money to a pub that actually needs it?
BONUS - the big rock on Perranporth Beach (with the St Piran’s flag of Cornwall on it) is called Chapel Rock. If the tide is out, venture round to the sea-facing side of this rock to find a well hidden tidal pool: a natural lido of sorts. Replenished by the sea twice a day, the water here can reach almost Mediterranean temperatures in the summer - a nice alternative to the colder water of the sea itself.
PERRANPORTH TO ST AGNES
Once you’ve finished up your business in Perranporth, rejoin the coast path and pick up where you left off. As you leave the tarmac of Perranporth behind, take a look back at Droskyn Cove, where smuggling was rife in the late 18th and 19th centuries.The caverns under the cliffs here were used to land contraband out of sight of customs officers.
You will soon notice that the terrain looks different to the cliff path you have seen before - the lush green grass begins to give way to rock and stone - evidence of the extensive mining activity that has taken place here for centuries, possibly up to 2,000 years ago. In this drier clifftop environment, you will notice a spectacular array of colours: reds, yellows, purples and even blues, that set themselves in front of you against a backdrop of blue ocean and crashing waves in the coves below. These are almost certainly the most colourful cliffs in Cornwall. The rare but majestic arrangement of pigments really is a feast for the eyes, and is very welcome as you continue along the path.
BONUS - look out for evidence of mining activity from the olden days, in the form of shafts and tunnels dotted around the area. You will pass one such tunnel, set off the path and into the cliff, that seemed to go on for quite a while. I had to explore and check it out, but I made it about 5 metres before the cold, damp and heeby-jeebies got the better of me.
Soon enough you will arrive at Cligga Head, and see before you the remains of a mine built in 1938, shortly before WWII, to mine minerals for the war effort. These included black tin, and wolframite, from which tungsten was extracted. Tungsten was used to make armour plating and armour piercing bullets, and was a valuable commodity. You can walk all around the remains of this mine: the thick walls show where storage rooms would have had to protect against accidental explosions.
You’ll also notice several conical mesh caps covering the ground. These are known as ‘Clwyd Caps’ (named after their inventor) or ‘bat castles’ (which sounds much cooler). Designed to prevent intrepid adventures from falling down the deep mining shafts, these caps allow access to the colonies of bats that live within them, including the rare greater horseshoe bat. Still feel like investigating those tunnels now?
With the Cligga Head ruins thoroughly explored, continue onwards. You’ll notice that the cliffscape just keeps getting better: rare geological formations mean huge pillars of rock stand alone amongst the still-dazzling cliffs, forming a scene reminiscent of the film Avatar (you’ll see what I mean). You’ll pass above Hanover Cove, so named for the wreck of the Hanover, a ship driven ashore in 1763 with £60,000 worth of gold bullion aboard. The remains of the ship can still be seen at low tide: good luck spotting any gold though. Instead, re-focus your attention on the vibrant treasure of the colourful rocks all around you, which gave rise to this local legend:
“There was once a giant called Bolster, who fell in love with a young lady by the name of Agnes. She demanded that he fill a small hole at the edge of the cliff with his blood to prove his love. It seemed a small hole and he readily agreed. However, it was a sea cave and his blood drained out to sea until he was so weak that he fell to his death.”
No wonder they named the town after her. Clearly not one to be messed around with!
BONUS - you will soon see Perranporth Airfield nearby, another relic of WWII. Near here are the remains of various defensive fortifications, hidden with ivy and bracken but still very much explorable. These were primarily established to defend the Airfield from aerial attack, but I imagined them also as a fortification against the sea invasion that never came.
Soon you will come to Trevellas Cove, marked with a grey stone beach, a car park, and a valley with the remains of mining structures. You can make your way down to the beach here: a great spot for repose and contemplation, and also ideal for launching paddleboards to explore the cove and cliffs nearby. Just around the corner is Trevaunance Cove and the tip of St Agnes. If the tide is out, you can scramble around the rocks here to reach the cove - but if not, then rejoin the path with a steep climb up the cliff, and you will soon arrive at St Agnes.
There are plenty of places to reward yourself with a well earned drink and bite to eat here. I recommend the Driftwood Spars: right down by Trevaunance Cove, they brew their own beer and do a good bit of pub grub too. There are a few other lovely establishments to choose from around here too, some a short walk further up into St Agnes. Or you can try grabbing your own refreshments and sitting in the cove as you toast the end of another wonderful adventure - just look out for the wandering sellers of fresh mackerel!
My favourite bit: appreciating all the gorgeous colours in the rocks I saw along the way.
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