Guided Walking at St Ives

Easier Walks       Medium Walks       Harder Walks

Easier Walks have some short, steep ascents on the coastal path. Medium Walks follow the undulating, sometimes rocky coastal path. Harder Walks have some steeper and rougher sections on the coastal path.

• Our experienced guides offer the choice of up to three different walks each day
• Choose the option which best suits your interests and fitness; take an Easier Walk one day and switch to a Harder Walk the next
• We offer a social activity each evening

2012 - Itinerary One

7 night holidays
Days 1-7: Sat 24 March; Sat 12, 26 May; Sat 23 June; Sat 7 July; Sat 18 Aug; Sat 1, 15 Sept;
Sat 13 Oct; Sat 27 Oct – for Solos

6 night holidays
Days 1-5 & 7: Sat 31 March; Sat 3 Nov

4 night holidays
Days 1-4: Sat 24 March; Sat 26 May; Sat 18 Aug; Sat 13 Oct; Sat 27 Oct – for Solos

3 night holidays
Days 1-3: Sat 31 March; Sat 3, Fri 9 Nov
Days 4 & 7: Tues 3 April; Tues 6 Nov
Days 5-7: Wed 28 March; Wed 30 May; Wed 13 June; Wed 22 Aug; Wed 3, 17 Oct;
Wed 31 Oct – for Solos

See below for Itinerary Two

Day 1: Arrival day

Meet your leaders who will tell you more about the walks.

Day 2: Fields and coasts around St Ives

Easier Walk: A circular walk taking us from St Ives to Knill’s Monument and the promontory of Carrick Gladden, before following the South West Coast Path to Carbis Bay back into St Ives. 5½ miles with 850 feet of ascent.

Medium Walk: From St Ives we head up Knill’s Monument, then join the coast near Lelant church and follow the South West Coast Path back to St Ives. 7½ miles with 1,000 feet of ascent.

Harder Walk: Taking a loop over Trencrom Hill - with its Iron Age hill fort - and Lelant Downs, we take another circular walk from St Ives, returning via the coastal path. 10 miles with 1,300 feet of ascent.

Day 3: Heritage sites of the northwest coast

Easier Walk: First we view the spectacular Crowns Mine engine houses at Botallack. We then walk from the mining village of St Just to go inland across the Cot Valley fields and lanes, before joining the coast path to the fishing village of Sennen Cove and then to Land’s End. 5½ miles with 525 feet of ascent.

Medium Walk: From Botallack we follow the South West Coast Path, viewing scenes of the tin mining en route to Cape Cornwall and Ballowall Barrow, a Bronze Age burial chamber, before heading to Land’s End. 8 miles with 1,150 feet of ascent.

Harder Walk: Walking from Geevor Mine we also follow the South West Coast Path all the way to Land’s End. 10 miles with 1,400 feet of ascent.

Day 4: Mining, shipwrecks and smuggling in Mount’s Bay

Easier Walk: Starting at the sandy beach of Praa Sands we take the undulating coast path to Kenneggy and Prussia Cove, with stunning views of St Michael’s Mount. We finish at the ancient and attractive town of Marazion, with perhaps time to walk the causeway to the Mount, tide permitting. 6¼ miles with 775 feet of ascent.

Medium Walk: From the mine buildings of Wheal Prosper at Rinsey Head we join the coast path to the mile-long beach of Praa Sands and then on to Marazion. 8½ miles with 900 feet of ascent.

Harder Walk: From the fishing harbour of Porthleven we follow outstanding coastline to Trewavas Head - with the dramatic views of old mine buildings - before walking our way to Marazion via Praa Sands and the attractive village of Perranuthnoe. 11 miles with 1,575 feet of ascent.

Day 5:

For 3 night holidays arriving today, this is your chance to meet your leaders.

If you have booked a 7 night holiday today is a free day with no guided walks organised. This is a great opportunity to explore Cornwall independently - see the Local Area tab for places that you may enjoy visiting.

Day 6: Bronze Age Stone circles to Mousehole

Easier Walk: After visiting the Bronze Age stone circle known as Merry Maidens we walk across fields to the granite harbour of Lamorna Cove, and on to the picturesque fishing port of Mousehole. 5¾ miles with 400 feet of ascent.

Medium Walk: After a stop at the Merry Maidens stone circle we start our walk at the hamlet of Treen, heading for the coast and the Iron Age castle of Treyn Dinas with the well known Logan Rock in view. Then on to Penberth Cove en route to Lamorna and Mousehole. 9 miles with 1,250 feet of ascent.

Harder Walk: Starting at Polgigga the walk tracks to the coast at St Levan, passing Rowena Cade’s famous open air Minack Theatre, before dropping to Porthcurno and Treyn Dinas to follow the route to Mousehole via Lamorna. 11¼ miles with 1,900 feet of ascent.

Day 7: The extreme south of England - around the Lizard

Easier Walk: Walking from Lizard Green we take the cliff path high above Polpeor Cove to Kynance Cove with its serpentine rock formations. We return to Lizard Green along a “Cornish hedge” footpath. 5½ miles with 425 feet of ascent.

Medium Walk: From Mullion we follow the coast path to the harbour of Mullion Cove and along the cliffs to Kynance. We continue on to Lizard Green via the “Cornish hedge” footpath or around Lizard Head itself. 8 or 9½ miles with 875 or 1,250 feet of ascent.

Harder Walk: Today we take a circular walk from Lizard Green - tracking along the coast past to the quaint fishing village of Cadgwith, the Devil’s Frying Pan, the lifeboat station Kilcobben Cove, and on to Bass Point, Lizard Head and Kynance. 11¼ miles with 1,200 feet of ascent.

2012 - Itinerary Two

7 night holidays
Days 1-7: Sat 17 March; Fri 6 April; Sat 5, 19 May; Sat 2, 30 June; Sat 14 July; Sat 11 Aug;
Sat 8, 22 Sept; Sat 6, 20 Oct

4 night holidays
Days 1-4: Sat 17 March; Fri 6 April; Sat 2, 30 June; Sat 14 July; Sat 8 Sept; Sat 6, 20 Oct

3 night holidays
Days 5-7: Wed 21 March; Tues 10 April; Wed 9 May; Wed 6 June; Wed 4, 18 July; Wed 12 Sept; Wed 10, 24 Oct

Day 1: Arrival day

Meet your leaders who will tell you more about the walks.

Day 2: Farmland and the coast of west Cornwall 

Easier Walk: From St Ives we walk to Clodgy Point, turning inland at Pen Enys Point and returning along the 18^th century packhorse route, Tinners’ Way. 6½ miles with 725 feet of ascent.

Medium Walk: Crossing prehistoric fields from St Ives we pass the farming and mining hamlets of Trevega, Boscubben and Treveal; then on to Mussel Point and River Cove where we may see seals before returning to St Ives on the coast path. 8¾ miles with 1,175 feet of ascent.

Harder Walk: Following the Tinners’ Way from St Ives we head for the picturesque village of Zennor before returning along the coast to St Ives. 11¼ miles with 1,450 feet of ascent.

Day 3: Coast and cliffs of the Land’s End peninsula

Easier Walk: From Polgigga we walk across tracks and field paths to Mill Bay and Sennen Cove before following the coast path to Land’s End. 5½ miles with 650 feet of ascent.

Medium Walk: Starting at St Loy we follow the coast path via the National Trust’s Penberth Cove, the Iron Age remains of Treryn Dinas Castle, Porthcurno and the open air Minack Theatre to finish at Land’s End. 8½ miles with 1,300 feet of ascent.

Harder Walk: Walking from Lamorna we follow the coast path to Land’s End, taking in many of the same sights as the Medium Walk including Gwennap Head and Mill Bay. 11¼ miles with 2,400 feet of ascent.

Day 4: The coast and coves of Mounts Bay

Easier Walk: From Poldhu Cove we follow the South West Coast Path past Church Cove with its tiny church surrounded by sand; then over Halzephron Cliffs and through Gunwalloe Cove to Loe Bar to finish at the harbour town of Porthleven. 5¼ miles with up to 625 feet of ascent.

Medium Walk: Walking from Mullion we pass the Marconi Monument on our way to Poldhu Cove. From Loe Bar we head inland around Loe Pool to the market town of Helston. 8¼ miles with 625 feet of ascent.

Harder Walk: From Mullion Cove with its beautiful harbour we head south to Predannack before turning north on a beautiful section of the coast path to Poldhu Cove and Porthleven. 10¾ miles with 1,350 feet of ascent.

Day 5:

For 3 night holidays arriving today, this is your chance to meet your leaders.

If you have booked a 7 night holiday today is a free day with no guided walks organised. This is a great opportunity to explore Cornwall independently - see the Local Area tab for places that you may enjoy visiting.

Day 6: The Helford estuary

Easier Walk: From Mawnan Smith we follow a route to the coast at Bream Cove and to Durgan before walking on to the sub-tropical gardens at Trebah on the northern side of the Helford River. 4½ miles with 550 feet of ascent.

Medium Walk: Starting on the outskirts of Falmouth we head for Maenporth Beach, Rosemullion Head and Toll Point en route to the fishing village of Durgan and Trebah Gardens. 8½ miles with 1,050 feet of ascent.

Harder Walk: We start in Falmouth - seeing the harbour and still active docks - before heading to Pendennis Head, Swanpool and Maenporth. We then follow a similar route to the other groups, just heading slightly further into the Helford Estuary and passing Polgwidden Cove before reaching Trebah. 12 miles with 1,275 feet of ascent.

Day 7: The beaches and cliffs of north Cornwall

Easier Walk: From Porthtowan we pass the famous old Wheal Coates mine with its impressive Towanroath engine house on the coast path, before we head inland from St Agnes Head to follow a footpath over St Agnes Beacon and into the village. 5½ miles with 750 feet of ascent.

Medium Walk: Starting in Porthtowan we pass the unspoilt National Trust Cove of Chapel Porth and the Wheal Coates mine. We then take a path high above the sea to St Agnes Head, dropping into Trevaunance Cove and over Cligga Head to Perranporth. 8½ miles with 1,075 feet of ascent.

Harder Walk: First walking along the South West Coast Path from Portreath to Porthtowan, we then follow a similar route to the medium walk into Perranporth. 12 miles with 1,650 feet of ascent.

Local transport

On some days the walks start and finish at our Country House, Chy Morvah. On other days you’ll be transported to other parts of Cornwall. The cost of all transport to and from the walks is included in the price of your holiday.

Our guests

The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly. There is normally a good mix of ages, of new guests and 'regulars' from Britain and overseas, and of people travelling alone, with a partner or with friends.

In the evenings

Your leaders will inform you about the choice of walks for the next day and answer any questions you may have. After a sociable evening meal you could join in an organised activity such as a quiz or a talk about the local area, relax in the bar or use the Country House facilities.