Explore with Amie

Today I am sharing with you a walk which is, quite possibly, my favourite walk that I have done to date. It has had some steep rivals recently in the Lake District; I will say that. However, this walk will always hold a special place in my heart. Last summer, when I was graduating from the University of Exeter, we decided to do a camping trip across the South West Coast Path, starting at Penzance and heading onto Land’s End. You could probably complete this with just one night camping but, given that we had to travel from Exeter and, somehow, we never manage to get an early start, two nights it was for us. There is also the option to complete this with no camping as you would undoubtedly be able to travel faster without a huge rucksack with camping gear. I would only recommend that option for the seasoned walker though as it is a long one.

The first day was a relatively short walk of around 11km. We chose to stay at Boleigh Farm and Caravan Site. This was a lovely and quiet campsite on this occasion. It wasn’t very big at all but, I prefer campsites that way. There was a small toilet and shower block with running water and it was fairly good value for the location. You don’t have a pub or any other amenities nearby so you have to be prepared with your food but, I would say it was worth it. Nearby the campsite, there is also a stone circle which we wandered to after dinner as well as an old burial chamber. If you want to camp further down the walk that would be understandable and there are plenty of options along the way. This was a good location for us as we didn’t leave Penzance until around 5pm.

From here we walked down the road until we found a pathway that joined back to the South West Coast path. We went in the summer season and there was a bull in one of the fields so the footpath had been closed. There was another option slightly further down so, this wasn’t too much of an inconvenience. I’m not sure if this would the case all-year-around but it is something to be aware of. We rejoined the coastal path here and were rewarded with some of the most incredible views of the sea that I have ever had in my life. The blue of the water and the it’s clearness is something that rivalled Australian beaches. It was phenomenal.

I will admit that we were very lucky with the weather on this walk. A little too lucky in fact. It was some of the hottest days of summer that we had so far and that made walking with our camping rucksacks more difficult. The thing about coast paths is that they’re constantly up and down as you work your way around the coves and this was fairly gruelling in the heat. We also had to keep stopping so that I could apply suncream which was inconvenient but very necessary so that I didn’t get sunburnt. This is also why we had a second day camping as the heat made our progress slightly slower than it would have been otherwise. Like I said earlier, it is completely doable with one day camping.

Our second camp spot was in Porthgawara. We were hoping to be able to go swimming to cool down in the evening but the beach here was not suitable for that which was a shame. We regretted not setting up camp a little earlier to have that extra luxury. This was also a wild camping night and we tried to stay out of the way as much as possible. It was an unavoidable situation here but, we didn’t leave anything behind which is always the main consideration whilst wild camping.

The walk is pretty self-explanatory as you just follow the South West Coast path and eventually reach Land’s End. I treated myself to a keychain to remember the day at the Land’s End gift shop. For a more detailed look at the route we took, check out the link HERE. Or you can follow the step by step below.

Start Point: Penzance Harbour Long Stay Car Park

1. Exit the carpark and head into the town centre to Market Jew Street. If you are camping, pick up food and any other essentials (e.g. a map) from here.
2. Turn left down The Greenmarket and take the next right past the Co-Op supermarket (Parade Street).
3. Head left down St Mary’s Terrace until it meets Morrab Gardens. Follow the path through the gardens and out onto the opposite side: Morab Road.
4. Follow the road down to the seafront and turn right to follow the coastline.
5. Continue straight for around 2km, passing Newlyn Pier. Shortly after passing the Lifeboat Station, as you approach a memorial, turn right to follow Trewarveneth St.
6. Follow the road around to the left and continue straight along Gwavans Rd as this heads upwards and becomes a lane. You should eventually reach a footpath on the left.
7. Continue along the footpath. When you reach a fork with four options, take the third option from the left towards Paul. You will go over a stile and soon meet Fore Street.
8. Follow this road to the left before taking the lane on the right across from the church. This should pass next to a pub and become a footpath.
9. This path will lead you to Trevithal. When you reach the village, complete a small dog leg, turning left and then right following the lane. The buildings should be on your right hand side. If they are on your left, then you turned right too early. This lane soon becomes a footpath.
10. Continue straight, following this footpath. Go straight at the crossroads and then following it to the right to Raginnis Hill. When you reach the road, turn left and then follow the footpath sign passing Perth Enys House.
11. Follow this lane until is becomes a footpath. Continue along the coast.
12. If you want to camp at Boleigh, when you read the first cove (Lamorna) head off the path and up the road to the right. At the junction, turn left and follow this road to the campsite.
13. To return the coast path, exit the campsite and turn right, following the main road for approx. 2km. A footpath follows the river to St Loy and back to the Coast Path.
14. Follow the South West Coast Path to Land’s End. This should be clearly signposted. Look out for the Minnack Theatre at Porthcurno.
15. If you would like to see the ship wreck, continue past Land’s End towards Sennen. The shipwreck is easily spotted about 20minutes from Land’s End.

End Point: Land’s End

This is a fairly easy to follow route as you can make it a bit simpler for yourselves or follow the route we took, using Boleigh as a camping spot. Like I said, this was more to do with our late departure from Penzance but, I have no regrets with this fabulous walk. The photographs are really the crowning glory and I could include so many more.

Walking down a coast path is not easy, especially with a rucksack. However, if you make yourself flexible and stretch the walk across a few days, it certainly becomes more manageable. The moderate rating is given for that reason. I would definitely bump it up to hard if you’re planning this in one day.

Have you walked any of the South West Coast Path?

Amie x