Walk West Cornwall

Arrive in Penzance - Cornwall's most-westerly major town and a historic port on the south-facing shores of Mount's Bay. We split the group in two small but comfortable guesthouses located just across from each other in a quiet street some 10 minutes' walk from the centre. Please make your way to the joining point at the Pendennis Guesthouse, and you will either be checked in there or shown to the nearby Keigwin House Guesthouse. Penzance has good train connections and there is a long stay car park by the harbour if you cannot find a free on-road space near the accommodation. If arriving earlier in the day we can recommend a dip in the Art Deco seawater lido and geothermally heated pool - the Jubilee Pool.
Meeting at 3pm, we plan a short return walk along the sea front to Newlyn, a bustling harbour town and the largest fishing port in England that has been absorbed into Penzance over time. When the GW Railway was extended here in 1877 a number of artists settled and formed the post-Impressionist movement, the Newlyn School. For those that cannot make the 3pm walk, we plan to meet for an introductory briefing at 6pm followed by a chance to get to know your fellow travellers over dinner.

Today's easy-graded walk will take approximately 2 hours and will cover a distance of 6 kilometres with a total ascent and descent of 50 metres.

We start the day by walking around Mount's Bay to Marazion and cross the causeway - tide permitting - to the mysterious 14th Century castle on St Michael's Mount, perched atop a great granite crag. Steeped in legend and folklore, the island has panoramic views across to Land's End and to Lizard Point, the most southerly point in Britain. We plan to have lunch at the National Trust cafe before returning across the causeway. Back on the mainland, we continue east on the coastal path, along low sandstone cliffs towards Perranuthnoe, passing secluded coves at Cudden Point and Prussia Cove to finally reach the end of today's walk on the wonderful beach at Praa sands. You may like to have a quick swim here before we catch the local bus back to Penzance.

Today's moderate-graded walk will take approximately 6 to 7 hours and will cover a distance of 17 kilometres with a total ascent and descent of 300 metres.

We walk out of the door of the hotel and straight to Penzance station where we catch the train north to St Erth to begin our walk. It is one of the most beautiful walks in the country - past Carbis Bay, whose beach and turquoise waters would not be out of place in the Caribbean, with the prize of St Ives at the end! Best known for its spectacular light and as a haven for painters for the last few hundred years and now home to the Tate Art Gallery, St Ives is truly magnificent. We plan to have lunch at one of the wonderful seafood cafes (if you have one of the local Cornish Pasties, watch out for the St Ives seagulls who are infamous for dive bombing and taking them right out of your hands!). The walk continues in and around St Ives followed by free time to explore and you may choose to visit the Tate St Ives or Barbara Hepworth's Sculpture Garden. At the end of the day we catch the train back to Penzance - another stunning journey along the coast that we walked this morning before tracking inland and south.

Today's moderate-graded walk will take approximately 5 hours and will cover a distance of 13 kilometres with a total ascent and descent of 250 metres.

On the final two days, we are walking in the Land's End Peninsula, or West Penrith AONB. Sparsely populated and ringed by high cliffs, beaches and coves, it is at the south-west extremity of England, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.
Today's stunning walk is along trickier terrain but very rewarding. We start by catching the bus a short distance west to one of Cornwall's most beguiling small ports - the beautifully named Mousehole (pronounced 'mowzel'). Named after a small cave of that name, it is renowned for its tiny harbour and narrow granite streets. After time to explore we start hiking to Lamorna Cove with a steep ascent out of Mousehole. On the path either side of Lamorna Cove there are stretches of 50 to 100m with drops to one side that cannot be avoided and we are walking a couple of feet from the edge, your tour leader will be able to assist if nervous. After more ups and downs we reach the boulder-strewn beach at St Loy. Continuing past the unspoilt Penberth Cove, we ascend to Treryn Dinas and the Logan Rock, before finally descending onto the amazing looking Pedn Vounder and Porthcurno beach. These white sand beaches and turquoise waters marked the British end of the Victorian-era, submarine telegraphy cables that came all the way from India. You may choose to hike the short distance up to the Minack Theatre for a visit to this truly remarkable location. After some free time to enjoy the surroundings, and even a dip in the sea, we take the local bus back from Porthcurno to Penzance for a lovely relaxing evening in the town.

Today's moderate-graded walk will take approximately 4 to 5 hours and will cover a distance of 12 kilometres with a total ascent and descent of 300 metres. Some repeated scrambling over rocks is involved today and there is some exposure to drops on the path in and out of Lamorna Cove for around 50 to 100m.

After breakfast we catch a local bus to Land's End, the most westerly part of the UK. Leaving the tourist trap behind we start hiking and soon get back to the peace and quiet of nature, with spectacular views from the granite cliffs along the coast and over the wild Atlantic. We plan to stop at the pleasant seaside village at Sennen Cove for coffee. Our scenic route continues along the coast, passing beaches and coves, with the inevitable ups and downs. There is a stretch of path for about 50m today with drops to one side that cannot be avoided and we are walking a couple of feet from the edge, your tour leader will be able to assist if nervous. Many birds inhabit these cliffs and offshore rocks such as rock pipits, herring gulls, shags, choughs and peregrine falcons, and it is worth keeping an eye out for seals. After more spectacular views we reach Cape Cornwall, the only cape in England. It is rare that the sea is calm here as it marks the spot where the Atlantic currents divide. We then continue keeping an eye out for ancient tin mines to Geevor, a victorian era tine mine that is still in use, where our walk ends and we catch the bus back to Penzance. After this fitting end to our magical week on the Cornish coast, we can celebrate with a last dinner together.

Today's moderate-graded walk will take approximately 5 to 6 hours and will cover a distance of 16 kilometres with a total ascent and descent of 310 metres. There is some exposure to drops on on the path for a stretch of around 50 metres. Today's walk may be walked in reverse.

The trip ends after breakfast.