Cornish Coast path - Newquay Cornwall to St Agnes, Cornwall

Newquay to  St Agnes - 11 miles of moderate walking

Corisande is right on the coast path	Cranny on Crantock Beach	The Old Albion at Crantock

miles 68 - 70

Leaving Corisande Manor, you can cross the Gannel a number of ways. At high tide in season, a ferry runs from the Fern Pit Cafe to Crantock Beach. Out of season no ferry, and you wait for the tide to recede. When the tide is out you can cross by a tidal bridge (i.e. it is submerged at high tide) at the Fern Pit, or 400 yards upstream. The tide only covers the bridges for about 4 hours in every 12. If you do not mind wet feet you can wade across at low tide, the Gannel is only about 2 feet deep in many places.

On the south side of the Gannel you follow the wide sandy beach at Crantock. The village is tucked away behind the sand dunes, and is worth a detour.

At the far end of Crantock Beach the path climbs up to low cliffs and out onto Pentire Point West, before descending to Porth Joke, a comparatively unspoilt cove (because the car park is a mile away from the beach) owned by the National trust

End of Crantock Beach	Porth Joke, National Trust land	leaving Porth Joke and on south

miles 70 - 72

The point just south of Porth Joke, Kelsey Head, has yet another Iron Age fort with a single rampart.

At the start of the next long sandy beach, Holywell Bay, there is the original "holy well" - the spring is in a  cave, and was believed to have medicinal properties.

The village of Hollywell is small, but does have two pubs, including the 600 year old Treguth Inn a few hundred yards up the hill

A fine day on the cliffs	south from Porth Joke	Holywell Bay in the distance

miles 72 - 74

South of Holywell is dominated by Penhale Army camp, not a particularly pretty sight, but it is seasonal too.. The path is well marked here to keep you off army land! The path climbs to 200 feet and gives wonderful views over Gull Rocks and Perran Bay.

You carry on with the camp huts to your left and Hoblyn's Cove and a number of abandoned mine shafts to your right, round Ligger Point, to drop gently down to the long sands of Perran Bay

Sandhills round Holywell Bay	Holywell Bay	Winter storms have unearth a wreck

miles 74 - 76

About half a mile along the beach, there is a track leading to a half mile detour to St Piran's Oratory. This is believed to be where St Piran, an Irish Missionary, and now patron saint of Cornwall, had his monastic cell. The 8th century chapel has been re-buried in the sand to protect it from vandalism. And a few hundred yards from the Oratory, is St Pirans Church

Back on the coast path, it runs along the bottom of the sandhills at the edge of the beach, past a holiday camp and golf course, to Perranporth, a small seaside town

Perranporth		Perranporth  Beach

miles 76 - 79

The path south out of Perranporth takes you up onto the cliffs, past Droskyn Castle holiday apartments and the Youth Hostel to Droskyn Point. There is then an exhilarating cliff walk, with sheer 250 foot drops, to Cligga Head

From Cligga Head, you pass disused quarries which have exposed the granite stata, and there are fine views along the coast

You are now entering what was in the last century, serious mining country. There are lots of ruined "engine houses" to be seen. These building had to be really sturdy to house the steam pumping engines that kept the mines drained of water. So years later, not even the elements have been able to destroy them

Past the old Trevellas Airfield, the path drops to Trevellas Porth with another ruined mine, before another quick up and down to reach Trevaunance Cove. There was a harbour built here with great difficulty to ship minerals out and coal in. However the sea has now removed most of the harbour, leaving just the sandy beach

The small town of St Agnes is 800 yards inland, up a steep hill. It is an interesting, charming village with a number of pubs, food shops, craft shops and galleries

The ruined harbour, Trevaunance		North from Trevaunance

Corisande Manor Hotel, Cornwall Corisande Manor Hotel, Newquay, Cornwall - the place to stay to explore the Cornish Coast

And if you want to learn more about Cornwall, then try our Cornish information site, Cornwall Calling

Cornwall Coast - your guide to the Cornish Coastal Path