Walking the Coast Path - St Ives to Newquay

Here is a diary of our second section of the South West Coast Path, St Ives to Newquay. We hope you enjoy the notes, and if you're also treading the coastal path, I hope you find some of this useful. You can also keep up to date with photos and videos on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

St Ives to Lelant

We parked at the long-stay car park near Porthmeor Beach, St Ives, and headed into town just in time for lunch. We hid our chips from the seagulls and took in the view of St Ives harbour and the little fishing boats. We then headed out of town past the stunning Porthminster beach and uphill towards Carbis Bay, through some woods. The paths are well-trodden and so after our first leg, Lands End to St Ives, the terrain felt relatively easy, apart from the typical killer hills that are synonymous with the Cornish landscape. Much of this stretch followed the St Erth to St Ives railway track, which is a good way for visitors to reach St Ives, as parking can be limited at peak times. The St Erth railway station operates a park and ride and the views from the train are absolutely worth it. It stops between the town and Porthminster Beach, so you can enjoy all that St Ives has to offer. You can also walk the coast path to St Erth and travel back to St Ives by train.

The views across Carbis Bay and beyond are stunning. This area is known for its glorious sandy beaches and on this sunny day, they certainly didn't disappoint.

Hayle to Godrevy

The weather was blustery, but this was the easiest stretch of coast path to date. We dropped down to The Towans sands and walked all the way to Godrevey on the beach. As we got closer to Gwithian beach we could see evidence of mining in the cliffside and further inland towards the cafe. From the cafe, you can walk the headland to Godrevy Lighthouse and on towards Hells Mouth. On the way to Hells Mouth, look down over a small cove and you are sure to see a colony of seals which use the secluded area as a resting site and breeding ground. We made very good progress on this stretch, about 20 minutes per mile and a very welcome break from all the hill climbing, as well as an opportunity to chat side by side and let the dogs have a good run.

Godrevy to Portreath

This walk is about 5 miles. We started our walk from a car park near Hells Mouth Cafe. From there it was a relatively flat walk across North Cliffs with some stunning views across the North Cornwall coastline. As we approached Portreath, the terrain became steeper, with some steep steps over a headland, before descending back down towards Portreath. We stopped for tea and cake in the lovely Pod Cafe which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as ice cream. Dogs welcome.