Walking Holidays in Cornwall

For a real dose of Cornish panorama, why not try the South West Coastal Path? The longest of the country’s National Trails, it has a length of 630 miles and follows the coastline of England’s South West Peninsula, starting on Somerset’s coast and running along the Bristol Channel. It covers multiple counties and a lot of ground: Exmoor, Land’s End, North Cornwall, parts of Devon and Dorset, before concluding at Poole Harbour. Most of its walkers dip in and out, with each significant location and point of interest marked with an iconic acorn – ripe for photo opportunities! On average the South West Coast Path takes 7-8 weeks to complete in its entirety – but there are of course people who will do it much quicker than this – the current record is just over 10 days! How long would it take you?

Another trail to consider is North Cornwall’s Camel Trail, which follows a meandering path through some of England’s most breathtaking and unknown coastal scenery and countryside. There are stretches of disused railway that have been converted from the rail track bed to trail way, linking the charming towns of Padstow, Wadebridge and the famous Bodmin Moor. The trail covers 18 miles, is largely traffic free, surfaced and virtually level for multi use purposes – with many cyclists opting for the Camel Trail Cycle Route. Don’t miss the final destination – the village of Blisland, which is an extraordinarily pretty moorland village with an award winning pub.

Next up is must-do circular walk from and to the Godrevy Head Car Park at St Ives. With views over St. Ives Bay and the lighthouse on Godrevy Island, the trip begins from Three Mile Beach and goes onto Mutton Cove, where you may be lucky enough to see seals parked up on the rocks. In fact, this whole stretch of coast is great for spotting sea life – keep an eye out for dolphin pods along the way! This is an excellent walk in spring, when the grasslands are in full bloom and birds nest noisily in the cliffs, but it’s also fabulous in autumn with billowing winds and huge flocks of migrating seabirds passing through. Getting an ice cream at the Godrevy Café is an essential way to round off this walk!

Walking tour enthusiasts will love Pixie Tours, a guided tour company who provide walks of Cornwall and the West Country. Guaranteed to reach those local attractions that most tourists fail to find, Pixie Tours focus on off the beaten track routes and provide luxury transport linking Cornwall with cities and airports throughout the UK. The guided tours already cover excellent ground, but can be tailored to suit any needs, with tours lasting a half day or a full day. All Pixie Tour vehicles are wheelchair friendly, and they also offer trips to the Minack Theatre, with 12 pre-booked seats available for customer use each Tuesday evening throughout the summer months.

Lastly, Tour Cornwall offer a unique Cornish Garden tour, exploring the finest gardens of the south west. Over the last two centuries, many plant collectors brought rare and exotic collections from across the world to Cornwall to take advantage of the famously warm Cornish climate. Tour Cornwall have put together a rich and varied tour to cover up to three gardens on your tour – with the most popular including Lost Gardens of Heligan, Eden Project and Trebah – but there are loads of wonderful, lesser known gardens to choose from. There’s also the option to take a day trip to the Isles of Scilly on a Skybus plane to visit the Abbey Gardens on Tresco, which is a real sub-tropical paradise. So why not try a walking holiday in Cornwall this year?