Walking Pendeen Watch to 'The Crowns' Botallack 2 miles

OS Explorer Map 102: grid reference SW379359 to SW362336

Walk Duration: 70 mins

Park your car in the small parking area overlooking Pendeen Watch Lighthouse. Leave your car and head inland for about ¼ mile, passing a row of houses. A good guidebook for the area is the National Trail Guide: SW Coast Path - Padstow to Falmouth by John Macadam

At the end of the row turn right following the coastpath signs. Continue down into the small grassy valley, crossing the stream at the bottom. If time, bear right at the marker post, stay on the right hand side of the stream and take the indistinct path for a short 5 minute walk out to a flat grassy area overlooking the large inshore island known as The Enys - grid ref. SW377356. Seals can often be seen in 'close-up' here. Return to the stream, crossing it with ease before continuing up the other side of the valley to overlook The Averack at Carn Ros. Proceed down to Trewellard Bottoms, steps making your descent easier on the sometimes slippery rocks. Now walking through the industrial landscape of Geevor Mine, follow the clearly marked footpath up to Levant Mine - grid ref. SW369345

It is possible to have a guided tour of Levant Mine on certain days. Please follow the signs from the car park seaward. The visit is quite educational and a useful 'bolt-hole' in poor weather. See if you can spot the steps cut into the path at Levant Zawn, the route many miners took to work!

Arriving at Levant some 50 minutes into your walk, pass in front of the mine buildings, through the car park and up the wide track leading southwest towards Botallack and Kenidjack Castle - grid reference SW357326. The wide path undulates gently and progress is good, even in unpleasant weather. After a further 15-20 minutes or so, the path rises slightly, now running at about 98 metres (320 feet) above the sea.

You enter another area rich in mine stacks. Take a look at the cliffs below you. If your timing is the same as ours, you should be able to see the unmistakeable ruins of the Crowns Engine Houses on the cliffs below Botallack Head. Walk on a few hundred metres to get the best view of these. Retrace your steps or follow the Tinner's Way or one of the many footpaths back to Pendeen Watch and your car.

Previous walk: Cape Cornwall to Botallack
Next walk: Pendeen Watch to Bosigran Castle