Walking Perranporth to Holywell Bay - 2.0 miles

OS Explorer Map 104: grid reference SW757582 to SW765595

Walk Duration: 1 hour

Park your car at the large car park overlooking the beach in Perranporth. Follow the notes for the previous walk 'Perranporth to Ligger Point'. Just before reaching the cliffs at Ligger Point be sure to read the weathered large red sign to your right. This indicates your proximity to the Penhale Military Training Area....A very weathered large RED sign requires your attention here ! You can just make out some words warning you about the Penhale Military Training Area and the arduous nature of the path ahead. It warns you to keep to the track marked by white posts and NOT to attempt shortcuts. READ THIS CAREFULLY AND REMEMBER IT. You are now ready to commence the next section of walk.

A good guidebook for the area is the National Trail Guide: SW Coast Path - Padstow to Falmouth by John Macadam. Make your way up onto the cliffs by a winding path. The path climbs sharply away from the beach but soon begins to level out at around the 60 metre (200 feet) contour. Follow the white marker posts as instructed out onto Ligger Point, be very wary of straying off the path here as there are several disused mineshafts dotting this whole area. The path rounds the point and now heads along a saddle of land between the two slaty headlands of Ligger and Penhale Points. The grassy path leads you near to a solitary house at the chasm of Hoblyn's Cove

Take care here as the path runs very close to the cliff edge. Immediately after passing the house, the path runs between the perimeter fence of the Penhale Army Cadet Training Camp and a wooden fence. Follow the fence along its length - some 250 metres - taking time out to look where able at the caves in the cliffs below. Skirt the perimeter fence keeping to the well trodden paths. Sea Campion and other wild flowers are abundant here and just seaward of you seabirds can be seen nesting or 'riding the thermals'. Continue up the slight rise onto Penhale Point using its summit as a vantage point to look along the coast in both directions. Behind you (to the south-west) lie the headlands of Cligga Head; St. Agnes Head and Godrevy Point, with its lighthouse. Behind them in the distant haze lies St. Ives Head about 20 miles away. Ahead of you, just visible over Kelsey Head lies Trevose Head - and another lighthouse - some 10 miles up the coast to the north-east.

Just off the coast below you lie the twin pyramid-shaped rocks of Carter's or Gull Rocks - formerly seen only as a distant marker while walking in the Porthtowan / St. Agnes area. The path now begins descending down into Holywell Bay. A wide expanse of fine golden sand is uncovered at low tide with large high dunes making up the back of the beach. Continue down the path and onto the beach. There are a couple of public houses here: the St. Piran's Inn and The Treguth - built in the early 15th century - for those requiring refreshment.

Previous walk: Perranporth to Ligger Point
Next walk: Holywell Bay to West Pentire, Crantock