Walking Tregardock to Trebarwith Strand - 2.0 miles

OS Explorer 111: grid reference SX042840 to SX048864

Walk Duration: 1 hour 45 minutes  

There are TWO choices of start point for this walk. The first option is to park your car at Trebarwith Strand, walk down to the coast and head up past the Port William Inn to Dennis Point and beyond. This involves climbing up a lot of steps. The second choice is to park at the Jeffries Pit picnic site and follow the 'Trebarwith Circular Walk' leaflet as supplied by the North Cornwall Heritage Coast and Countryside Service. This gives you a suitable inland return. We chose the first option. Park your car in the large car park at Trebarwith Strand (£2 for up to 4 hours and £3.50 for more than 4 hours). Follow the road down to the beach making use of the toilets if needed. Take the signed route left past the Port William Inn climbing as the path zigzags to gain height. Continue climbing steadily up the 199 steps!! - pausing where required.

The route enters a grassy plateau as you arrive at Dennis Point. Ignore the narrower former path that apparently leads to the point. Follow the well trodden path diagonally across Dennis Point to a wooden kissing gate with inscribed waymark post before dropping quite steeply down the zigzag path into Backways Cove - grid reference SX044860. Erosion and the gradient makes the descent tricky in wet weather so please take care! The descent normally takes about ten minutes. Cross the wooden boardwalk and bridge on the valley floor and proceed to zigzag your way up the steep southern slope of the cove. Recent improvements have made the climb easier but it is still a good place to take time out for a breather or a quick photograph. This is Start Point- grid reference SX044857.

Now about 1 hour into your walk pass the ruins of a World War Two Fleet Air Arm Station (Vulture 2). The path remains level now as you pass the National Trust omega for Treligga Cliffs. Continue south passing ancient burial mounds or tumuli. Cross a stile and as you meet Treligga Common pausing once more to admire the view. This is the midway point of this section. It should be possible to see Port Isaac and the rocky islands off Polzeath and The Rumps to your southwest. The steady clifftop walk runs parallel to the contours about 90m above sea level. Take care as the path runs closer to the cliff edge as you walk above Flat Hole. Go through the large kissing gate and over the stile as you leave Royston Cliffs. Shortly Tregardock Beach and The Mountain come into view.

Drop steeply down the path as you wend your way behind The Mountain and meet a path crossroads just after a stream. You have now been walking for about 90 minutes so head down to Tregardock Beach as signed to see Tregonnick Tail and Tregonnick Point. Please be aware that there is no beach at high tide however . Continue up along the coastpath southwest towards Port Isaac passing Trerubies Cove, Jackets Point and Dannonchapel or return inland via Treligga, Trecarne Farm and Trebarwith Village to pick up your vehicle.

Previous walk: Port Isaac to Tregardock Beach
Next walk: Trebarwith Strand to Tintagel