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Landscape
Celtic Cornwall
Ancient Sites
Where to Go
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Walking Porthgwarra to Penberth - 3 milesOS Explorer 102: grid reference SW372217 to SW403227 View Map Walk Duration 1 Hour 20 minutes
This walk followed a circular route, made up by combining elements from two of the circular walks found in the Classic Walks Cornwall books. Our aim was to park the car safely in a well used area, namely Porthcurno, and then walk along the coastpath to Porthgwarra, the end point of our previous walk. From Porthgwarra we could follow an inland path as far as Treen before rejoining the coast path once again at Penberth. From here it is a relatively short walk back to Porthcurno and the car....
Park your car in the large car park at Porthcurno - grid ref. SW385226. If the fancy takes you and you have time to spare why not explore the nearby Museum of Submarine Telegraphy, recently featured on the BBC Television programme 'What the Victorians Did For Us'...Learn Morse Code and much more! For a panoramic tour of the instrument room please Click Here. Head down towards the beach until you reach a granite marker post. Follow the right hand path marked 'Porthgwarra 1¼ miles'. Climb steadily away from Porthcurno and the beach, taking the lower (easier) of two indicated routes up to the Minack Theatre. After climbing up, take a few moments out to catch your breath and look back across the bay to the spectacular Treryn Dinas Cliff Castle and the famous Logan Rock. If you are lucky and it is a sunny day, the sea looks turquoise and the sands look very inviting. Turn around and cross the car park to a kissing gate, continue down the well worn path. If time permits, walk out onto the NT headland of Rospletha Cliffs - better known locally as Pedn-mên-an-mere - grid ref. SW385217.
Shortly the secluded beach of Porth Chapel - grid ref. SW382219, comes into view. Proceed down the eastern slope of the valley, crossing a small wooden footbridge above the beach. As we are not 'beaching' today, climb up the other side of the valley stopping for a short while to look at St. Levan's Holy Well.
As the path forks, take the left hand route up Carn Barges and on towards Porthgwarra. Now almost 1 hour into your walk, just follow the twisting path down into the small cove at Porthgwarra - grid ref. SW372217. The clifftop building opposite is the coastguard lookout at Gwennap Head (Tol-Pedn-Penwith). Retrace your steps now back to the Well, and take the inland route to St. Levan. Follow the track to the church, crossing through the churchyard before leaving by the uppermost coffin stile. Continue uphill, crossing through fields, one containing an ancient stone cross. Follow the instructions as given on page 9 & 10 of Classic Walks Cornwall' Book 1, Walk 3. This should take you through the hamlet of Rospletha and on until you reach the outskirts of Porthcurno.
Take the path indicated up the eastern side of the valley, passing above the excellent Museum of Submarine Telegraphy, with its tunnels excavated into the cliffside [Admission £4.95 for Adults in 2006] - allow 90 minutes to visit if you are interested. Take the right hand path as it twists and turns its way towards Trendrennen Farm. Follow the footpath signs, with frequent referral to the guide book until you reach the small village of Treen. The village shop sells a good range of guidebooks, maps, postcards and refreshments. Now walk out to the main B3315 road before turning sharp right to follow the road straight down to Penberth Cove. Now some 2 hours into your walk, you can stop for a well earned rest and maybe some dinner. Climb up the quite steep western slope away from the cove onto Cribba Head and back along Treen Cliff. It is possible to take a detour here out onto Treryn Dinas to see the Iron Age Cliff Castle and the Logan Rock. From here the coastpath runs a little inland before splitting above Pedn-vounder Beach. Take the left option for the beach or continue straight on for Porthcurno. After a few more minutes the path splits again, the left path leading down onto Porthcurno Beach - with a fine view back to Treryn Dinas - grid ref. SW398220. The other path remains inland running down through low trees and bushes to the car park and your vehicle.
Previous walk: Dr. Syntax's Head to Porthgwarra |
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