Place to Portscatho - 6.2 miles

OS Explorer 105: grid reference SW856324 to SW876357

Walk Duration 3 Hours  

If you wish, you can park your car at Falmouth and take the FERRY from the Prince of Wales Pier to St. Mawes, then take the smaller ferry from St. Mawes to Place. This adds about an hour to your journey.

Arriving at Place go up the slipway and look for the wooden signpost. Take the route marked 'Coastpath to church of St. Anthony and St. Anthony Head 2 miles'. Pass to the left hand side of Place House then turn right as signed. Follow the leafy lanes for about 15 minutes, bearing left where signed once again. Walk up the right hand side of a large field and climb the hedge by a stile, to see St. Mawes Castle and Falmouth for the first time.

St. Mawes Castle Tel. (01326) 270526 Open Daily Apr 1st to Oct. 31st.

Drop diagonally down the slope of the next field towards the coast. If all is well, you should now be half an hour into your walk, as you pass a low waymarker post. Cross the stile with St. Anthony Lighthouse filling your view. Next pass through a gate and along the boardwalk to meet the NT omega of St. Anthony Head grid reference SW847311 - NT St. Anthony Head Tel. (01872) 862945 Fax. (01872) 865619. You immediately pass to the right of a metal gate up a strange detour. Continue up a relatively level path, past the whitewashed building - a former paraffin store for the lighthouse. Bear left up the ramp as it climbs sharply away from the lighthouse.

After a few minutes climbing you arrive at St. Anthony Battery, explore if you wish. There are toilets available here. If the weather is fine, look across Carrick Roads to Pendennis Castle on the skyline opposite.

Look for the coastpath above the toilets and continue past the former 6-inch gun emplacements. Stay on the level path where, 1 hour into your walk, the headlands of Porthmellin Head and Killigerran Head appear. The path rounds Zone Point and follows the contours along what is known as Drake's Downs. Proceed north-easterly climbing a little as the path nears the cliff edge. Now pass through the wooden gate and drop down gradually to Porthbeor Beach down the grassy track.

As it was now almost 2 hours into our walk, we stopped for lunch for 30 minutes overlooking the beach. Refreshed we continued due east now passing another NT sign and a meeting of paths, left takes one back to Place, right takes you down to the beach and straight on takes you out onto Porthmellin Head. Shortly, you will pass the NT property of Killigerran Head - a good viewpoint on a clear day. Round the point and then drop down to Towan Beach grid reference SW870330, pass through a wooden kissing gate and pass the 'wreck post'. Continue down passing the beach access and then remain on the grassy path as it runs above the beach to pass another NT sign. Walk through another gate and continue on the low cliff for a further 15 minutes before climbing slightly again up a couple of steps into a field. Ahead left the spire of Gerrans Church comes into view indicating that your journey will soon be over. Cross the stile and pass through the metal gate to meet the road leading down into Portscatho. Continue into the village where several shops and the 'Plume of Feathers' pub offer refreshment and a place to rest.

Previous walk: Maenporth to Falmouth
Next walk: Portscatho to Carne Beach