Gwennap Head the Coastpath Lands End to Porthcurno- a nice walk along the coast

Gwennap Head the Coastpath-Lands End to Porthcurno

A nice walk along the Cornwall Coastal Path via Gwennap Head and Porthgwarra

Cornwall by Cornishlight | Cornwall Coast >>

Porthgwarra, with its granite slipway, open boats working crab pots off shore. With a small low tide beach, the tunnel through rock providing easier access. Carpark behind Porthgwarra Cove ideal starting point for walks, either east to Porthcurno and the Minack Theatre via Porthchapel or west around Gwennap Head as far as Lands End.. The Cove is one of the locations chosen for the recent Poldark TV series, witness the landing of a huge catch of pilchards. At Lands End peer down into the wave lashed chasm that is Zawn Kellys. Notice the egg shaped granite boulders at the high tide line? One of very few such locations in Cornwall.

The Cornish Coast a dramatic place in Winter

Maybe be lucky on a calm day and see grey seals porpoising off shore, even luckier to see fluffy white pups born in late Autumn. Past Pendower Cove along Nanjizal Bay with its sea caves and high cliffs. A particularly dramatic place in winter storms with swells rolling in from far out in the Atlantic.

Gwennap Head

Two daymarks, one bright red, other black and white just before the former Coastguard Lookout at Gwennap Head. And although the coastguards are long gone, the Lookout now manned by members of the National Coastwatch Organisation. Off shore the Runnelstone Buoy, gently moaning in the swell audible for miles around on still days. Wolf Rock. Longships off Lands End. Scillies visible in the far distance on a very clear day.

Away from the cliffs windswept heathland a blaze of colour in late summer when heather and gorse bloom. Porthgwarra Valley is often the last landfall for birds on migration and a magnet for twitchers, huge zoom lens on even bigger tripods, khaki camouflage gear, even sound recording microphones seem run of the mill. If you are lucky a family of choughs whirling overhead - with their so distinctive call. Porthgwarra is where the Pilchard Landings in the first series of Poldark where filmed, amazing how many women would willingly wash Ross's shirts for him. In season there is a delightful coffee shop making it a very pleasant spot to sit and watch the world go by.
Even though Lands End is only 5 miles from Porthgwarra you will be unlucky if you encounter more than a handful of fellow walkers as you stroll along this particularly imposing and isolated stretch of the Cornwall Coast. On holiday? There are lots of places to stay in West Cornwall Bed and Breakfast.

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