Top Walks in August

Thanks to our friends at Visit Cornwall for the following summer walking inspiration – for more blog posts like this visit their website

Wherever you happen to visit in Cornwall this summer let the train take the strain out of travelling and enjoy the beautiful South West coast and countryside on foot. There’s a variety of different mainline stations and branch lines including North Cornwall from Newquay, West Cornwall from St. Ives and Penzance, as well as the South Cornwall coast from Falmouth and Looe to choose from.

Catching the train, is a great way to get to the Cornish Coast Path, as you don’t have to worry about returning to the start of your walk to pick up your car. The world famous Great Western Railway built by Isambard Kingdom Brunels stretches down to Penzance, and branch lines head off to many of the resorts along the path – and the views out of your window are stunning. To make it easy to plan a walk along the Coast Path using the train, the South West Coast Path team have created a number of short break ideas like these in West Cornwall.

Choose from Cornish Port towns like Falmouth and Penzance, surfing beaches and nightlife in Newquay or the UNESCO Mining World Heritage Site between St. Ives and Penzance. You can find out train times, and prices from theTrainline. Book ahead for the best deals www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk or call 0345 7000 125.

These are four of our favourite walks from the Atlantic, Great Western Railway, Maritime and St. Ives Lines:

Newquay’s Twin Headlands

Distance-5 miles Difficulty – Moderate

A walk around Newquay’s fascinating shoreline, taking in the long sandy beaches with their Atlantic breakers which make it one of Britain’s surf capitals, as well as its rocky headlands with their spectacular views out over Newquay Bay. People have lived here since prehistoric times, and there are some fascinating historical features en route.

Marazion

Distance – 6.8 miles Difficulty – Easy

An easy saunter to Marazion, linked by causeway to St Michael’s Mount, once a Benedictine Priory and later a medieval fort. The return route along St Michael’s Way travels across Marazion Marsh, which is particularly popular with over-wintering birds

Pendennis Castle

Distance – 4 miles Difficulty – Moderate

A visit to Pendennis Point, where there have been fortifications defending Falmouth’s waterways for over two millennia. Also taking in the sandy beach at Gyllyngvase, the walk is mostly flat and on easy paths and pavements.

Carbis Bay

Distance – 1.25 miles Difficulty – Easy

This very gentle stroll travels above the railway line, with spectacular views over St Ives Bay. People have lived and worked here since Stone Age times, and there are relics and stories of the past throughout, including prehistoric field systems, a Celtic saint’s medieval chapel and a fishermen’s lookout hut, as well as shipwrecks, railways, mining and a twentieth-century novelist. The walk travels on good paths and there is no more than a little gentle ascent and descent.

Posted: July 30, 2015 at 3:38 pm

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