Porthcurno, Porthgwarra and Gwennap Head

A circular walk from Porthcurno, passing the Minack Theatre, St Leven's Holy Well, Porthchapel and Porthgwarra beaches, to Gwennap Head where the English Channel meets the Atlantic and the Runnelstone Reef has claimed so many ships that divers are unsure where the wreckage is from.

Get the app to guide you around the walk

App Store

Download iPhone/iPad app from App Store

Scan with your phone to get the Apple app

Google Play

Download Android app from Google Play

Scan with your phone to get the Android app

Download the (free) app then use it to purchase this walk.

Phone showing Google navigation to start of walk

The app will direct you to the start of the walk via satnav.

Hand holding a phone showing the iWalk Cornwall app

The app guides you around the walk using GPS, removing any worries about getting lost.

Phone showing walk directions page in the iWalk Cornwall app

The walk route is described with detailed, regularly-updated, hand-written directions.

Each time there is a new direction to follow, the app will beep to remind you, and will warn you if you go off-route.

Phone showing walk map page in the iWalk Cornwall app

A map shows the route, where you are at all times and even which way you are facing.

Phone showing facts section in iWalk Cornwall app

Each walk is packed with information about the history and nature along the route, from over a decade of research than spans more than 3,000 topics.

Person looking at phone with cliff scenery in background

Once a walk is downloaded, the app doesn't need wifi or a phone signal during the walk.

Phone showing walk stats in the iWalk Cornwall app

The app counts down distance to the next direction and estimates time remaining based on your personal walking speed.

We keep the directions continually updated for changes to the paths/landmarks - the price for a walk includes ongoing free updates.

either as a GPS-guided walk with our app (£3.29) or a PDF of directions (£2.79) Example of directions

Fullscreen map

Highlights

Sandy beaches at Porthcurno, Chapel Cove and Porthgwarra
Spectacular coastal scenery
Views of the Runnelstone buoy, Wolf Rock + Longships lighthouses and The Scilly Isles
Wildflowers in late spring and early summer
Wildlife including seals, birds of prey and choughs
Ancient relics including St Levan's well, chapel and stone.
Telegraph museum at Porthcurno

Considerations

Route includes paths close to unfenced cliff edges.

Dogs

Beaches where dogs are allowed all year: Porthchapel. Beaches with seasonal dog restrictions: Porthcurno, Porthgwarra. The stile at direction 30 has a gap that a really large dog may not fit through but there is a gate to the right of this which joins the same track.

The walk is available through the iWalk Cornwall app for Apple and Android for £3.29 which each include everything listed here.

This removes worries about getting lost by tracking you using GPS, reminding you when you need to follow the next direction and warning you if you wander off the route.

To install on your phone, search the app store for “iwalk cornwall” to download the (free) app. Then either use it to scan the code at the top-right of the page to locate this walk or search for the walk title in Walks Shop > Search All Walks.

Once you've installed the iWalk Cornwall app from the app store, click on the button below to locate this walk:

Open walk in iWalk Cornwall app

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Vital statistics

OS Explorer: 102
Distance: 5.4 miles/8.7 km
Steepness grade: Moderate-strenuous
Recommended footwear: Walking shoes, or trainers in summer
Café: ✓

Beaches

Points of interest

Links for this walk

Tide times
West Penwith AONB info
Short URL: https://iwkc.co.uk/w/181

Alternative walks

Shorter circular walk from Porthgwarra to the Minack Theatre

Adjoining walks

Porthcurno to Penberth Cove

Walks nearby