Walks around Newquay
Enjoy the walks by being guided by the app
A system of sand dunes runs from Perranporth to Newquay which results in most beaches along this stretch of the coast not being fully covered at high tide. The Cornish name for Newquay even means "wind blown dune". The town is small enough to be explored on foot and the surrounding area of small villages and beaches has a good network of footpaths.
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1.9 miles/3 km - Easy
Park Head and Pentire Steps
Park Head and Pentire Steps
1.9 miles/3 km - Easy
A circular walk on Park Head, used as one of the filming locations in the Poldark BBC TV series and with spectacular views over Bedruthan Steps and the Trescore Islands.
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4.3 miles/6.9 km - Easy
Mawgan Porth to St Mawgan
Mawgan Porth to St Mawgan
4.3 miles/6.9 km - Easy
A mostly circular walk from Mawgan Porth along the Vale of Lanherne, following the river Menalhyl to St Mawgan and returning past the 800-year-old cloistered Convent where the sanctuary light has been burning for hundreds of years.
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2.2 miles/3.6 km - Easy-moderate
West Pentire and Polly Joke
West Pentire and Polly Joke
2.2 miles/3.6 km - Easy-moderate
A circular walk through the poppy fields of West Pentire to Polly Joke beach, returning over the headland to the pub that was a cowshed until the mid-20th Century.
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2.3 miles/3.7 km - Easy-moderate
Crantock
Crantock
2.3 miles/3.7 km - Easy-moderate
A circular walk along the Gannel Estuary from Crantock Beach to Penpol Creek, returning though the village of Crantock.
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3.6 miles/5.8 km - Easy-moderate
Lost Church and Perranporth dunes
Lost Church and Perranporth dunes
3.6 miles/5.8 km - Easy-moderate
A circular walk on the highest dune system in Britain to the chapel dating from Celtic times which was lost in the dunes for nearly 1000 years.
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3.6 miles/5.8 km - Easy-moderate
St Newlyn East and Lappa Valley
St Newlyn East and Lappa Valley
3.6 miles/5.8 km - Easy-moderate
A circular walk from St Newlyn East through the woods of the Lappa Valley where the Steam Railway now encompasses what was one of the most famous mines in Cornwall during Victorian times and the riverbeds are still stained red.
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3.9 miles/6.2 km - Easy-moderate
Holywell to Polly Joke
Holywell to Polly Joke
3.9 miles/6.2 km - Easy-moderate
A circular walk from Holywell Bay on the dunes and Kelsey Head to the sandy beach of Polly Joke.
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4 miles/6.4 km - Easy-moderate
Watergate Bay to Newquay (via bus)
Watergate Bay to Newquay (via bus)
4 miles/6.4 km - Easy-moderate
A one-way coastal walk, made circular via an initial bus journey, from Watergate Bay along the coast path to Newquay, passing the sea caves at Whipsiderry beach, the Iron Age hillfort on Trevelgue head and the beaches of Porth, Lusty Glaze and Tolcarne.
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4.5 miles/7.2 km - Easy-moderate
Crantock and The Gannel
Crantock and The Gannel
4.5 miles/7.2 km - Easy-moderate
A circular walk along the River Gannel from Crantock, originally settled by Celtic monks whose chapel is thought may be buried beneath the dunes.
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4.9 miles/7.9 km - Easy-moderate
Holywell to Crantock
Holywell to Crantock
4.9 miles/7.9 km - Easy-moderate
A circular walk from Holywell Bay past the remarkable sacred spring and along the coast to the sandy beaches of Porth Joke and Crantock, returning via the poppy fields of West Pentire and the Cubert Common nature conservation area.
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6.6 miles/10.7 km - Easy-moderate
St Mawgan to St Columb Major
St Mawgan to St Columb Major
6.6 miles/10.7 km - Easy-moderate
A circular walk along the Vale of Lanherne to the mediaeval market town of St Columb Major, where Cornish Hurling is still played, through the broadleaf woodland of the Carnanton Estate along the River Menalhyl, returning to the riverside pub, church and convent at St Mawgan.
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3.5 miles/5.7 km - Moderate
West Pentire to Crantock Beach
West Pentire to Crantock Beach
3.5 miles/5.7 km - Moderate
A circular walk on the northernmost end of one of Cornwall's largest areas of sand dunes that stretch from Crantock to Perranporth, under which one mediaeval chapel was found and another is said to still be lost.
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4.5 miles/7.3 km - Moderate
Bedruthan Steps
Bedruthan Steps
4.5 miles/7.3 km - Moderate
A circular walk with spectacular views of the rock stacks at Bedruthan Steps, about which the myth of a giant's stepping stones was concocted for the amusement of Victorian tourists flocking to Padstow and Newquay on the new railway.
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4.5 miles/7.2 km - Moderate
Porth Reservoir and Colan church
Porth Reservoir and Colan church
4.5 miles/7.2 km - Moderate
A circular walk through the wildlife reserve around the reservoir lake, past crumbling ruins of Fir Hill Manor and via farmland, a mill and wooded vales that were also once part of the great estate.
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5.8 miles/9.3 km - Moderate
Newquay
Newquay
5.8 miles/9.3 km - Moderate
A circular walk around the UK's surf capital which was transformed from a tiny fishing village with a few thatched cottages when, in order to export ore from the harbour, a horse-drawn tramway was built across Cornwall which later became part of the Great Western Railway.
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6.2 miles/10 km - Moderate
Bedruthan Steps to Porthcothan
Bedruthan Steps to Porthcothan
6.2 miles/10 km - Moderate
A circular walk featuring some of the most spectacular scenery of the North Cornish coast including the rock stacks of Bedruthan Steps, the azure lagoon of the Trescore Islands and the sheltered golden sandy beach at Porthcothan.
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6.8 miles/11.0 km - Moderate
Porthcothan, Bedruthan Steps and Watergate Bay (via bus)
Porthcothan, Bedruthan Steps and Watergate Bay (via bus)
6.8 miles/11.0 km - Moderate
A (bus-assisted) one-way walk along the coast with spectacular wildflowers and one of Cornwall's most photographed views over the volcanic rock stacks of Bedruthan Steps, which Victorians liked to think of as a giant's stepping stones.
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6.9 miles/11.2 km - Moderate
Holywell Bay to Newquay (via bus)
Holywell Bay to Newquay (via bus)
6.9 miles/11.2 km - Moderate
A one-way coastal walk, made circular via an initial bus journey, from Holywell Bay along the coast and Gannel estuary to Newquay, passing the beaches of Porth Joke and Crantock and the headland of West Pentire where there is a spectacular display of red-and-gold wildflowers in June.
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7.4 miles/11.9 km - Moderate
Holywell to St Piran's Oratory
Holywell to St Piran's Oratory
7.4 miles/11.9 km - Moderate
A circular walk from Holywell Bay along the rugged coastline to Perran Beach and across the dunes to the mediaeval relics of St Piran's Oratory, Church and Cross, returning via the Penhale Sands nature reserve which is carpeted in cowslips during spring.
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6.4 miles/10.3 km - Moderate-strenuous
Cubert to St Piran's Round
Cubert to St Piran's Round
6.4 miles/10.3 km - Moderate-strenuous
A circular walk from Cubert's Celtic churchyard through the cowslip meadows of the Penhale Sands nature reserve and on paths lined with wildflowers along the river valley to reach St Piran's Round - the remains of the mediaeval amphitheatre.
Download the iWalk Cornwall app and use the QR scanner within the app to find out more about any of the walks above.
In Newquay itself there is the Newquay town and headlands walk and the Crantock and Gannel walk is also close by. Coastal walks to the north of Newquay include circular walks from Watergate to Porth and at Bedruthan Steps, and one-way walks using the bus from Watergate Bay to Newquay and Porthcothan to Mawgan Porth. To the south of Newquay, there are circular walks from Holywell Bay to Crantock and a longer one from Holywell to St Piran's Oratory. There are also some circular routes inland of Newquay, particularly around St Columb Major and Goonhavern.