Route: From Falmouth to Plymouth

Overview

The journey from Falmouth to Plymouth provides an "away from it all" experience.

A fascinating and varied walk along mile upon mile of protected coastline on a cliff lined path, over gorse-covered granite headlands, through wooded valleys and along rocky coves, with endless panoramas and views across the ever present seas below.

Discovering tiny fishing villages, bustling ports and sleepy hamlets, such as majestic St Mawes, picturesque Portloe, and bustling Mevagissey.

Walk along the very same amazing estuaries that inspired Daphne Du Maurier and among the scenery that has inspired so many other writers and artists.

This part of the Coast Path is very scenic, with ferry trips over several rivers.  It starts at one busy harbour and ends at another, with many small ones in between.

Sometimes seals can be seen in the sea below the cliffs which are very busy during the nesting season.  When you pass through the ancient port of Charlestown, near St Austell, you may even see a sailing ship in the harbour.  The route meanders over grassy hills and through little villages, finishing in a country park across the Tamar from Plymouth.  The Cremyll Ferry travels across the river to the end of the walk.

If you're looking to escape from routine, bustle and stress, then immerse yourself in the gentle beauty of the south Cornwall coastline as this holiday is for you!


Walk the Trail offers 3 itineraries along this route to cater for all levels of walker.  If, you feel that you'd like something different, just ask.


INCLUDED

All our holiday packages include:

  • Overnight accommodation staying at carefully selected B&Bs, Inns and Hotels
  • A detailed holiday pack
  • Luggage transfers
  • Transport from path to accommodations if necessary
  • Maps
  • Guidebook
  • Emergency support.

NOT INCLUDED

Our holiday packages do not include:

  • Transport to and from the start and end of the holiday, unless stated.  We can help you with your options.
  • Packed Lunches and Evening Meals
  • Travel Insurance
ROUTE PROFILE

Itinerary & Costs

With a daily average of 11 miles (17.7km) this Falmouth to Plymouth itinerary is our most popular on this attractive part of the South West Coast Path. Allowing an "away from it all" experience, this varied and scenic journey starts at one busy harbour and ends at another, with many small ones in between.

A fascinating and varied walk along mile upon mile of protected coastline on a cliff lined path, over gorse-covered granite headlands, through wooded valleys and along rocky coves, with endless panoramas and views across the sea below.


The Daily Itinerary

Click on a day for further information.

Day 1: Arrive
Falmouth
- Day 2:
Falmouth to Portloe
Distance: 13.5 miles Difficulty: Easy/Strenuous

Two ferry crossings are required on this stretch.
Due to a lack of accommodation in Portloe, it may be necessary to accommodate you elsewhere and include transfers to and from the accommodation.

Day 3:
Portloe to Mevagissey
Distance: 12 miles Difficulty: Strenuous/Easy
Day 4:
Mevagissey to Charlestown
Distance: 7 miles Difficulty: Strenuous
Day 5:
Charlestown to Fowey
Distance: 10 miles Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
- Day 6:
Fowey to Looe
Distance: 12 miles Difficulty: Strenuous/Moderate

A ferry is required between Fowey and Polruan.

Day 7:
Looe to Crafthole
Distance: 8.5 miles Difficulty: Moderate
- Day 8:
Crafthole to Plymouth (The Hoe)
Distance: 16.5 miles Difficulty: Moderate/Easy

A ferry is required between Cremyll and Plymouth.

Day 9: Depart
Plymouth
 

What's Included

  • Accommodation for the length of your holiday including the night before you start walking and the evening after your final day's walking in good quality B&Bs, Inns and small hotels. This will be en-suite wherever possible.
  • Breakfast - This may be a full cooked or continental option depending on accommodation. Evening meals can be arranged with certain accommodations for an additional charge.
  • A Personalised Holiday Pack containing maps and addresses for accommodations, pick up points and daily mileage information.
  • Luggage transfers between each accommodation. 1 bag per person up to 20 kilograms. Additional bags can be added upon request.
  • If required, path to accommodation or round river transfers (free of charge)
  • If you are crossing a river using a ferry or on foot at low tide then we will provide you with the relevant information to assist.
  • Phone line support between the hours of 0900-1900, 7 days a week for the length of your holiday.
  • We now offer all our routes on the AllTrails App. Use one of the most popular route apps for turn by turn voice navigation, the ability to use offline, and sync with Garmin and Wahoo products.

Optional Extras

The following items are optional and can be removed to reduce the cost of your holiday.

Not Quite Right?
Try our Tailor Made Service here »

Important Information

Please be advised that there is limited accommodation in Portwrinkle and Cawsand/Kingsand and this may be sourced nearby.

 

Reviews

4.5/5 Janine & Ruth from Switzerland
Having just returned from England I wanted to say thank you for your great organising of our holiday in Cornwall. Starting in Penzance and ending in Mevagessay with some sightseeing as well was a great idea. All places we visited were very nice and we could enjoy every step of our journey. All the accommodations were great and charming.The hosts were extremely friendly and helpful too. So thank you!
0/5 Cheryl from Vermont, USA
I'm home from my trip and wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it! It was wonderful to have the elves take my luggage every day and to have it show up at the next place. It was a fairly rainy week but the scenery was magnificent and I truly enjoyed the walking. Thank you for all your arrangements --- people at the B&B's were all friendly and kind. I'll go back again someday! Thank you all!
0/5 Kate from Canada
I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful two-and-a-half weeks. All of the bed and breakfasts I stayed in were friendly, comfortable and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Every day when I arrived my bag was there, like a faithful dog. All in all an excellent trip. As an aside, I would also like to say that, as a female walking alone on the SWCP I had no problems at all and always felt perfectly safe.
0/5 Kathleen from Germany
It was an unique, fantastic and unforgettable experience with hurting feet and legs in the beginning and total fitness in the end ;-). I met interesting people and saw great landscapes. I experienced the coldest spring after over 60 years but with the right clothes - everything was under control ;-). I`d like to make you a compliment for your organization, fast answers and friendliness! The luggage transfer worked really well. Almost all B&B were lovely and the people very friendly.
0/5 Ludwig from Germany
I have to say we had a very nice holiday in Cornwall. We had a wonderful time and are sure we will use your holiday company again in the future. Thanks for your excellent job.
0/5 Julia from Germany
We are back home from our walking holiday, what a marvellous experience! Thank you for your great organisation, everything worked without any problems. It was great to arrive at the accommodation and find our luggage already there, often even in our room. All the best, we will definitely be recommending your business!
0/5 Alan from Bristol
We just wanted to say thanks for a great holiday. The weather was mixed but we didn't get too wet. Luggage Transfers were superb and worked very well. Our bags were there ready for us at each B&B. Thanks for everything; we had a great trip and are looking forward to planning another cycle trip.
0/5 Julie from Australia
We are now home from our travels and have had time to reflect. What a fabulous holiday. Thank you very much for planning our South West coast walk. It all went very well, the B&Bs were superb, we have no complaints at all. Thanks for organising a memorable walk.
0/5 Joan from Australia
Would recommend your organisation to anyone, and will do so. Can't thank you enough for a trouble free adventure.
0/5 Roland & Andrea
Thank you very much for our perfectly organised walking holiday. Our baggage was always there when we arrived and all the accommodations were great.
0/5 Sasha From Cornwall
Jess (my dog) and I are back after the most wonderful experience! Thank-you all for making it so wonderful, all the B&Bs were comfortable and welcoming and all were brilliant. All in all it was brilliant and very dog friendly. Thank you again and the very best luck for the future with your wonderful company.
0/5 Carleen
There is no doubt I loved the walk, arduous at times, but wonderful scenery and always very friendly people. Certainly, I will recommend your company, especially for the convenience and your professionalism (good documents etc.). Cheers.
0/5 Viggo from Norway
We enjoyed a super walking experience in Cornwall. The weather was good at least most of the time! In general we are very happy with the whole holiday. All the accommodations you booked for us was of a high standard, with friendly people and good service. The luggage transfers were 100%. We are all very satisfied and plan to come back in the future!
0/5 Gillian from Leeds
Thank you for organising such a wonderful trip for us. It was a wonderful success, we loved it all! All the accommodation was lovely. I can also safely say that all the food was great that week. We think the Jurassic Coast might be a possibility for next year!
0/5 Glenda from Hertfordshire
We have now covered roughly 450 miles of the South West Coast Path and have loved the walking and the fantastic scenery. We enjoyed our holiday with 'Walk the Trail' as a whole and felt we received good value for our money. All our accommodation hosts were very kind and we were amazed at the universally available, free wifi!
0/5 Stephen from Lancashire
Thanks for organising our holiday it went really well. Our luggage transfers worked perfectly, and the location maps you provided for finding the accommodations were very useful.
5/5 Phil Maude
The trip was well organised and although the days were long it was an enjoyable trip
4/5 Stephan Wehrli
Unterkünfte top,alle gebuchten leistungen lückenlos erfüllt. Auch nächstes mal mit walk the trail.
5/5 Trusted Customer
A great week's walking and some excellent food as recommended! | Linda and Mike are very good at listening to what we would like and then helping us to get the right mileage and accomodation for a great walk. Good food recommendations too and good fun to talk to!!
5/5 Gordon Rhodes
Provided excellent walkers pack containing everything needed.
5/5 Simone Amend
Unkompliziert | Unkomplizierte Absprache per Email und perfekte Abläufe. Schnelle Rückmeldungen bei Fragen. Tolle B&Bs
5/5 Keith Barber
Highly Recommended | Excellent customer service, pro,pt replies to our inquiries
4/5 Trusted Customer
Super route, reliable service, trustworthy partner
5/5 Phil FillisPerthWA
Well organised and excellent accommodation. | Organised my previous walk with all bookings right along the trail and excellent accommodation. I am using their service again. Good accommodation in good locations and allowance made for alternatives should ferries not be available for river crossings.
5/5 Trusted Customer
excellent customer experience | Very good to contact, helpful, found our exact requirements and kept us fully in touch. Will book again with them
5/5 Michael Baensch
Walk The Trail sind Profis | alles hat perfekt geklappt
5/5 Andrew Marshall
The service from Walk the Trail was absolutely superb. We decided to join our friends on a walk at very short notice, & Walk the Trail did everything possible to find us accomodation & allow us to join the others. Walk the Trail were also extremely honest with us, letting us know what could be achieved & what couldn't; they also reverted very quickly on any queries. Overall we'd rate them very highly.
5/5 Lisa Glastonbury, Australia
Brilliant organisation and support | Fantastic personalised support from local people that know the trail intimately. They went to great lengths to ensure our safety during a big storm event. We couldn’t be happier with their attentive customer service.
5/5 Phil Maude
Well organised trip, no problems
5/5 TM, Netherlands
Exactly what we hoped for | Really customized and friendly; perfectly arranged walking four weeks on the swcp trail
5/5 Trusted Customer
Everything worked as required. If there was one observation some of the rooms could have been larger to accommodate 2 people with suitcases. However we recognise we were a fairly late booking.
5/5 Peter Polkinghorne
Outstanding customer service | Walk the Trail were very helpful, when I unfortunately sprained my ankle on the first day's walking and arranged a taxi for me. They also produced a ltter for my insurance claim and checked up later that I had got home alright.
5/5 Trusted Customer
Friendly staff. Quick responses to queries.
5/5 Walter Peake
Walk the Trail doe an absolutely proper job, with every booking! I appreciate all of the clear communication and helpful input
4/5 Trusted Customer
Good in most ways, except that the quality of the accommodations was inconsistent.
5/5 James Garry Grant
A great holiday and my wife and I were sad when we arrived in Charlestown. | All accommodation was excellent. Our luggage was delivered each day in good time. I would certainly recommend this service.
5/5 Timothy Meyers
So far, their response time is great. They heard what I wanted. They provided just enough of humor along with the service. Nice options for things I did not know I wanted.
5/5 Peter Carne, London
Brilliant service ... I'd fully recommend! | I think Walking the Trail's service is brilliant. With great thought and care for our wishes, expectations and needs, they organise the perfect itinerary of day lengths, start and finish locations and accommodations. That's why we've used them again for our second stretch of the SW Coast Path.
5/5 Sue Masters, UK
Excellent support | We had a lovely week walking the next stage of the South West Coast Path. All the bookings made by Walk the Trail were excellent as was all the information, maps and directions that they gave us. The staff are really friendly and helpful whenever you need to talk to them and I would definitely use them again.
Holiday Summary

Select:

Itinerary

7 Days / 8 Nights 11 miles daily avg


Difficulty

Rating: 3


Walkers

Number in Group: 2


What's Included
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Cost £986 per person

Based on Two people sharing a Double or Twin room


Total Cost £1,972

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