Walk The Trail

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Route: From St Ives to Penzance

Overview

Magical West Cornwall is the setting for this beautiful walk.

Commencing at St Ives, a picturesque seaside town with the kind of simple beauty that stops you in your tracks, this memorable journey with spectacular views of the ocean will take you to some delightful locations. Zennor is a place of tranquil beauty, Pendeen and the majestic Geevor Tin Mine shows off the area's mining history with old engine houses scattered around the gorse and heathland landscape, Levant Mine and Beam Engine perched on the edge of the cliffs, and coves which were once the haunt of bygone smugglers and pirates.

Passing the long sweeping sands of Sennen Cove, you will reach Lands End, the most westerly point in England, the rugged cliffs and rocks and views of the Longships and Wolf Rock Lighthouse being a stark reminder of the many shipwrecks strewn around this coast.

Moving on to the more sheltered southern coastline and arriving at Porthcurno, you will pass the famous and stunning outdoor Minack Theatre built into the granite cliff-top.

Finally, stopping for a rest at the pretty harbour of Mousehole and passing through the lively and busy fishing port of Newlyn, you will arrive at the bustling and colourful town of Penzance, having truly experienced the rugged and dramatic beauty of the West Cornwall peninsula.

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

Recommended dates to walk this route

This walk can be done all year round but the weather in the winter months may make the walk a little more difficult.

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Itinerary & Costs

Our most popular route on the whole South West Coast Path, the St Ives to Penzance itinerary has it all!

Leaving the beautiful picturesque cobbled streets of St Ives, the path soon follows upwards to provide spectacular views over the Atlantic Ocean with waves crashing onto the rugged dramatic cliffs below , passing Tin Mines perched on cliff tops and then iconic Lands’ End, before drifting through beautiful Lamorna and Mousehole and ending at bustling Penzance.

This magical journey with a daily average of 10 miles (16km) is perfect for walkers of all abilities.

Itinerary: Number in group:

The Daily Itinerary

Click on a day for further information.

Day 1: Arrive

St Ives

- Day 2:

St Ives to Zennor

Distance: 6.5 miles Difficulty: Strenuous

Due to a lack of accommodation in Zennor, it may be necessary to accommodate you elsewhere and include transfers to and from the accommodation.

- Day 3:

Zennor to St Just

Distance: 12 miles Difficulty: Strenuous

St Just is located inland from Cape Cornwall. The distance above includes the 1 mile walk to the town square.

- Day 4:

St Just to Porthcurno

Distance: 13 miles Difficulty: Moderate

This distance includes the 1 mile walk back to the coast path.
Due to a lack of accommodation in Porthcurno, it may be necessary to accommodate you elsewhere and include transfers to and from the accommodation.

Day 5:

Porthcurno to Penzance

Distance: 11 miles Difficulty: Strenuous/Easy

Day 6: Depart

Penzance

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. Extra bags can be added upon request for an additional fee.
Phone line support between the hours of 0900-1900, 7 days a week for the length of your holiday.
If required, path to accommodation or round river transfers.

Optional Extras

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

A comprehensive guide book for the area in which you are walking. This will detail important information about each town and village you visit.
Map(s) for the area you are walking, specifically designed for walkers.
Your holiday pack posted to your home address. Unticking this box, indicates that you would prefer to print the pack yourself.

Not Quite Right?
Try our Tailor Made Service here »

Important Information

Please note accommodation in Zennor is limited and we cannot guarantee en-suite facilities at this location.

Reviews

Peter & Lisa from Australia

We are now two weeks back from our recent holiday......grim.....but could not let the opportunity pass to say a big thank you for your work in making the SWCP section of our holiday so fantastic We could not fault anything - the guide book superb, the overall map invaluable, the accommodation absolutely perfect, the luggage transfer such a treat......just a shame about the fog at Lands End....we may as well have been in Perth!?!? We are keen to use you again to do the section from Minehead to Hayle.....and I have been singing your praises to lots of people.....hopefully you will get a booking from my work colleagues - in due course Till next time Cheers

Claudia from the Netherlands

Just a quick thank you for the lovely week I spent in Cornwall. Beautiful hikes, nice accommodation, friendly people, even the weather was wonderful! All was perfectly organized, no troubles with luggage. Thanks very much and I'll contact you again, next summer! Best regards.

Uwe from Berlin

Dear Walk the Trail team, we arrived yesterday safely at our destination in Falmouth and want to thank you very much for the memorable holidays. You did a very good job planning our walking trip. The accommodations you chose were excellent, the hosts very friendly and helpful. Very kind regards.

Nancy & Pam from London

We just wanted to send a quick email to thank you for a fabulous holiday. We loved the segment you chose for us. We loved the B&Bs. It was all so much better than expected and we were relieved to find the walking challenging but not overly strenuous. Best Walk: Hard to choose, but possibly St Ives to Zennor We look forward to using your services again and walking further next time. Best wishes.

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!

Steve from West Sussex

Just returned from my West Cornwall walk and would just like to say a big thankyou for sorting out my accommodation and luggage transfers. All the arrangements worked out fine which left me free to concentrate on the walking. Saw some amazing coastal scenery and returning to my starting point in St Ives via the St Michael's Way was a nice contrast. I still have lots more of the SW coast path to walk and I am sure I will be back in touch with you at some point in the future. Many thanks.

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.

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.

Katherine from Twickenham

I have just come back from walking between Penzance and Padstow and wanted to say an enormous thank you to you all - it was a wonderful, wonderful time and everything worked perfectly!

Catherine from Bristol

Thank you for organising everything so efficiently, we both really enjoyed the week. You have been consistently great and we won't hesitate to book with you again next year.

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.

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!

Adrea & Frank from Germany

We have just returned home from our trip. We had a lovely time, everything worked out well and we enjoyed it a lot. We found that all the accommodations were good, and our luggage transfers worked without a glitch. Each leg of the route was well chosen in respect to the daily distance. Thanks for your efforts!

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.

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.

Ian

We had a really great holiday, thanks to you all.

Joan from Australia

Would recommend your organisation to anyone, and will do so. Can't thank you enough for a trouble free adventure.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

Mike from Cheshire

Thanks for organising a great holiday. Everything was perfect. Will definitely be back next year.

Colleen Grierson, New Zealand

Wonderful people to work with, very patient. | I found it difficult having to orgainise something I knew nothing about, through email., so their was some difficulty with intereptation, which meant an awful lot of emails going back and forward ....... during all this I found Linda and Mike to be very helpful, patient and professional, also with a lovely sense of humour.

Phil Maude

The trip was well organised and although the days were long it was an enjoyable trip

Jenny Congdon, UK

All arrangements went well with good information provided. Easy to make contact and friendly. Accomodation was all very well situated - central to villages and not far from path. I particularly liked the flexibility of start/finish points so holiday can be tailored to exactly what you want. Would definitely use again and hope to return to walk other sections of the Path.

Linda Horrex

They are reliable. | They followed up out of normal working hours. The landlord of one the pubs we stayed in said they were very easy to work with. We have used them before and will use them again for the next section of the path next year.

Russell Lagdon, Australia

Personal service was great - always responsive and clear. I did not find the walkers page (or whatever its called) that useful, but the email communications was spot on.

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!!

Andrew & Janet Longden

Flexible, helpful, local… and good value. | A superb trip - faultless luggage transfers and some of the very best B&B’s/small hotels, all of which were on or close to the trail.

Simone Amend

Unkompliziert | Unkomplizierte Absprache per Email und perfekte Abläufe. Schnelle Rückmeldungen bei Fragen. Tolle B&Bs

Trusted Customer

Excellent service, would highly recommend! | Great service, the team was reactive and incredibly helpful. The accommodations were carefully chosen, all very comfortable and well situated. The hikes were well organised and thr dedcription/fitness level accurate. In short, we had a dream hike thanks to Walk the Trail!

Lise BadsvikStavanger, Norway

We received very helpful additional information by mail before our trip, which proved really useful.

Martin Johnson

Helpful, friendly and efficient. Feel like one of the family! | We are halfway through completing the SWCP. We have done four separate weeks with WtT and will continue to do so until we reach the end. They always treat us like friends, always happy to cater to our needs and always give prompt responses. The information packs they provide for the trips cover all essential needs; itinerary, directions/details of accommodation, maps including GPX files (Komoot), etc. Although the mileages can be a little understated, I wouldn't put the blame on WtT as many walkers we've met have said the same. The accommodation they provide is good and some are excellent. We have never had any problems with the transfers of our luggage, always there waiting for us and never any damage. We are thoroughly enjoying the experience and very grateful to WtT for taking all the hassle out of the organising. There have been a couple of tiny hick-ups but nothing to stop us continuing with this great little company.

Trusted Customer

Perfectly Organised | A great holiday arranged by Walk the Trail. All accommodation, and luggage transfers worked perfectly. The holiday pack was easy to understand and I will definitely use them again.

Colin Horsley

We would recommend Walk the Trail and would use them again. Most arrangements ran smoothly and they were very responsive. The accommodation was a bit mixed and we would not necessarily recommend each of the places in which we stayed.

Trusted Customer

Top quality experience! | Walk the Trail was well organized and provided us with a wonderful walking trip on the Southwest Coast Path. The inns were comfortable and we were received in friendly fashion. When we had some difficulty with the app they suggest for tracking our progress on the trail, their response was immediate and very helpful. Would use this group again!

Trusted Customer

Linda was so helpful picking our hike and providing info we never would have found on our own. We are thinking about another England hike next year and will definitely us Walk the Trail. They were great

Trusted Customer

BEAUTIFUL trails ... very reasonably priced! | Excellent. Fun. All of the bag transfers were done earlier than what we expected.

Trusted Customer

Super route, reliable service, trustworthy partner

Richard Tewkesbury

St Ives to Penzance in 4 days walking. Well-organised, good information in advance so all went smoothly. Each section was pretty much perfect distance for each day's hike, tough but not too tough (for a couple of 68 year old, but reasonably fit, guys).

Trusted Customer

Zuverlässig, hilfsbereit. | Perfekt organisiert. Gepäcktransport hat sehr gut geklappt, auch Buchungen der Unterkünfte.

Trusted Customer

Wonderful holiday | A stunning experience - amazing views and walking (and swimming!). Really great service - great to have accommodation and maps organised in advance. All B&Bs were friendly and comfortable.

Rachel Chappell

The team were really helpful and managed to customise our holiday just for us

Michael Baensch

Walk The Trail sind Profis | alles hat perfekt geklappt

Trusted Customer

They were very helpful when I rang to discuss my trip with them and gave me superb hints and tips. The website is well thought-out and suggested a wonderful itinerary based on my choice of distance and number of days.

TM, Netherlands

Exactly what we hoped for | Really customized and friendly; perfectly arranged walking four weeks on the swcp trail

Joe Gasan

Friendly and efficient service

Sandy Melnyk, Canada

Excellent communication and answers to all our questions. | The response to all our inquiries and emails were answered promptly. The options available for accommodation was given clearly. Very happy with our communication which is both professional and kind. Look forward to continuing our booking for this upcoming June.

Luca Cuccarini

Buono il servizio | Il servizio è buono anche se costoso. Sempre pronti a rispondere a qualunque esigenza. Ci sono stati degli inconvenienti con una sistemazione in hotel e con dei ritardi dei taxi ma tutto sommato un buon servizio. "Good service | The service is good even if expensive. Always ready to respond to any need. There were some hiccups with hotel accommodation and taxi delays but overall good service."

Andrew Dennis

Spot on service | I have already recommended to 3 seperate folk at work for their efficient and personal service

Trusted Customer

Great SWCP experience | Organisation excellent, service excellent, choice of B&B’s very good too bar the pub in Pendeen.

Marie Cuypers

Great

Trusted Customer

A wonderful destination, can really recommend Cornwall. | Everything was absolutely perfect. The hotels and hiking trails were superb. The fact that you could arrange a bus to and from Heathrow was super, saved a lot of time for us. Sometimes the hike took a little longer than you had said, we needed more time.

Trusted Customer

I am happy with the service and can fully recommend Walk the Trail.

Richard John Gale

Perfectly stress free | We have now used this company for four years and everything works perfectly - What more can you say. The accommodation chosen is great. It makes for a completely stress free holiday booking experience for what would be a nightmare to do yourself. And when there was no accommodation available where we ended our walk they arranged a taxi (included in cost) to take us to suitable accommodation.

Trusted Customer

INCREDIBLY RESPONSIVE, RELIABLE AND HELPFUL!!! THIS IS THE SECOND TRIP WE HAVE ARRANGED THROUGH WALK THE TRAIL AND I RECOMMEND THEM WITHOUT RESERVATION

Phil Maude

The trip went smoothly. WTT provided good quality accommodation and the luggage transport worked well.The only blob was a lack of en suite accommodation at Porthcurno after I had understood that I had booked en suite for the trip.

MadlinHamburg

SWCP - St.Ives - Falmouth | I had the best vacation in a long time. It was all well planned. I highly recommend it.

Asa Fredriksson

Fantastic customer service in all details. Before and under our trip.

Trusted Customer

Challenging walks, beautiful views | We had the most wonderful holiday, challenging walks, beautiful views and a great welcome from every place we stayed.

Bob, UK

Friendly and efficient. | Our accommodation on the South West Coast Path was organised by Linda at relatively short notice, saving us a lot of difficulty in trying to find it ourselves as we have done in the past. Pre-departure information was extensive and helpful. Impressively we were warned by email of impending severe weather conditions in order to ensure our safety - over and above any normal efficient service.

Ian Smith

Have used them several times and service has always been excellent

Valerie Hasselaar

Great service in correspondence as well as transfer of bags. | Communication was great and yes would certainly use your services this year again. The B&Bs were good, would prefer larger rooms with two separate beds.

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.

Steve Kennett

Organised and efficient | Our expectations have been exceeded even before the walk has begun!

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.

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.