Great South West Walk

Tuesday August 28

Section 46. MEVAGISSEY TO CHARLESTOWN. Miles: 7.2. Grading: Strenuous

Start time and location
Could you please report for registration at The Harbour Tavern, Jetty Street,
Mevagissey, Cornwall, PL26 6UH at 1pm.
The walk will commence at 1.30pm.

Parking
Plenty of parking avaialble at start points.

BUS SERVICES
The 25 and 25B services run between Mevagissey and St Austell railway station via Pentewan, Charlestown and Par railway station. If catching a bus from Fowey at the end of your walk, please refer to the note about bus stops in the text. You can obtain further information and confirmation of bus services by contacting Traveline on 0870 608 2608 www.traveline.org.uk

TRAIN SERVICES
St Austell station is on the main Plymouth to Penzance railway line, and you can get a bus from outside the station to Mevagissey or Charlestown. For further information, contact National Rail Enquiries on 08457 484950.

TAXI SERVICES
Mike’s Taxis (Mevagissey) – 01726 843001
St Austell Taxis – 01726 66999
Holmbush Kabs – 01726 65767

MAPS
Landranger Series (scale 1:50 000) Numbers 204, Truro, Falmouth and surrounding area and 200, Newquay, Bodmin and surrounding area.
Explorer Series (scale 1:25 000) Numbers 105, Falmouth & Mevagissey and 107, St Austell & Liskeard.
Maps in this Path Description are reproduced in conjunction with Cornwall County Council by permission of Ordnance Survey (based mapping) on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, © Crown Copyright 100019590.
Maps in this path description were drawn by Keith Sokell and the South West Coast Path Association acknowledges his assistance with this work.

GENERAL
Mevagissey: accommodation, cafés, pubs, shops (including a chemist), post office, parking, public telephones and toilets.
Pentewan: very limited accommodation, pub, shop, parking, public telephone and toilets.
Porthpean: refreshments and toilets, both seasonal.
Charlestown: some accommodation, restaurants, pubs, post office/shop, public telephone, parking and toilets.

TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE
Mevagissey: St George’s Square, Mevagissey, PL26 6UB. Tel: 01726 844857.

The Route
Annual Guide Section 49 (7.2 miles – 11.6 km) Grading - Strenuous
From the back of the harbour, turn right, and go up the steep footpath at the marker, ‘Pentewan 2.25 miles’. Continue to walk above the harbour passing the Seapoint Hotel on your left and climbing to pass the Mevagissey coastguard station on your right. You come out onto a playing area and follow the coast path sign on the right hand side which leads you along the edge of a fence.

Having crossed the playing area, aim for the end house of a terrace of large houses and follow the path around the side of this end house, and pass the Trevalsa Hotel on your left with views of Polstreath on your right. (Some steps on the right lead down to Polstreath beach.)

Walk down into a valley which leads to a footbridge then bear left to go uphill to Penare Point. Towards the end of this climb, the path becomes vague, so stick to the edge of the field. Aim for a wooden stile ahead, cross it and descend into a better path with brambles and gorse on either side. The path now climbs to some arable land and is well waymarked. As the path bears round, you get your first view of the golden beach of Pentewan (pronounced 'Pen-tyew-an').

The path around the field ends, and you go over a stile to go round to the right to keep to the barbed wire fence. Go down into the valley and simply keep to the field edge.

Bear round to the right as you reach the bottom of this valley then cross the boggy area by using the footbridge then go round to the right, not straight ahead, to go uphill. A path on the right leads you to the remains of Portgiskey, which was a small fishing community consisting of fish cellars and a quay. At the top bear go round to the right and climb the stile to join the main road, ignoring the public footpath ahead which leads to the main (St Austell-Mevagissey) road. At the entrance to the Pentewan Sands Holiday Park, you have a choice:

Designated coast path to Pentewan

Continue to follow the main road past the entrance to the holiday park. Turn right at the road junction leading to Pentewan village, passing the School House restaurant on your left.

Go across the bridge and round to the right to pass some beach shops, then the Ship Inn on the left hand side.

Alternative route to Pentewan

Turn right into the holiday complex, then turn left at the public toilets along the sea front. Go over a bridge then aim for the stone arch ahead, then turn right to go over a narrow wooden bridge: this route misses the shops and pub in Pentewan, and is ideal if you wish to take the alternative route from the village (see below).

There are two ways out of Pentewan, so it is choice time again!

Designated coast path from Pentewan

If you decide on this alternative, make sure that you have visited the old harbour on the beach first if you wanted to. From the public conveniences, go straight ahead to follow the road uphill, then turn into a switchback path, signposted to the church. This is called The Terrace and it takes you above Pentewan and along this very attractive terrace of interesting houses to All Saints Church. Continue on this path to rejoin the coast path proper.

Alternative route from Pentewan

The Association's preferred (and more seaward) route is, from the public conveniences, to turn right into the harbour area, and follow the harbour round, turning left at a finger post and up through a gate. Keep on the main path through some very attractive private gardens, then turn left to go alongside a wooden fence on your right. At the junction of paths, a coast path sign points you to the right.

Coast path continues

Follow the path, keeping the fence on your left. The path is very well-defined, and the view ahead begins to give you a reasonable idea as to why this section has a strenuous grading! Keep climbing and follow the cove around and into a valley. On the following two ascents, the path is distinct and the superb views compensate for the energy expended. Continue down into the valley to go through woodlands, crossing a sloping wooden bridge, and into Hallane, where you may be lucky enough to spot an angel, carved from a damaged tree trunk in 2004.

The marker for the path points left, but should you be ready for a break, the path on the right leads to Hallane Mill House and a peaceful beach with no facilities but an idyllic waterfall.

The path which leads to Drennick is steep, but easy to follow. If the weather is good, you will be able to see as far as Rame Head to the east, which is only a few miles away from the Cornwall-Devon border. As you reach the neck of Black Head, which is owned by the National Trust, the path turns to the left by the memorial to the Cornish writer and historian, A L Rowse.

However, if you have ten or so minutes to spare, do go out onto the headland - some diversions onto headlands on the path can be quite time-consuming, but not this one. If visibility is good, you will be impressed.

Back on the well-defined path, take the right hand fork up a flight of wooden steps (the left fork goes to the village of Trenarren). This small stretch is on a lovely high level path with uninterrupted sea views. Continue steeply down a rocky path into Ropehaven Wood, which is a reserve managed by the

Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

There is a marker post on the right hand side by a bench which points you to the left
(i.e. not downhill). The path goes steeply uphill through the woods, ignoring two paths on the right. Turn sharp left as the lane turns away from the coast to bring you onto a narrow walled lane. Turn right on reaching the road, and follow the road ahead, which leads you up a few steps and over a stile on the right.

Go steeply down to sea level, admiring the natural rock arch off Phoebe's Point.

Climb out of the cove and over a wooden stile. Go through a kissing gate to join a path which is fenced on both sides, and turn right at the end of the staircase. Cross the road to Porthpean beach - ignore the coast path sign pointing the way: this sign is misleading, as you do actually go onto the promenade anyway - to walk past the seasonal toilets and café, right to the end of the beach, then take the steep steps out of the cove.

Keep on the upper path when you get to the top, and follow the marker into a wooded area. The path leads through the houses of Duporth on the left and the beach of the same name on the right. The path leads to some more woods, and you should keep to the widest path. On the left is a castellated wall, built to protect the port of Charlestown just after it had been constructed. Go through a kissing gate, and, if you want to spend a few more moments on the coast path, you can divert through the gate to see the recently restored Crinnis Battery.
Go through another two kissing gates and down the shoulder of the cliff, into the port of Charlestown, to pass the Harbour Inn and the Pier House Hotel and Restaurant on your left.

If you have any question on any of the above please do not hesitate to contact one the event organisers found on the Contact us page click here

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