SOUTH WEST
01. Charlestown, Cornwall
Distance: 2.8 miles/4.5km | Time: 2 hours | Grade: Moderate | Total ascent: 186m
Route from the book Wild Swimming Walks Cornwall
This adventurous walk starts and finishes at the historic port of Charlestown, with spectacular clifftop views. You can swim at two beaches, or even from beach to beach with a drybag-towfloat or someone to carry your stuff on shore.
1. START
Turn right out of the car park and walk towards the harbour before turning sharp right on to Barkhouse Lane. Walk to the end and go through the staggered fence opening, bearing left on to Duporth Road. Stay on this to the end, crossing over and passing a post box and traffic calming point.
2. 0.7 MILES
At the staggered crossroads at the end of the road, turn left on to Porthpean Road, following the sign for Little Harbour. Follow the pavement past the community hospital on the right, crossing over the turning for Ridgewood Close, and then turn left on to Porthpean Beach Road. About 130 metres along, there is a bridleway on your right opposite a house called Caislin – be careful as it is easy to miss.
3. 1 MILE
Turn right into the bridleway and stay on it past the golf course. At the end you reach a lane where you turn left. Continue down Porthpean Beach Road until you reach the church on your left. With St Levan’s church entrance behind you, walk on to the track beside Ivy Cottage and follow this down to the driveway of Trelowen. Go through the gate into the turning area and head for the garage on your right. There is a kissing gate to the left of the garage.
Go through the kissing gate and ascend the righthand side of the field, where you will find a gap leading into the next field. Go through the gap into the left field and follow the hedge on your right to a granite post and waymark.
4. 1.6 MILES
From the granite post, turn left downhill to a kissing gate. Go through this and then turn left on to the coast path. After a stile, you will descend some steps and then reach Porthpean Sailing Club. Follow the path down to the beach. From Porthpean Beach, climb the steps at the far end of the sea wall. Continue along the path and up a flight of steps until you reach a lookout tower. Follow the coast path with the sea on your right until you reach Duporth Beach.
5. 2.3 MILES
From Duporth Beach, retrace your steps to the coast path and turn right to cross the small bridge. Pass an iron kissing gate and continue down past Crinnis Cliff Battery. Either walk through the battery (it rejoins the path) or continue along the path. Walk down a flight of steps, through a kissing gate and on to reach Charlestown Harbour. Another swim is possible here, before heading back up through the village to the car park where you started.
USEFUL INFO
Starting point
The walk starts and ends at Charlestown car park. Charlestown harbour and beach are very near the car park. There is also a car park very close to the beach at Porthpean.
Bus routes 21 between Newquay and St Austell and 24 between Fowey and St Austell both stop in Charlestown.
Terrain
Pavements, fields and waymarked coast path.
Map
OS Explorer 107
Guidebook
Discover more Cornish coastal walks in Wild Swimming Walks Cornwall by Matt Newbury and Sophie Pierce (Wild Things Publishing, £14.99).
Swim
Porthpean Beach is a lovely shallow beach to swim from. At Duporth Beach, you can scramble over the rocks at low tide to Charlestown, but of course it is more fun to swim around past a secret beach and get a unique view of the harbour. Don’t miss the sizeable cave as you land at Charlestown.
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