2023 has been a jam packed year for us. We’ve been lucky enough to spend a lot of time away: even with my very generous annual leave allowance, I’ve maxed it out and then some! So when Sam got the news a few months ago that he’d got a waiting list place on a Cornish ultra marathon, we needed to find some extra time so that we could go down there in order for him to recce the route. With the leave situation being pretty much non-existent and Cornwall being quite far away, the only time we could feasibly get down there for a week was the week we’d already got booked off over Christmas. Usually we stay at home with the weather in December being generally wet and windy, but I was secretly thrilled for an excuse to book another trip away!
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Lizard and Kynance Cove
Unfortunately the weather was a bit wild all week (we had two named storms while we were there) which limited walking options, which were already somewhat limited by needing to drop off and pick up Sam at the start and end of his recces. Mostly though, we did manage to dash out for an hour or two and stay mostly dry – we just had to brace ourselves and layer up against the wind.
On our first day Sam was running from Coverack to Porthleven in the afternoon, so we stopped en-route to do a short walk from Lizard to Kynance Cove. Originally we were going to do a circular walk from our Pocket Mountains guide, however, some escaped cows on the first footpath soon put paid to that plan!
Ultimately we ended up just doing a short out and back stroll along the South West Coast Path to the view point over Kynance Cove – which meant we got to see the lovely coastal views in both directions. We started our walk in Lizard, mainland Britain’s most southerly settlement. There is plentiful parking on the village green (honesty box, £3) and we set off through The Lizard NNR after quickly abandoning Plan A. This didn’t totally avoid livestock as the nature reserve is grazed by both cattle and ponies, however, they were all hunkered down out of the wind and weren’t exposing themselves to come and investigate us unlike the cows who had escaped onto our original route!
The coast path here is undulating and muddy in places, and while it might raise your heart rate a little, it’s not unmanageable by any means. We also enjoyed how quiet our walk was, only seeing a few other people unlike the masses we saw on our last trip to Cornwall – holidaying in winter has its advantages.
In next to no time we arrived at the view point over looking Kynance Cove. We decided not to go down to the beach this time, as a) we needed to crack on so that Sam could do his run and b) despite the lovely blue sky when we first arrived, the heavens opened about 30 seconds after we got there. Retracing our steps back to the start, we were probably out for no more than 90 minutes in total, but if you want to visit Kynance Cove without a walk there is a National Trust car park a very short walk from the beach (pay and display but free for National Trust members).
Dog friendly rating – 3/5. While there were no difficult stiles or obstacles (just a few steps over walls), there were ponies and cattle grazing on the nature reserve and signs up asking for dogs to be kept under close control – which to us, means keeping them on a lead. The beach at Kynance Cove has a seasonal dog restriction, meaning during winter you can take your dog onto the beach whenever, but during summer you can only take them on the beach before 10am or after 6pm – something which applies to a lot of beaches in Cornwall.
Sennen Cove & Land’s End
We were staying close to St Just, and I felt like being this far South West it would be criminal not to make a stop off at Land’s End. When Sam set off on his second recce he took Merry with him, which meant I was able to take Coal for a wander while I waited for him to finish, walking one dog being much easier than managing two on my own. I picked another route from our Pocket Mountains guide looping between Sennen Cove and Land’s End, which I walked in reverse to start inland and return along the coast path.
Happily this time I managed to complete the route without any cow incidents, and had a lovely easy walk which took me just over an hour. I parked in the pay and display car park at Sennen Harbour, climbing up the steep steps at the back of the car park to pick up a flat, well surfaced inland track. I followed this all the way to Land’s End before crossing over to join the coast path (I did have a peep at the famous signpost while I was there and I have to say I thought the whole set up seemed designed to rip off tourists!).
Once I’d joined the coast path the terrain did get a bit more undulating and uneven underfoot, but I’d still say this is a nice easy walk. There are good views along the coast, in particular once you’re nearing the end of the walk there’s a great view back down over Sennen Cove and the beach. I also came across the ponies who graze on the cliffs here and they could not have been more chilled out, despite plenty of people with dogs hanging around.
Dropping back down the steps to the car park, I carried on along the main road to have a quick visit to the beach. The golden sands of Sennen Cove are famous, and its reputation is well deserved as the beach was lovely. I let Coal have a quick 10 minute run before heading back to the car to pick up Sam – which was perfect timing as quite a lot of people started to arrive as we were leaving at around 10am.
Dog friendly rating – 3.5/5. I’ve added on an extra half a point for the possibility of visiting the beach at the end – although seasonal restrictions (the same as Kynance Cove) do apply. Aside from this, you will probably need to keep your dog on a lead for most of the walk due to cliff edges and grazing ponies, although I did see some dog owners walking their dogs along the cliffs off-lead – not something I’d ever risk personally, but none of them seemed stressed or worried about the possibility of their dog chasing something over the edge. The inland track at the start may be somewhere you could let your dog off, but it’s not securely fenced off and dogs who like to roam may be able to slip through the fences at the side. There were no stiles on this walk, but passing through Land’s End in peak season may prove challenging for dogs who find lots of noise and activity overstimulating.
Chûn Quoit
The Wednesday of our trip initially looked like it was going to be a write off, with heavy rain and gusts of 60mph. Miraculously, it unexpectedly brightened up enough in the afternoon for us to brave a short walk – we decided to head in land rather than to the coast in the hope that it wouldn’t be quite as exposed to the wind.
We followed a short circular walk from our Cicerone guide book, visiting a Neolithic monument and nearby Iron Age hillfort. At 2.5 miles it didn’t take us long and was perfect for blowing away the cobwebs after a lazy morning spent working our way through Christmas leftovers. Parking is free in a small car park at the start of the route, with the track running straight onto the moor.
Thanks to all the rain, the trails were completely awash with water and we missed the very first track as we actually thought was a stream, which meant we ended up following the route backwards. In was very, very wet underfoot but we somehow managed to keep our feet dry through a combination of good boots and detouring around the worst of the puddles or, if push came to shove, taking a running jump to leap over the widest ones. This is another easy route with only gentle climbs and absolutely nothing that would fall into the category of taxing.
Chûn Quoit is all that remains of a Neolithic Quoit, and appears vaguely mushroom shaped when viewed from the side. Just beyond the quoit are the remains of Chûn Castle Iron Age hillfort, which while interesting to wander around isn’t quite on the same scale as the hillforts we’ve visited in Northumberland like Humbleton Hillfort. Although, it took a lot less effort to get to than it’s Northumbrian brethren! Despite how easy these monuments are to get to, we didn’t see a single other person on this walk. I think everyone is drawn to the dramatic coastal walks in Cornwall, or if they want to go inland they head to Bodmin Moor.
Dog friendly rating – 4/5. There are no stiles or other obstacles on this walk, nor are there any grazing livestock (at least not according to the Cornwall wildlife trust website, which manages the site). You do need to keep ground nesting birds in mind in summer and watch out for wading birds in winter. This quiet walk is a great option for people whose dogs might find the hustle and bustle of Cornwall’s beaches stressful.
Wheal Coates
Wheal Coates was one of the places I’d really wanted to visit last time we came to Cornwall, but which ended up being just a bit too far away from where we were staying. Therefore, I jumped at the chance to pop over for a nosey around while Sam was running nearby. Rather than following a set route, I just had a wander along the paths between the ruined mining buildings – it’s absolutely fascinating to investigate and there are some beautiful views, only made more atmospheric by inclement weather!
Parking is free for National Trust members in a few nearby car parks, pay and display for non-members. If you’re planning a trip to Cornwall (or the Lake District) I would seriously urge you to consider taking out a National Trust membership – they have so many car parks in these parts of the world that you could probably get you membership fee back on parking alone if you have a few trips.
Generally, the paths that I explored at Wheal Coates were very well maintained and good to walk on, with a few steep sections to drop up or down to the different levels of paths. I did get battered by the wind a bit but I didn’t mind – it was a much warmer winter wind than I’m used to in Yorkshire! When I arrived at 10am I had the place pretty much to myself, but as I left about 45 minutes later more people were starting to arrive.
Dog friendly rating – 4/5. Dogs are welcome on the footpaths at Wheal Coates, and all of the people who were arriving as I left looked more like local dog walkers than tourists. There were no stiles on any of the paths I explored, but there may be some if you walk further than I did. Chapel Porth beach is very close by and could easily be incorporated into a walk around the site: if you do want to take your dog on the beach, there is a dog restriction from 10am-6pm in the months of July and August.
Botallack Mines
Before we knew it, it was the end of the week and time to pack up the car and head home. Annoyingly, the day we were driving home was forecast to be nicer than any of the other days we’d been down for, so we decided to squeeze in a quick walk before starting the long drive back to Yorkshire. Sam had run from Sennen to Zennor earlier in the week and reported back that the mines between Cape Cornwall and Pendeen looked worth visiting, so we drove over to Botallack to have a mooch around and a wander along the coast path.
There is a large National Trust car park which is free for members and pay and display for non members. We were the first people there and had the mines to ourselves, which was great as there’s plenty to explore and we could spend as long as we wanted admiring views or taking photos without worrying about blocking someone else’s view!
If you’re a fan of the BBC series Poldark, the mines at Botallack might look familiar – it was one of the filming locations for the Poldark family mine. Location fees from the series have been re-invested back into caring for the landscapes where the series was filmed, and have also helped to increase interest in visiting and caring for the sites. Happily though it was nice and quiet on a windy Friday morning in December!
We really enjoyed our walk along the coast path. We walked south to Kenidjack Castle, where we had a lovely view of Cape Cornwall, before retracing our steps with views back towards Botallack. The buildings perched on the cliff with the sea crashing just below really do make for a cracking view. Again, this was a nice easy walk, but I was glad I’d put my boots on as the coast path was muddy in places.
Dog friendly rating – 3/5. We kept our dogs on leads all the way along the coast path just in case, but there were no stiles which needed navigating. You may come across ponies grazing on the cliffs, but on this occasion we didn’t see them. While it was nice and quiet when we visited, it was mid-winter and early – I expect that the location’s Poldark connections mean that it gets much busier here in summer.
Where we stayed
We stayed at Giddy Up Home, a small cottage on a farm near St Just. The cottage was surprisingly spacious and had everything we needed for the week, and was cheaper than a lot of places in Cornwall – perhaps because it looks a bit tired in places. We really enjoyed our stay and found it to be a great base, with everywhere we wanted to go in easy reach and a co-op handily close by in St Just. I did however think the sofa and cushions smelled a bit funny, although Sam said he couldn’t smell anything so maybe it’s just me!
Dog friendly rating – 5/5. This cottage had everything I look for from a dog owner’s perspective: an enclosed garden which was Merry proof (which is very, very rare), hard floors, spacious with no clutter to be swept to the ground by a wagging Labrador tail and nearby fields where we could let the dogs have a run if we wanted. The quiet location was perfect for Merry’s barking too with hardly anything to set him off.
And there you have it – a wintery week in Cornwall all wrapped up in a blog post. Despite the weather, we both enjoyed this more than our first trip to Cornwall – it was so much quieter without hordes of people gathered everywhere and millions of cars clogging up Cornwall’s (very narrow and twisty) country lanes. It’s definitely somewhere I’d suggest you consider visiting out of season!
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