5-day route
West Cornwall in five days
St Ives and its artists, the Penwith coast to Land's End, St Michael's Mount, and Falmouth's castles and gardens.
- Where
- Cornwall
- Pace
- Moderate. Two bases, buses or a car between coast villages, and some cliff walking.
- Best season
- Gardens, galleries and the coast path are open most of the year; St Michael's Mount is reached on foot by the causeway only at low tide, so check tide times.
- Suits
- Art lovers, Walkers, Beach days
- No step-free information for these 23 stops
- No stops marked family-friendly in our guides
Step-free and family flags come only from data we hold (OpenStreetMap contributors or the venue's own access page) and are not a full access check. Contact each venue before you go.
The route on a map
Numbers follow the order of the days below.
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Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab).
Day by day
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Day 1 · Cornwall
St Ives
Overnight: St Ives
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Tate St Ives

Photo: flickr user "Steve Parker", CC BY 2.0 Modern British art with St Ives links.
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Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden

Photo: Tom Parnell, CC BY-SA 2.0 The sculptor's studio and garden.
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Leach Pottery

Photo: Jordanhill School D&T Dept, CC BY 2.0 Pottery founded in 1920.
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Smeaton's Pier

Photo: David Medcalf, CC BY-SA 2.0 The harbour pier.
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Porthmeor Beach

Photo: DS Pugh, CC BY-SA 2.0 Surf beach below the Tate.
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Day 2 · Cornwall
Zennor and the north coast
Overnight: St Ives
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St Senara's Church, Zennor

Photo: The original uploader was Nabokov at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 Zennor's ancient parish church.
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Zennor Head

Photo: Matthew Hatton, CC BY-SA 2.0 Granite headland on the coast path.
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Chysauster Ancient Village

Photo: habiloid, CC BY-SA 2.0 Iron Age and Romano-British courtyard houses.
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Geevor Tin Mine

Photo: Tom Page, CC BY-SA 2.0 Tin mine museum at Pendeen.
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Botallack Mine

Photo: Kevin Walsh from Bicester, England, CC BY 2.0 Cliff mine in the World Heritage mining landscape.
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Day 3 · Cornwall
Land's End and Porthcurno
Overnight: Penzance
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Cape Cornwall

Photo: Stevekraken, CC BY-SA 4.0 Headland near St Just.
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Sennen Cove

Photo: Jim Champion, CC BY-SA 3.0 Village on the coast path.
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Land's End

Photo: Jakemete, CC BY 3.0 The western tip of mainland England.
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PK Porthcurno

Photo: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 4.0 Museum of global communications.
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Mousehole

Photo: Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0 Fishing village on Mount's Bay.
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Day 4 · Cornwall
Penzance and the Mount
Overnight: Penzance
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St Michael's Mount

Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain Tidal island reached by a causeway at low tide.
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Marazion

Photo: The original uploader was Shropman at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5 Town facing the Mount.
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Penlee House Gallery and Museum

Photo: Purely Penzance, CC BY 2.0 Newlyn School paintings.
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Jubilee Pool

Photo: Tom Corser, CC BY-SA 2.0 uk Art Deco sea-water lido.
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Day 5 · Cornwall
Falmouth and the Helford
Overnight: Falmouth
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Pendennis Castle

Photo: Darren Shilson, CC BY 2.0 Henry VIII's artillery fort.
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National Maritime Museum Cornwall

Photo: Vernon39, Public domain Harbourside maritime museum.
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Trebah Garden

Photo: Lee Vilenski, CC BY-SA 4.0 Garden running down to the Helford River.
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St Mawes Castle

Photo: Claudiu Bichescu, CC BY-SA 3.0 The fort facing Pendennis across the water.
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Rail times vary by day and operator, so only times from an official page are shown. Opening hours, prices and tickets change: check each official site. This route is independent and unofficial.