Lace up your boots

There are so many ways to make the most of your time in Cornwall, however one of the best has to be by lacing up your boots and walking one of the innumerable routes around Cornwall. The best part is that being home to such a wonderfully diverse landscape, whether you fancy a moorland expedition, a woodland walk or a stroll along the South West Coast Path, in Cornwall, you’re absolutely spoilt for choice.

The Copper Trail

Covering around 80 square miles of land in north east Cornwall, Bodmin Moor is easily accessible from both our sites at Southern Halt and Stonerush Lakes. It’s also home to a number of proper Cornish inns and restaurants, including the Jamaica Inn, as immortalised by Daphne Du Maurier’s eponymously named novel. There’s an extensive network of walking routes to explore on the moors, including along The Copper Trail. 

While you’re here, be sure to visit the Minions Heritage Centre. Housed in an old engine house, the centre has plenty of information on the local area’s heritage. It’s a fabulous repurposing of an iconic Cornish building!

Kilminorth Woods

Another wonderful walk, this time starting at Looe Station, takes you on a four-mile circular route through Kilminorth Woods. Together with Trenant Woods (across the water) Kilminorth forms one of Cornwall’s largest oak woodlands. Although it’s not considered a natural woodland, due to coppicing over the last 400 years, the trees here are all of different ages, making for beautiful surroundings as you walk your way round and providing sanctuary for a myriad of species. 

Indeed, the nature reserve here presents the opportunity to see a whole host of flora and fauna, from blossom tumbles, wild cherries, primroses and bluebells, to herons and Canada geese on the water. Keep your eyes peeled and you may well catch a glimpse of wild roe deer; keep your ears pricked and, if you’re lucky, you will hear the whoosh of buzzards, sparrowhawks and peregrines over head, the drilling of woodpeckers as they search for insects, or the trilling of kingfishers as they flit up and down the banks of the river.

The route starts from Looe Railway Station. Cross the river via the bridge to west Looe, turn right around the amusement arcade, head through Millpool car park before finding yourself at the water’s edge. Turn left, continue along the riverside path and eventually you’ll find yourself at the gate to Kilminorth Woods. From here, take the left-hand path for the woodland walk, taking in the Giant’s Hedge along the way. The Giant’s Hedge is thought to date back to the Dark Ages, serving as a boundary wall marking a local chief’s territory. 

Polperro Heritage Coast

Next we head to the coast to take the Hendersick and Talland Bay loop, on the Polperro Heritage Coast. Here you can expect dramatic views of Looe Island, the Atlantic and the horizon beyond, plus detours to the beaches that are strewn along this wonderful stretch of coastline.

Starting off at the National Trust car park at Hendersick, on the West Looe to Talland Road, take the path from the corner of the car park, pass through the gate and take the wooded path adjacent to the farm track. After the second gate, turn right and pass by the farm buildings, which will be on your right. Follow the trail down to reach the coast path, above Portnadler Bay. To explore the beach and rockpools here, take the steps down to the shore, or simply soak up the wonderful views of Looe Island from above.

The headland here is known as Hore Point, named after the offshore rock, the Hore Stone. The outcrop of the headland can’t be missed, offering scintillating views across Whitsand Bay to the east. The National Trust has worked closely with the farmer at Hendersick, restoring the grasslands here that had been lost to blackthorn and gorse. Sheep can now be found grazing here, ensuring a balance between grass and scrub, and budding ornithologists have a good chance of seeing Dartford warblers, linnets and whitethroats.

Walking Routes

For detailed walking route maps of these walks and many others across Cornwall, visit: 

www.nationaltrust.org.uk | www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk | www.visitcornwall.com