Falmouth to Plymouth Walking Holiday itinerary | South West Coastal Path Stage 6

Area:

Cornwall

Walk

Overview

Relevant facts:

Starting Point: St Mawes
Finishing Point: Plymouth
Days walking: 7 days
Nights accommodation: 18
Daily average: 11 miles
Prices from: £655
Terrain: Moderate

Holiday Includes:

Bed and Breakfast Accommodation
Luggage Transfer (one bag per person)
Maps/ Guide Notes and Itinerary

This walking holiday starts from St Mawes. The walk from Falmouth to St Mawes is actually a ferry ride so since we are based in St Mawes we like to start the first night of your holiday if possible at our luxury bed and breakfast in St Mawes.

The walk takes in many varied coastal ports, St Mawes, Portscatho, Portloe, Mevagissey, Charlestown, Fowey, Polperro, Looe and Plymouth all with their own distinctive character. Many ports now survive on leisure boating but the fishing industry still survives and in Falmouth, Fowey and Plymouth large commercial shipping still thrives. Charlestown is a tiny harbour that still contains square rigged sailing boats.

Itinerary

Day 1	Travel to St Mawes
Day 2	St Mawes to Portloe	13.7 miles
Day 3	Portloe to Mevagissey	12.3 miles
Day 4	Mevagissey to Charlestown	7.2 miles
Day 5	Charlestown to Fowey	10.3 miles
Day 6	Fowey to Polperro	7.1 miles
Day 7	Polperro to Portwrinkle	12.6 miles
Day 8	Portwrinkle to Plymouth	13.3 miles
Day 9	Travel home from Plymouth

Day 1: Travel to St Mawes where your first night's accommodation has been booked.

Day 2: St Mawes to Portloe. Take the Place ferry from St Mawes harbour across the harbout then walk around St Anthony Head, past the Lighthouse and our favourite beach (Porthbeor) before going through Portscatho. Just a a few hundred metres further along is the award winning beach cafe "The Hidden Hut". A great place to stop for lunch. Further on if the tide is right you can walk along Pendower beach before going around Nare Head with its great view of Gull Rock. Further on suddenly the tiny harbour of Portloe will appear.

Day 3: Portloe to Mevagissey. The day takes you past Porthlune Cove with Caerhays castle behind. The gardens in the grounds of the castle are a traditional Cornish spring garden and open from mid February through to early June. Onwards it is up and down a few steep climbs before rounding Dodman Point a notable landmark for sailors along the south Cornwall coast. There is little village of Gorran Haven to pass through before arring in the narrow streets of Mevagissey where the fishing boats moor up right in the heart of the town.

Day 4: Mevagissey to Charlestown. The path takes you around the great arc of St Austell Bay before arring at the perfectly preserved old port of Charlestown. You will find old wooden square riggers moored up in the harbour and a Shipwreck and Heritage Centre that is well worth a visit.

Day 5: Charlestown to Fowey. The path has a takes a slightly urban route through Par before passing through Polkerris and then on to Gribbin Head and the Fowey daymark ( a red and white striped tower that helps boats navigate into Fowey). The Fowey estuary is always full of visiting yachts and the town itself bustles with activity throughout the summer season. The Fowey Festival of Words and Music (previously the Daphne du Maurier Literature festival) is held here each May.

Day 6: Fowey to Polperro. The day starts with a short ferry ride to Polruan on the other side of the river. Although the distance is short this is a strenuous walk with a lot of ups and downs as the path makes its way to Polperro, however you are well rewarded with magnificent sea views.

Day 7: Polperro to Portwrinkle. Looe, a town divided by a river is a good place for a refreshment stop and a little bit of exploring before continuing on the coast. If the tide is right this section contains some very pleasant beach walking as an alternative to the coastal path.

Day 8: Portwrinkle to Plymouth. Spectacular views as the path rounds Rame Head before descending into Cawsand, a grat place for refreshment at one of its many pubs. The walk finishes with a different character as it passes through the woods of Mount Edgcumbe Country park. The Cremyll ferry then delivers you to Plymouth

Day 9: Travel home from Plymouth

Essential Info

WALKING DIFFICULTY: This is a coastal walk, for the most part along quite high cliffs with quite a lot of ups and downs. It will not be beyond the average walker but distance covered per hour will be low.

ACCOMMODATION: Our standard itinerary provides accommodation in either 3 or 4 star bed and breakfasts or small hotels or inns. When quoting for a holiday a draft itinerary is provided showing typical accommodation used on the route. A full cooked breakfast is included.

ADDITIONAL NIGHTS:

Mevagissey is ideally placed for a visit to the outstanding Lost Gardens of Heligan. Charlestown is about 4 miles from the world famous “Eden Project” and has a fabulous harbour sheltering several tall ships. Fowey is has a lively harbour and lots of interesting shops and restaurants.

NAVIGATION: Navigation is generally straight forward, follow the acorn signs and keep the sea on your right!

BAGGAGE TRANSFERS: All our prices include transfering one bag per person (max weight 20kg) between your overnight stops.

Travel information:

TRAVEL BY RAIL:

Arriving: London mainline trains go from Paddington to St Austell, then it is about a 35 min taxi ride to St Mawes. In summer it is possible to continue on the train to Truro and then catch the Ferry to St Mawes (seewww.falriver.co.uk)
Returning: From Plymouth there trains are direct to London Paddington (about 3 hr 30mins)

TRAVEL BY CAR:
Arriving take the M5 from Bristol, then the A30 from Exeter, and then drop south through St Austell to St Mawes. Long term parking is available at our base in St Mawes.
Returning: Take the train from Plymouth to St Austell (45 min taxi to St Mawes) or Truro then the ferry see above..

TRAVEL BY AIR:
Arriving, Newquay Airport has regular flights from London Gatwick. It is about a 45 minute taxi ride from the airport to St Mawes.
Returning: Plymouth airport closed in 2012, so Exeter airport is the nearest. Take a train from Plymouth to Exeter, there are regular bus services from Exeter St Davids Station to the airport.

Photos

Availability & Pricing

AVAILABILITY:

This walk can only be done between Easter and the end of October, this is due to reliance on ferries that only run between this two dates.

PRICES:

7 Day Walking Itinerary (8 nights accommodation) from £655 per person. The price assumes 2 people walking together and sharing a room.

Single supplement (for person walking on their own) £30 per night

Extra nights from £50 per person

Reviews

I do not do face book but will include a few pictures with this note. Overall it was the best walk I have done. The accommodations were all good. In fact some were exceptional of note was the Porthperro. ONe of the best I have every stayed in. The owners were fantastic and the village i wonderful. My ONLY comment is that the difficulty of the walk can not be stressed enough. The first couple of days out of St Ives were brutal. I am glad we stopped short at the Tinner arms. Talked to a few folks who did the whole thing to St Ives and some were so beat up they stopped walking for days. All in all Tim. You choice of distances and accommodations were fantastic. Would recommend you to anyone doing the walk. Best Leslie Roy (Walked from St Ives to Plymouth - September 2016)

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