Hi everyone, I’m back with the next part of my Adventures on the Cornish Coast Path series. This time, I walk from Portreath to St Ives on a late-September day that feels almost perfect: clear blue skies, soft autumnal light, and a gentle breeze to keep me cool. The gorse still bears a few yellow flowers, the heather has faded to muted purples and browns, and the season’s crisp, earthy scent fills the air.
Portreath to the North Cliffs
This is a substantial day: roughly 18 miles with around 2,000 feet of elevation gain overall. Most people need 7–8½ hours at a steady pace, longer if you linger for photos, seals or ice cream. I’m aiming for 8 hours, and I’ve had my caffeine to help me along the way. As usual, to save a few pennies, my rucksack is packed with lots of goodies for along the way.
Café opening hours vary, especially late in the season, so check before you rely on them. If your legs start to protest, you can bail out at Lelant Saltings or Carbis Bay, both on the St Ives Bay branch line. Hayle is on the mainline, so from there you would change at St Erth for the branch to St Ives.
After the initial climb out of Portreath, the path settles into long, relatively level stretches along the clifftops and downs, so it doesn’t feel relentlessly up and down. I always break it into natural sections so the miles feel more manageable.
I leave Portreath car park and climb steeply up. The path quickly rises above the beach and the old mining port. Soon, you pass a rocky cleft in the cliffs that smugglers once favoured for stashing their loot. Beyond it, the path passes Gull Rock and Basset’s Cove, with only a few steep climbs before the terrain eases. If Jamie and I decide on a shorter walk, we’ll start from the car park at Basset’s Cove, making it a more relaxed outing.
Crane Castle to Hell’s Mouth
Next, Crane Castle comes into view, once an Iron Age cliff fort that erosion has largely worn away. It offers views out to the Crane Islands. From here, the trail levels out for a long, enjoyable stretch across Reskajeage Downs and the North Cliffs. Today the landscape looked wild and open, even in the sunshine, with views stretching back towards St Agnes Beacon (my home) and ahead towards Godrevy and the curve of St Ives Bay.
As I walked past the darkly named Deadman’s Cove and Hudder Down, I reached Hell’s Mouth, a high, jagged stretch of cliff where the Atlantic crashes against the rocks far below, with a drop of around 88 metres. It’s definitely more beautiful than it sounds 😂. The dramatic landscape offers unforgettable height and exposure rather than a deep gorge. A nearby café offers a quick refuel, but check its opening times. In summer, Jamie and I enjoy fish and chips out of their wrappers and watch the sunset from this magnificent viewing spot.
Godrevy and St Ives Bay
From here, the path heads out around Navax Point and the Knavocks towards Godrevy Point. Keep an eye out for the small herd of Shetland ponies the National Trust uses to graze the Knavocks. They are a bit grumpy, and please don’t walk behind them, as you might get a “friendly” kick!
The white lighthouse stands on its rocky island, the same one thought to have inspired Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse. Today, the views across St Ives Bay are spectacular: golden beaches curving away towards Hayle and St Ives itself, with the sea a deep late-season blue. Jamie and I, along with hundreds of others, sat here during the G7 at Carbis Bay. The security was extensive, with navy ships off the coast and radar installations everywhere. Above us, the Red Arrows performed an impressive display.
Godrevy Café, run independently of the National Trust and open most days, makes a good place to rest before the next change of scenery. I absolutely love the Apricot slice, but I always share it rather than eat a whole piece to myself. Watch for seals around Mutton Cove and Godrevy, and keep your distance, particularly during the autumn pupping season.
The Towans and Hayle
After Godrevy, the walk’s character shifts completely. I dropped down onto the long sweep of beaches and the extensive dune systems of the Towans: Gwithian Towans, Upton Towans and Hayle Towans.
Today I’m in luck as the tide is low. I left the path and strode along the firm sand for miles, which was pure joy in the softer light of September. If you do need to take the dunes, they can be tiring. They are full of marram grass, and I could see the last of the summer wildflowers poking through above the grass.
Eventually, the route brings me to the Hayle estuary. Here, the coast path detours inland through part of Hayle on roads and paths, passing under the railway. It’s the least dramatic section of the day and, to be honest, a bit dull. But it doesn’t last long.
Once across the river, I follow the flat, estuary-side paths into Lelant. From Lelant, the trail stays low, running beside the golf links and the railway, then through more sand dunes towards Carbis Bay. Only as I near Carbis Bay and the final approach to St Ives do the cliffs return.
The Final Miles to St Ives
The last couple of miles feel almost celebratory. I pass Carbis Bay beach, drop down past Porthminster, and the harbour of St Ives opens up ahead with its white houses and galleries.
I arrive with tired legs and a sense of satisfaction. St Ives is a wonderful place to end the day; my favourite part is the galleries. Artists flock to St Ives mainly for its exceptional natural light, dramatic coastal scenery, cliffs and fishing harbour. Their paintings certainly don’t disappoint. They always seem to reflect happiness.
Portreath to St Ives: The Highlights
This stretch gives you everything the north Cornish coast does best: wild cliffs and rocky coves near the start, long, level walking with big views, seals (treated with respect), sweeping beaches and dunes, and a real sense of arrival in one of Cornwall’s most loved towns, even if it is a bit busy for me.
On a bright late-September day with that gentle autumnal edge, it feels especially rewarding.
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