The best walks in Cornwall
The best walks in Cornwall run from flat, buggy friendly trails you can do with a toddler to proper cliff top hikes that leave your legs aching. The South West Coast Path gives you the drama, the Camel Trail gives you an easy, traffic-free day out, and Bodmin Moor gives you Cornwall's only real hills. Pick by ability and you will not go wrong.
This guide names real routes with distances, difficulty and what you see along the way. It sits alongside our wider guide to things to do in Cornwall, and pairs well with dog-friendly things to do in Cornwall and a planned weekend in Cornwall itinerary. We are Camping Sites in Britain, and most of these walks start within a short drive of a campsite.
If you want to base yourself near the best of them, browse campsites in Cornwall and pick a spot on the coast or close to the moor.
Cornwall walks at a glance
Here is the quick version, sorted so you can match a walk to who you are walking with.
| Walk | Distance | Difficulty | Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camel Trail (Padstow to Wadebridge) | 5.5 miles one way | Easy, flat, buggy friendly | Traffic-free estuary path |
| Lanhydrock estate trails | 1 to 4 miles | Easy | Parkland and a great house |
| Cardinham Woods | 1 to 4 miles | Easy to moderate | Wooded valley and a cafe |
| Bedruthan Steps | 1 to 3 miles | Easy along the top | Giant sea stacks |
| Land's End to Sennen Cove | 2 miles round trip | Easy to moderate | The far south west tip |
| Kynance Cove and Lizard Point | 3 to 5 miles | Moderate | Serpentine rock and turquoise sea |
| Godrevy to Hell's Mouth | 4 miles round trip | Moderate | Seals and a lighthouse view |
| Rame Head circular | 3 to 4 miles | Moderate | A quiet chapel headland |
| St Ives to Zennor | 6 miles one way | Hard, rugged | Wild, remote coast path |
| Rough Tor and Brown Willy | 5 to 6 miles | Hard | Cornwall's highest point, 420m |
Easy walks and flat trails
Start here if you have young children, a buggy, or you just want a gentle day. These are the walks nobody has to be talked into.
The Camel Trail
The Camel Trail is the easiest brilliant walk in Cornwall, and the one to do with a pushchair or a nervous cyclist. It follows a disused railway line, so it is flat, firm and completely traffic-free, running roughly 18 miles in total from Padstow through Wadebridge and Bodmin up towards Bodmin Moor. The Padstow to Wadebridge section, about 5.5 miles each way, hugs the Camel estuary with wading birds, mudflats and views across to Rock.
Most families walk or cycle the estuary stretch and turn back, or hire bikes in Padstow or Wadebridge and do a longer loop. There are cafes and loos at both ends, and Padstow itself is worth an afternoon for the harbour and a pasty. It is one of the best free and cheap things to do in Cornwall, because walking it costs nothing.
Lanhydrock estate
Lanhydrock, near Bodmin, wraps easy walking around a grand Victorian country house. The National Trust estate has waymarked trails through parkland and woodland from about one mile up to four, with the River Fowey below and formal gardens by the house. The parkland is free to walk, though the house and gardens have an admission charge. Check current prices and opening on the National Trust Lanhydrock page.
Cardinham Woods
Cardinham Woods, just outside Bodmin, is a Forestry England site with four waymarked trails through a wooded valley, plus mountain bike routes and a cafe by the car park. The trails run from about one mile to four, following streams and old leats under the trees. Parking is paid, walking is free, and it is one of the best wet-weather options in the county.
Coast path walks for most abilities
The South West Coast Path is the star of any Cornwall walking trip, and these sections give you the scenery without needing to be a serious hiker. All of them are on the well-signed acorn-marked path.
Bedruthan Steps
Bedruthan Steps, on the north coast between Padstow and Newquay, is the easy way to see the most photographed cliffs in Cornwall. A line of enormous sea stacks marches out across the beach, and you can walk the clifftop path above them for a mile or three either way with almost no effort. The National Trust staircase down to the sand closes in winter and can shut for repairs, so the beach is not guaranteed, but the view from the top always is. Time it away from high tide if you want the sand.
Land's End to Sennen Cove
The short coast walk from Land's End to Sennen Cove takes you round the very tip of mainland Britain in about a mile each way. From the famous signpost the path drops north along the cliffs to Sennen, a proper working cove with a lifeboat station, the white sand of Whitesand Bay and a couple of pubs. It is easy to moderate, with a bit of up and down, and you can skip the Land's End theme park and just walk the free coast path.
Godrevy to Hell's Mouth
The Godrevy to Hell's Mouth walk is the best spot in Cornwall to see seals from dry land. From the National Trust car park at Godrevy, near Gwithian, you follow the coast path north east for about two miles to Hell's Mouth, a sheer-sided cove where grey seals haul out on the beach far below. Godrevy Lighthouse sits offshore on its island, the one that inspired Virginia Woolf, and there is a cafe at Hell's Mouth for the walk back. About four miles round trip, moderate underfoot.
Rame Head circular
Rame Head, on the quiet south east coast near Cawsand, is the walk for people who think Cornwall is too busy. A short circular of three to four miles takes you out to a lonely headland topped by the tiny medieval St Michael's Chapel, with huge views across Plymouth Sound and Whitsand Bay. It sits on the Rame Peninsula, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty locals call the forgotten corner, and you can walk it on a bank holiday and see almost nobody.
The Lizard: Kynance Cove and Lizard Point
The Lizard peninsula has the most colourful walking in Cornwall, thanks to its rare serpentine rock. Kynance Cove, a couple of miles north of Lizard Point, is the headline: turquoise water, white sand, and dark green and red serpentine cliffs and stacks. Park at the National Trust Kynance car park for a short, steep walk down, or string Kynance to Lizard Point together along the coast path for a moderate three to five mile round trip.
Lizard Point itself is the most southerly point in mainland Britain, with a lighthouse, a cafe and good summer chances of spotting basking sharks and dolphins offshore. Kynance Cove is tidal, so the beach and its caves vanish at high water. Check the tide before you set off, because timing it wrong turns a stunning beach into a cliff-top view.
Hard walks: rugged coast and Bodmin Moor
These are the walks that earn the pub afterwards. Take proper footwear, water and a charged phone, and do not attempt them in poor visibility.
St Ives to Zennor
The coast path from St Ives to Zennor is the wildest, most demanding day walk in Cornwall. It runs about six miles one way through the remote, rocky landscape west of St Ives, with almost no road access, constant steep dips into stream valleys and boggy ground after rain. It is slow going and genuinely tiring, but the reward is empty, ancient coast that feels a world away from the harbour crowds. At Zennor, the Tinners Arms pub has served walkers for centuries, and a seasonal bus gets you back to St Ives rather than walking it twice.
Rough Tor and Brown Willy
Rough Tor and Brown Willy give you Cornwall's only mountain-style walk and its highest point. From the car park north of Camelford you climb granite-strewn Rough Tor, then continue across open moorland to the summit of Brown Willy at 420m, the highest point in Cornwall. The full circular is around five to six miles, hard going over rough, pathless moor with river crossings. On a clear day you see both coasts from the summit, but bring a map and compass, because Bodmin Moor is easy to get lost on when the mist comes down.
Coast path safety
The South West Coast Path is safe if you respect it, and people get caught out every year because they did not. Three things matter most.
- Stay back from cliff edges. Cornish cliffs are undercut and crumbling, edges are often unfenced, and the ground can give way. Keep well back, keep children in hand and keep dogs on leads near drops.
- Check the tide. Many beaches and coves, including Kynance, cut off completely at high water. Read a tide table before you go and never get trapped below a cliff on a rising tide.
- Check the forecast. Sea mist, wind and rain change the coast path fast. Poor visibility on exposed clifftop and open moor is genuinely dangerous, so save the hard routes for a clear day.
Wear grippy footwear, carry water and something warm, tell someone your route, and if anyone is in trouble on the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best easy walk in Cornwall?
The Camel Trail. It is flat, firm and traffic-free along a former railway, so it suits buggies, bikes and small children. The Padstow to Wadebridge stretch is about 5.5 miles each way along the estuary, with cafes and loos at both ends.
What is the highest point in Cornwall?
Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor, at 420m. It is usually walked in a circular with nearby Rough Tor from the car park north of Camelford, around five to six miles of hard, open moorland. On a clear day you can see both Cornish coasts from the top.
Which is the most beautiful coastal walk in Cornwall?
Opinions differ, but the Lizard around Kynance Cove is hard to beat for turquoise water and coloured serpentine cliffs. For wild remoteness, St Ives to Zennor wins. For easy drama, walk the clifftop above Bedruthan Steps.
Is the South West Coast Path safe for families?
Yes, on the gentler sections, if you keep well back from unfenced cliff edges, keep children in hand and check the tide and forecast first. Choose easy stretches like Bedruthan Steps or Land's End to Sennen Cove with young children, and save the rugged sections for older ones.
Where can I see seals on a walk in Cornwall?
Godrevy to Hell's Mouth, on the north coast near Gwithian. Grey seals haul out on the beach at Hell's Mouth, best viewed from the clifftop path about two miles from the Godrevy car park. Autumn and winter are the most reliable months.
The short version
Match the walk to the day. Take the Camel Trail or Cardinham Woods with little ones, walk the Lizard or Bedruthan Steps for the views, and save St Ives to Zennor or Brown Willy for when everyone has the legs for it. Check the tide, the forecast and your footwear, and the coast will do the rest.
To make a proper trip of it, find your base among the campsites in Cornwall and pick up the rest of the plan in our guide to things to do in Cornwall.
