St Ives Coastguard Lookout
The Coastguard Lookout is situated on a rock outcrop known as Lamp Rock. The name dates back to the time when there was a tall pole with a lantern here to guide ships landing at Porthgwidden Cove, then the main landing point for St Ives. The Coastguard used the island, and even the Chapel for a while, as a lookout for catching smugglers. The current lookout was operated by HM Coastguard until 1994, when many lookouts were closed. Just five years later, it was re-opened by the National Coastwatch Institution and is now staffed entirely by volunteers.
On walks
- St Ives (4.3 mile walk)
Get the iWalkCornwall app
Download the app and use it to explore the walks and to purchase a guided route.
The app will direct you to the start of the walk via satnav.
The app guides you around the walk using GPS, removing any worries about getting lost.
The walk route is described with detailed, regularly-updated, hand-written directions.
Each time there is a new direction to follow, the app will beep to remind you, and will warn you if you go off-route.
A map shows the route, where you are at all times and even which way you are facing.
Each walk is packed with information about the history and nature along the route, from over a decade of research than spans more than 3,000 topics.
Once a walk is downloaded, the app doesn't need a phone or wifi signal during the walk.
The app counts down distance to the next direction and estimates time remaining based on your personal walking speed.
We keep the directions continually updated for changes to the paths/landmarks - the price for a walk includes ongoing free updates.
