Lelant Saltings to Carbis Bay

A circular walk from Lelant following St Michael's Way along the vast stretch of beach from Porthkidney Sands to Carbis Bay, with views over St Ives Bay on the return route.

Get the app to guide you around the walk

App Store

Download iPhone/iPad app from App Store

Scan with your phone to get the Apple app

Google Play

Download Android app from Google Play

Scan with your phone to get the Android app

Download the (free) app then use it to purchase this walk.

Phone showing Google navigation to start of walk

The app will direct you to the start of the walk via satnav.

Hand holding a phone showing the iWalk Cornwall app

The app guides you around the walk using GPS, removing any worries about getting lost.

Phone showing walk directions page in the iWalk Cornwall app

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.

Phone showing walk map page in the iWalk Cornwall app

A map shows the route, where you are at all times and even which way you are facing.

Phone showing facts section in iWalk Cornwall app

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.

Person looking at phone with cliff scenery in background

Once a walk is downloaded, the app doesn't need wifi or a phone signal during the walk.

Phone showing walk stats in the iWalk Cornwall app

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.

either as a GPS-guided walk with our app (£3.29) or a PDF of directions (£2.79) Example of directions

Fullscreen map

The route follows St Michael's Way from Lelant past St Uny's church to the dunes. At low tide it's possible to walk across Porth Kidney Sands (or the dunes at high tide) to reach Carrack Gladden. The route continues along St Michael's Way to Carbis Bay. From Carbis Bay, the route crosses the railway and then follows footpaths parallel to the railway back to the West Cornwall Golf Course. Footpaths and small lanes complete the circular route.

Highlights

Pretty churchyard at Lelant with wildflowers in Spring
Walk along a mile of golden sandy beach at low tide
Panoramic views of St Ives Bay
Impressive variety and size of seashells on Carbis Bay
Birdlife in the Hayle SSSI including Ospreys

Considerations

On the return route, the path leading to the golf course can get muddy and slippery after wet weather. Select footwear accordingly.
Note that most coastal walks in Cornwall have paths close to unfenced cliffs.

Dogs

Beaches where dogs are allowed all year: Porth Kidney. Beaches with seasonal dog restrictions: Carbis Bay. Dogs are required to be on a lead between St Uny church and Porth Kidney Sands, and through the golf course on the return route. Fairly athletic dogs should be able to negotiate the stone stiles. Less confident dogs may need a little help over the bar at the top on a couple.

The walk is available through the iWalk Cornwall app for Apple and Android for £3.29 which each include everything listed here.

This removes worries about getting lost by tracking you using GPS, reminding you when you need to follow the next direction and warning you if you wander off the route.

To install on your phone, search the app store for “iwalk cornwall” to download the (free) app. Then either use it to scan the code at the top-right of the page to locate this walk or search for the walk title in Walks Shop > Search All Walks.

Once you've installed the iWalk Cornwall app from the app store, click on the button below to locate this walk:

Open walk in iWalk Cornwall app

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Vital statistics

OS Explorer: 102
Distance: 4.8 miles/7.7 km
Steepness grade: Moderate
Recommended footwear: Walking boots. Waterproof boots in winter
Café: ✓

OS maps for this walk

OS Explorer 102

Beaches

Points of interest

Links for this walk

Tide times
Short URL: http://iwkc.co.uk/w/145

Adjoining walks

St Ives to Carbis Bay

Walks nearby