Walks in West Cornwall

A circular walk around Cornwall's most iconic mining remains, used for the filming of the BBC's Poldark series

A circular walk on the Towans at Hayle, where Cornwall's beam engines were cast using sand from a prehistoric lagoon when West Penwith was an island.

A circular walk at Helston along the wooded valley of the River Cober and through the town via the church.

A circular walk from St Erth along the River Hayle, through woods and fields to Porthcollum then returning past the St Erth Pits nature reserve, with views over the Hayle valley which was once a lagoon separating an island of West Penwith from the Cornish mainland.

A circular walk at Constantine through woods and to the creek on the Helford river where a bustling quarrying and mining industry operated in Victorian times but have now been reclaimed by nature.

A circular walk at Truro along the river, trackbed of the Newham railway and through the historic city centre.

A circular walk around Mount's Bay where the remains of the prehistoric forest that surrounded St Michael's Mount can still occasionally be seen on very low tides after storms

A circular walk in the Copper Kingdom of the Old World where the majority of world's copper came from during the 18th and 19th Centuries

A circular walk around the nature reserve in the sand dunes that was once the National Explosives Works where girls manufactured dynamite from nitroglycerine.

A circular walk at Carn Marth with panoramic views right across mid-Cornwall to Falmouth and the Roseland, the Cornish Alps and Bodmin Moor, and St Agnes and Trevose Head

A circular walk from the Bakers Pit nature reserve to an Iron Age hillfort where the remains of prehistoric roundhouses were seen as a convenient source of stone for a folly built in the era when the Poldark novels are set.

A circular walk between St Agnes Head and the engine houses of Wheal Coates via St Agnes Beacon, with spectacular panoramic views

A circular walk alongside the Loe Pool to the Loe Bar and back via the farm on the hill spur, which in Cornish gave the name to the Penrose Estate.

A circular walk through woods and meadows to Porthoustock and Porthallow from St Keverne, settled in the Dark Ages by Celtic monks trading with Brittany

A circular walk in the area described in Victorian times as the richest square mile anywhere on Earth

A circular walk through three of the wooded valleys to the sheltered coves at the mouth of the Helford River

A circular walk at the confluence of the Truro and Tresillian rivers, once defended by Moresk castle and later where timber for the mines was unloaded and floated as rafts into Truro

A circular walk in the parish of Crowan from the church to the Clowance Estate - the mansion of the St Aubyn Baronets until the fifth Baronet failed to produce a legitimate heir due to his 15 children all being born to women not married to him.

A circular walk on the rugged cliffs at the most westerly point of the British mainland with spectacular views and spectacular wildflowers.

A circular walk at Mount's Bay from the largest port town in the bay to the harbour of Cornwall's largest fishing fleet.

A circular walk along the Mylor and Restronguet creeks via the Pandora Inn, said to be once owned and renamed by the captain of HMS Pandora sent to capture mutineers from The Bounty, and where a passing-boat was kept to connect the post road between Falmouth and Truro, summoned by a bell on the other side of the creek.

A circular walk in the wooded valleys beside the Loe Pool with panoramic views over the lake

A circular walk from Mylor Harbour along the creeks of Carrick Roads to Flushing which was named after a town in Holland when Dutch engineers built the quays, and where ships' captains would keep a watchful eye over Falmouth Harbour from their tall houses.

A circular walk through the wildlife reserve and bluebell woodland of Tehidy Country Park to Deadman's Cove and the North Cliffs, where many sailing ships were wrecked before the Godrevy Lighthouse was built.

A walk from a tiny village designed by Victorians, through ancient woodland that was once part of the Pendarves Estate to the prehistoric tomb that, despite two collapses over the centuries, is once again standing.

A circular walk from Kennack Sands to Cadgwith Cove via the Poltesco valley where during Victorian times waterwheels and steam engines powered an industry producing large decorative pieces of serpentine but has now been recolonised by nature

A circular walk along a coast of shipwrecks and smugglers from Deadman's Cove to Hell's Mouth, past the collapse of the North Cliffs that went viral on YouTube, and returning through the nature reserve along the Red River Valley.

A figure-of-8 walk along the creeks of the River Fal through the 300 acre estate surrounding Trelissick House.

A mostly circular walk to Perranuthnoe beach from one of Britain's most ancient towns - Marazion - burnt down twice by the French and once more in a Cornish rebellion

A circular walk around the creeks of the Helford River and the small villages settled by Celtic monks from Brittany.

A circular walk from Helston along the Cober Valley to the granite quarries at Coverack Bridges, where the viaduct of the Helston Railway can still be seen spanning the valley.

A circular walk around the thriving town of Falmouth, which didn't exist until Elizabethan times when Sir Walter Raleigh suggested that the largest natural harbour in Europe would be a good place to build a port town.

A circular walk passing the National Trust's Glendurgan gardens and the equally spectacular submarine gardens of Rosemullion Head where fish dart amongst the brightly-coloured blooms.

A circular walk through the woodland alongside the Loe to the most southerly port on the British mainland, famous for its huge storm waves.

A circular walk on Cornwall's Channel coast where horses carried ore, Victorian fishermen built huts and smugglers sailed to France, but before all this Neolithic people settled and worked flints carried down the English Channel from chalk areas during the Ice Age

A circular walk in the valley of the River Kennall, where during Victorian times the cascading river was used to power gunpowder mills, five of which exploded in a chain reaction so violent that the roof of one was found a mile away.

A circular walk to the Victorian-engineered town of Devoran which was once the largest mining port in Cornwall, and along Restronguet Creek on the route of the railway that lead from the ore bins and smelting houses to the mines of Redruth

A circular walk through an area steeped in mining history, with panoramic views from Carn Marth and the almost legendary Gwennap Pit which became so famous that even the neighbouring mine was renamed to Cathedral

A circular walk around the Loe Pool, the largest natural freshwater lake in Cornwall, and along the Loe Bar, one of Cornwall's most treacherous beaches on which 100 of those onboard the HMS Anson drowned metres from the shore, motivating the invention of the rocket lifesaving apparatus that saved thousands of lives.

A circular walk in the Kenwyn valley following the Kenwyn upriver from Truro's Victoria Gardens where the elaborate Victorian system of weir gates, a hydraulic ram and leats both maintained the fish pond in the gardens and provided drinking water for horses in the city centre.

A walk from what was once the parish church for Falmouth to the lakes in a river valley which the Celtic people described as secluded and where Argal Mill lies somewhere beneath the water in a Cornish version of Atlantis.

A circular walk along the creeks of Carrick Roads and through the woodland of the Enys Estate, famous for its bluebells in spring

A circular walk with spectacular coastal scenery from Porthcurno to Penberth Cove, passing the famous wobbling boulder of Logan Rock and returning via the escape route from the wartime tunnels which housed one of the world's largest telegraph stations.

A circular walk to the Minack Theatre, via St Levan's church, St Leven's Holy Well and Porthchapel beach, from Porthgwarra where the beach is accessed via a rock tunnel created by local miners.

A circular walk along the stream of Trevellas Coombe where tin ore is still worked using traditional water power, past Stippy Stappy - the row of sea captain's cottages, and down the valley to the sandy beach of Trevaunance Cove with the remains of Victorian harbour which was demolished by Atlantic storms.

A circular walk from Lizard village to Kynance Cove with spectacular views, wildflowers including Cornwall's county flower and wildlife including the Cornish Chough.

A countryside walk to the Celtic church and Holy Well at Sancreed and the Iron Age village of Carn Euny where a well-preserved underground chamber known as a fogou has puzzled archaelogists for centuries

A circular walk from St Just to the rugged coast of England's only Cape topped by a monument fashioned from a mine chimney, passing mediaeval and prehistoric remains.

A circular walk through the wooded valleys of the Helford River including the most famous - Frenchman's Creek - which is still as pristine as when it inspired Daphne du Maurier's novel

A circular walk on The Lizard to the most southerly point from Church Cove, where the Lizard lifeboat is now launched to the old lifeboat station at Polpeor Cove.

A circular walk from the Cot Valley past the beaches of Nanquidno and Porth Nanven where granite boulders polished over millions of years by prehistoric oceans and then buried by the soil are being exposed once again by the sea.

A circular walk at the heart of Cornwall's fishing industry to the village where Stargazy Pie was invented and a candle-lit parade is held each year to celebrate the catch of Tom Bawcock.

A circular walk along Mount's Bay from the large sandy beach at Perranuthnoe to the smugglers' coves at Prussia Cove, returning across the fields with views over St Michael's Mount.

A circular walk from Pendeen via the Geevor and Levant mines to the lighthouse at Pendeen Watch, returning via the white, sandy beach at Portheras Cove.

A circular walk on the serpentine coast of The Lizard from Cadgwith Cove to Church Cove, returning via two ancient churches and the holy well of St Ruan.

A circular walk on the creeks of the Fal river network settled by Celtic monks where the ruin of a huge mediaeval church still towers above the trees

A circular walk from St Ives through the Steeple Woods nature reserve to the monument overlooking St Ives Bay where the eccentric quinquennial ceremony of John Knill has been performed for over 200 years, returning along the coast via the white sandy beaches of Carbis Bay and Porthminster.

A one-way walk to St Ives along the beaches from Lelant including the vast expanse of Porthkidney Sands, Carbis Bay and Porthminster Beach using the train or bus to make the route almost circular.

A circular walk at St Ives along the granite coastline and white sandy beaches which have inspired so many artists, through some of the most famous parts of the town including the harbour, The Island and The Tate, and via the church and holy well of the Celtic girl Ia who, according to legend, was the first to settle here.

A circular walk on The Lizard from Kennack Sands where some of the oldest prehistoric finds have been made in Cornwall, including an entire lost Stone Age village which was uncovered by a gorse fire in the 1960s.

A circular walk along the Victorian Excursion route from Lizard village to the most southerly point and along the coast path to Kynance Cove with spectacular views, wildflowers, and wildlife including the Cornish Chough.

A circular walk up Gillan Creek from Porthallow via Nare Point where, during World War II, an elaborate decoy for Falmouth Harbour was created by Ealing Film Studios with fake railways, houses and explosive special effects.

A circular walk from Praa sands across Rinsey Head to the engine house of the ironically-named Wheal Prosper, and Trewavas mine where an engine house now forms part of the path

A walk to the Victorian harbour of Mullion Cove via two sandy coves either side of where Marconi made history by achieving what was thought impossible by many of the scientific community at the time - the transmission of a radio signal all the way across the Atlantic.

A circular walk from Porthtowan, along the coast, valleys and woodland, passing engine houses and other relics of Cornish copper mining.

A circular walk from the mansion with possibly the oldest formal gardens in the country to two hills that altered the course of history, creating the wealthiest estate in Cornwall and giving rise to the Cornish China Clay industry.

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.

A circular walk following the coast from Hell's Mouth past Godrevy lighthouse to the sandy beaches of St Ives Bay, returning via a pilgrimage route along the Red River Valley.

A circular walk through the Lizard National Nature Reserve from Predannack to Kynance Cove along the rugged Serpentine cliffs where the "great silver ship" was wrecked in 1616 and more than 700 Spanish silver coins have so far been found.

A circular walk alongside the pristine beaches of Whitesand Bay, where shoals of mullet are still caught off the beach using the traditional seine nets in the way they have for hundreds of years.

A circular walk from the Loe Bar to Dollar Cove passing the wrecks of treasure ships whose cargo still washes ashore, returning via the Halzephron Inn which still has a trapdoor leading to an underground network of tunnels used by smugglers.

A circular walk from England's only Cape, via the engine houses of Kenidjack Valley and perched on rock ledges at Botallack Head, to Levant Mine which had over 60 miles of tunnels beneath the Atlantic and now has a working restored beam engine.

A circular walk from Coverack to St Keverne, past the treacherous Manacles reef, known as the grave of a thousand ships, where at least a hundred wrecks have been recorded and over a thousand people have drowned.

A circular walk along the Great Flat Lode, where the Basset family made their fortune from the rich mineral reserves, to Carn Brea where they built a hunting lodge balanced on a tor in the style of a castle.

A circular walk from the white sandy beach at Sennen Cove along the towering granite cliffs via Land's End to the song of the sea cave at Nanjizal. The best way to see Land's End.

A circular walk on the Roseland peninsula to St Mawes from the subtropical gardens of St Just church, along Carrick Roads where Europe's only fishery entirely under sail catch oysters using the traditional methods that have sustained their stocks.

A circular walk along the coast between the golden sandy beaches of Chapel Porth and Trevaunance Cove at St Agnes via the iconic engine houses of Wheal Coates, perched above the breakers.

A circular walk passing the sandy beach at Polurrian Cove, the storm-beaten Victorian harbour at Mullion Cove, and along the cliffs of the National Nature Reserve overlooking Mullion Island, with vibrant wildflowers in spring and summer.

A circular walk on the Helford River, where the mild climate and south-facing slopes allow subtropical plants collected by Victorian expeditions to flourish in the gardens of Glendurgan and Trebah.

A circular walk from St Ives on the ancient churchway towards Zennor and returning along the rugged coast to Porthmeor, where a Victorian cargo ship and the St Ives lifeboat were both wrecked and the ship's boilers are still visible at low tide.

A circular walk on The Lizard from the pretty fishing hamlet of Cadgwith Cove, past the Devil's Frying Pan, lifeboat station, restored Marconi wireless hut and the infamous lighthouse, to the most southerly point, returning via two ancient churches and the holy well dedicated to the Celtic Saint accused of being a werewolf.

A circular walk along the coast to the white, sandy beach of Portheras Cove and across the Penwith Moors to a prehistoric tomb the age of the Egyptian Pyramids

A circular walk between the beaches in Falmouth Bay and where one of the most dangerous marine rescues of modern times took place, requiring the rescue helicopter to fly backwards.

A circular walk from St Just to Cape Cornwall and the Cot Valley, where an ancient beach has been eroded from the cliffs at Porth Nanven, releasing granite boulders resembling Dinosaur eggs.

A circular walk via some of the mediaeval farmsteads on the west of The Lizard to the ancient churchyard of Cury from the coves of Mullion and Gunwalloe where the wrecks of treasure ships still lie.

A circular walk along the coast past the towering cliffs of Bosigran Castle via the white sand and huge boulders of Porthmeor Cove to the site of an Iron Age fort on Gurnard's Head, returning from the Gurnard's Head pub via the ancient Zennor Churchway.

A circular walk from Zennor along the coast to the site of an Iron Age fort on Gurnard's Head, returning from the Gurnard's Head pub on the ancient Churchway to Zennor.

A circular walk following the coast from the historic fishing village of Mousehole through the Kemyel Crease nature reserve and around the towering cliffs of Lamorna Cove with views over Mount's Bay, returning along the route was that taken by the Victorian postman on his round from Penzance.

A circular walk visiting prehistoric stone circles, crosses and tombs and along the granite cliffs from Lamorna Cove to the sea-polished boulders of St Loy's Cove where sailors of a sinking vessel were able to climb to safety onto a large ship which had been wrecked there seven months before.

A circular walk along the rugged North Cliffs hiding smuggler's coves such as Ralph's Cupboard, to the sandy beach and historic mining port of Portreath, returning via the bluebell woodland of Illogan and Tehidy Country Park.

A circular walk from Porthcurno, passing the Minack Theatre, St Leven's Holy Well, Porthchapel and Porthgwarra beaches, to Gwennap Head where the English Channel meets the Atlantic and the Runnelstone Reef has claimed so many ships that divers are unsure where the wreckage is from.

A circular walk towards St Ives from Zennor following the Coast Path past the haunts of the legendary mermaid of Zennor to the islets of The Carracks, frequented by seals, and returning on the Coffin Path, along which villagers made their final journey to Zennor church.

A circular walk from the coast to the highest area of moor on West Penwith passing engine houses and prehistoric monuments and with spectacular heather in late summer

A circular walk from Porthleven to the cliff-edge engine houses of Rinsey Head and Trewavas where the under-sea mine, set out with tables and food for the annual Tribute dinner, is said to have been breached by the sea just minutes before all the miners were due underground.

A circular walk on one of the most remote parts of The Lizard from Coverack to the white sand beaches of Downas and Lankidden Coves, where the serpentine underwater landscape provides some of the best snorkelling in Cornwall.

A circular walk along the granite cliffs and the valleys of St Loy's and Penberth Coves, where colourful gardens flourish in one of the mildest winter climates on the British mainland.

A fairly demanding but rewarding one-way coastal walk, made circular via an initial bus journey, along the rugged coast between St Ives and Zennor, passing Seal Island which may have given rise to the legend of the mermaid of Zennor and - thanks to some imaginative naming - ice cream (Moomaid of Zennor). The walk is in the optimal direction to remove time pressure and for panoramic views across St Ives bay.

A fairly long and demanding but rewarding circular walk along the coffin path and rugged coast between St Ives and Zennor. The walk is organised so that the coastal section is in the optimal direction for panoramic views across St Ives bay.

A circular walk along the rugged coast from Portreath towards Porthtowan passing small coves and remnants of the clifftop mines beside the old RAF base, and returning via the horse-drawn tramway that brought fortune to Portreath harbour, where its "lighthouse" and "monkey house" remain from the shipping activity.