Walking guides for Rock, Padstow, Daymer Bay, Polzeath, North Cornwall

Sir John Betjeman route

A gentle walk through the dunes beside the golden beaches on the Eastern bank of the River Camel, taking in Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman's grave in the churchyard of the tiny St. Enodoc Church. The route passes Brea Hill, site of Bronze Age burial mounds and later a Roman encampment, and there is an optional detour to the holy well used by the Welsh hermit Enodoc to baptise his converts. The walk is mostly flat and travels through sandy grassland.

Polzeath to Porteath

An Iron Age promontory fort and some Bronze Age burial mounds, a famous wartime poem and a breathtaking sandy cove surrounded by gorse and woodland, with a rocky archway to a collapsed sea cave. There are spectacular views out over Padstow Bay and beyond, as well as a puffin island and volcanic pillow lavas.

Port Isaac to Porteath

An invigorating walk around some rocky headlands, with secluded coves along the way, and spectacular views across Port Quin Bay to the Mouls, where Puffins, Gannets and Kittiwakes nest. Also featuring a nineteeth century crenellated folly, an abandoned village and the remains of a once thriving antimony mine at Gilson's Cove.

Padstow and Stepper Point

Far-reaching views over the mouth of the River Camel and the Doom Bar, where mermaids wait to lure sailors to disaster! Sandy beaches, secluded coves, holy wells, a daymark tower and some stunning rock formations; there's something here for everyone, including an abbreviated route for those looking for a shorter walk.