kynance cove to poldhu cove

May 26, 2026 by Mark Seymour in south west coast path

SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

thursday, 21st MAY 2026

Start location: Kynance Cove (SW 68714 13285)

End point: Poldhu Cove (SW 66779 19793)

Map: Explorer 103

Yesterday, my weather forecast app was promising me some pretty decent weather for today but when I got up this morning I was faced with very thick fog.

Lizard Point high tide: 09:05

Lizard Point low tide: 15:39

We drive the short distance to Kynance Cove but the heavy fog persists and I can’t see a thing.

I start the day at the National Trust car park at Kynance Cove where I come across some of the native bloody cranesbills.

I’m pretty much bang on high tide so I’m going to go over the top of the cove. I descend steeply down towards the cove before taking the high water path which takes me around the top of the cove.

I continue along the path which takes me down to the beach at the far side of the cove, passing below the Kynance Cove Cafe.

As I climb out of Kynance Cove I pass more of the native bloody cranesbills. The views back overlooking Kynance Cove should be magnificent but I can barely see a thing.

At the top of the cliffs there are loads of rooks and I can hear choughs but I can barely make them out.

It is an unexpected surprize to find loads of heath spotted orchids as I thought I would be a bit too early this year.

Three choughs fly past me and I can make them out despite the fog.

I amble along the top of the cliffs, enjoying the wildflowers.

I continue along the cliffs, enjoying the views to reach Predannack, passing conservation grazing cattle on the way, although they are shrouded in fog.

The fog is so thick that I can’t make out any of the cliff edges or any of the correct paths so I accidentally follow a path inland and get lost. I don’t mind as I’m not in any rush but I struggle to find a path back out to the coast. The sea thrift, however, is at it’s best and there are plenty of other wildflowers to enjoy.

I know I must have strayed inland as I can no longer hear the sea but I can hear a cuckoo. Eventually I resort to my OS Maps app and find a footpath which takes me back out to the coast at Lower Predannock.

It is now a pleasant walk to Mullion Cove, which comes into view.

I amble along the cliff top and then start descending down to Mullion Cove.

I ascend the other side of Mullion Cove and pass the Mullion Cove Hotel. I’m now on Polurrian Cliff.

I head along the cliffs enjoying more of the wild flowers and pass Carrag-Luz or ‘Love Rock’.

I amble down a path towards Polurrian Cove, admiring the flowers on either side of the path.

I reach sandy Polurrian Cove. I waste more time pottering along the sandy beach before climbing back out of Polurrian Cove and heading along the cliffs.

I’m now towards the end of the walk and the fog is starting to lift.

I stop briefly at a memorial bench, in memory of Liz Rudd, which has magnificent views, to let some walkers pass me. As I’m admiring the views some more choughs fly past me, making their delightful racket.

“If ever our souls part to say goodbye
meet me there, where the sea meets the sky;
lost, but finally free.”

I pass the Marconi monument, a granite monument commemorating the first transatlantic radio transmission on the 12th of December 1901. I continue along the cliffs enjoying the masses of pink sea thrifts.

I reach Poldhu Cove where the Poldhu Beach Cafe can be found and waste more time on the sandy beach. The beach is covered in seaweed.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

bloody cranesbill
choughs
rooks
stonechats
swallow
cuckoo
cormorant
heath spotted orchids
foxgloves
ragged robin
sea thrift
bluebells
kidney vetch
oxeye daisy
red campion
scabious
flag iris
common dog-violet
wild carrot
ribwort plantain
bladder campion
cats-ear
hogweed
gladioli
red valerian
aeonium
mint
echium

PODCAST

The podcast of today's walk is now available. You can subscribe via Apple Podcasts or listen using the player below.

MARKS OUT OF TEN?

According to my phone I've walked 8.4 miles which amounts to 22153 steps. It has taken me 4 hours. The weather has been extremely foggy and I’ve barely seen a thing. Seven out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

MAP

kennack sands to coverack

May 26, 2026 by Mark Seymour in south west coast path

SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

wednesday, 20TH MAY 2026

Start location: Kennack Sands (SW 72662 16415)

End point: Coverack (SW 78326 18739)

Map: Explorer 103

It’s not a particularly warm day today and is fairly blustery.

Coverack high tide: 08:31

Coverack low tide: 15:08

I wander down from our apartment for the week towards Kennack Sands.

I pass the Mora Beach Cafe on the way down to the beach here and wander down on to the beach to waste a bit of time. It’s close to high tide so I’m going to have to climb over the dune systems rather than walk all the way along the beach.

I walk across the beach and climb back up on to the cliffs, enjoying all of the wildflowers and wildlife on the low cliffs.

I'm pretty much on my own now until I reach Coverack! I walk along easy paths over Eastern Cliff through gorse and heather passing Spernic Cove, Lankidden Cove, Butter Cove and Downas Cove to reach Beagles Point.

I pass a memorial to the crew of Sea King XV702 who perished close to here on the night of the 21st March 1974. They were so young.

On Beagles Point I admire the view back to Lizard Point which will soon disappear from view.

I climb over the cliffs to reach Black Head where a butterfly finally settles enough for me to take a photograph, this time a pearl-bordered fritillary.

I reach the old coastguard lookout at Black Head and then turn in a northerly direction and enjoy the flora and fauna here.

Easy walking takes me on towards Coverack but before reaching the small fishing village, I have an awkward descent down to Porthbeer Cove which twists and turns all over the place, is strewn with rocks and very overgrown. I’m afraid I don’t make a very elegant descent, spending a large part of the time sliding down rocks on my arse. It doesn’t help that my backpack is so heavy.

I leave the delightful Porthbeer Cove and another easier path takes me into Coverack where I enter the village along a path covered in flowers.

I pass the small harbour full of fishing boats. A long stretch of the road is closed here while repairs are being made to the sea wall.

Coverack is looking lovely on this spring day. I pass St Peter's, the parish church here and continue through Coverack to reach the car park at the end of the village, my destination for the day.

“Coverack - Fishing village on the shore of a rocky bay which has a sandy bottom and looks as translucent as a swimming pool. Stone pier and lifeboat station at the southern end of the village. Boats run fishing trips for visitors.”

— AA Book of the Seaside, 1972

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

chaffinch
wren
pheasant
cuckoo
swallow
skylarks
whitethroat
pearl-bordered fritillary
speckled wood butterfly
wild carrot
foxgloves
ribwort plantain
red campion
rape
herb robert
forget-me-not
bladder campion
common dog-violet
bluebells
sea thrift
flag iris
red valerian
birds-foot trefoil
kidney vetch
gorse
bloody cranesbill
three-cornered garlic
scabious
ox-eye daisy
mexican fleabane
aeonium
gladioli
echium
red hot poker
iris
roses
pelargoniums

PODCAST

The podcast of today's walk is now available. You can subscribe via Apple Podcasts or listen using the player below.

MARKS OUT OF TEN?

According to my phone I've walked 6.1 miles which amounts to 18244 steps. It has taken me 3 and three quarter hours. The weather has been cold and windy and that last descent down to Porthbeer Cove was horrible. Six out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

MAP

kennack sands to kynance cove

May 26, 2026 by Mark Seymour in south west coast path

SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

sunday, 17TH MAY 2026

Start location: Kennack Sands (SW 72662 16415)

End point: Kynance Cove (SW 68714 13285)

Map: Explorer 103

The weather is on the cold and windy side at the moment so my fleece is on which I would never normally do this late in the season.

Lizard Point high tide: 05:45

Lizard Point low tide: 12:25

Lizard Point high tide: 18:09

We are staying in an apartment next to Potters Bar in Kuggar near to Kennack Sands. I amble down towards Kennack Sands, passing Thai Wok Takeaway (a tiny little takeaway shack that seems to be very popular), Kennack Sands Holiday Park and Sea Acres Holiday Park.

The flowers on either side of the road are looking lovely.

Before reaching Kennack Sands I join the South West Coast Path on my right, to head towards The Lizard and Kynance Cove. It’s quite a short walk today. I have a last view over Kennack Sands before heading off to Kynance Cove.

I amble along the path to Poltesco Cove where a footbridge crosses a wooded river.

Here can be found the ruins of a serpentine works, once a thriving Victorian factory making mantlpieces, gravestones, shop fronts and polished ornaments made from the local serpentine stone quarried locally.

I come across a lone early purple orchid just starting to go to seed.

On leaving Poltesco I come across a small herd of Exmoor ponies being used for conservation grazing.

I reach flowery Cadgwith and enjoy the roses and poppies here.

I wander down to the beach trying to avoid all of the fishing equipment left clumsily lying around! A fishing boat is just being winched in as I arrive.

Leaving the beach, I pass the Cadgwith Cove Inn before climbing out of the village in front of a row of cottages overlooking the harbour.

I head out of Cadgwith, passing the Devil's Frying Pan, where the collapse of a sea cave has led to the creation of a 100 metre deep hole.

I reach a small habitation at Church Cove.

I head towards the Lizard Lifeboat Station at Kilcobben Cove.

A stone memorial here tells me that on the night of the 29th December 1962 ‘The Ardgarry’ and her crew of twelve were lost in a storm off of this coast.

I reach bass point. A plaque here tells me that on the 15th of January 2004, the Breton trawler ‘Bugaled Breizh’ sank off Lizard Point with five sailors losing their lives.

I pass the Bass Point National Coastwatch Station.

I pass the Housel Bay Hotel where three choughs fly by me. It's a pleasant morning so I continue ambling around to the Lizard Marconi Wireless Station, the oldest surviving Marconi wireless station.

I pass in front of the Polbrean Youth Hostel and then continue along the coast path in front of the lighthouse.

I wander down the footpath towards Lizard Point, the most southerly point on mainland Great Britain.

Choughs have taken up residence around here. They became extinct in Cornwall in 1973 but returned in 2001. They have been relatively successful in recent years with 48 pairs raising 129 young last year. I see a few of them flying around but they are difficult to photograph.

I continue along the cliffs towards Kynance Cove enjoying the magnificent views and the lovely wildflowers.

Before reaching Kynance Cove, Pentreath Beach can be found which is a little difficult to reach, involving scrambling down what appears to be little more than a goat track. It definitely looks worth the diversion but it's too adventurous for me with my heavy backpack.

I amble along to reach Kynance Cove where I come across some of the native bloody cranesbills.

I descend steeply down to the cove. For a change I’ve got quite a bit of beach so I waste quite a bit of time here. There are only a few people here. I strap back on my bag and climb back out of the cove and back up to the car park where my lift awaits.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

blackcaps
wrens
chiffchaffs
swallows
whitethroats
choughs
stonechats
cow parsley
alexanders
red campion
bluebells
rape
foxgloves
ribwort plantain
wild carrot
cuckooflower
hogweed
cats-ear
bladder campion
gorse
early purple orchid
navelwort
scarlet pimpernel
scabious
sea thrift
exmoor ponies
three-cornered garlic
kidney vetch
red valerian
borage
gladioli
roses
nasturtians
aqualegia
mesembryanthemum
birds-foot trefoil
bloody cranesbill

PODCAST

The podcast of today's walk is now available. You can subscribe via Apple Podcasts or listen using the player below.

MARKS OUT OF TEN?

According to my phone I've walked 8.3 miles which amounts to 23174 steps. It has taken me 4 and a half hours. The weather has been cold and windy but it has been a lovely stretch of the coast. Nine out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

MAP

bath skyline

March 01, 2026 by Mark Seymour in bath skyline

tuesday, 24th february 2026

Map: Explorer 155

We’re staying in Bath for a few days partly as a birthday celebration, partly as a retirement celebration, and most importantly because there are loads of bookshops in Bath and we intend to bring home with us plenty of books.

I haven’t been to Bath in a long time so while I’m here I’m taking the opportunity of walking the Bath Skyline.

We’re staying in an apartment just outside the city centre so I start my walk here and head towards the start of the Bath Skyline on Bathwick Hill.

I head across Lower Bristol Road and join the River Avon where I cross a footbridge over to the other side of the river. I amble along the riverside behind Avon Street, built in the early 1700’s for wealthy spa visitors. Avon Street was cleared in the 1970’s. I pass several industrial buildings.

I pass a bank of primroses before reaching the Kennet and Avon Canal.

I follow the footpath along the canal but it seems to peter out so I get completely lost climbing up Widcombe Hill. I retrace my steps and eventually find my way back to the canal.

I continue ambling along the footpath next to the canal, enjoying the space with dog walkers, cyclists and joggers.

I climb up steps onto a bridge over the canal and start the climb up Bathwick Hill to reach the start of the Bath Skyline at the entrance to National Trust Bathwick Fields where I come across my first marker for the day.

I cross the road over to Cleveland Walk where I continue until I come across a narrow footpath on the right opposite Sham Castle Lane. I follow a path towards North Road where I turn right and continue to a kissing gate on the opposite side of the road with my second marker.

I climb up some steep steps and follow a path through a field. When I reach the top I go through a gate to reach a small road. I could detour to Sham Castle but conditions today are filthy so I’m just going to concentrate on completing the walk.

Sham Castle was built in 1762 for Ralph Allen, one of the key figures responsible for Bath’s Georgian revival.

I’m very high up so have lovely views over Bath.

I take a path down some steps into woodland and follow the path right and right again steeply uphill to kissing gate at the top. It is very muddy so I slip and slide all over the place and it’s very difficult keeping on my feet.

I hear blackbirds, song thrushes, blackcaps, robins, great tits, blue tits and woodpeckers amongst other birds. Spring is definitely around the corner.

I should pass some stone markers and a trough marking some of the natural springs that provided clean drinking water to the city in Georgian times. The only trouble is I’m concentrating so much on staying upright that I fail to notice them.

I turn left onto a track where I come across three robins (presumably male) scrapping away in the woods. I keep woods to my left and leave a wider track on the approach to radio masts and take a smaller grassy path to the left. I walk across two fields and then follow a short slope which bears left where I turn right into a wood through a gate.

I follow a winding path through woods until I reach a junction. I go straight across past large rocks on both sides and up a short slope between two trees where the path splits. I take the wider path in the middle, past a large rocky cliff on the right. I keep to the higher path which ascends gently to a large Y junction, where I bear left and continue to a metal kissing gate.

I pass through the kissing gate into an open field and continue ahead with a fence on my left. At the end of the field, I go through a gate in a wall and bear right. I cross a field keeping the wall on my right before reaching a gate. I go through the gate and turn left along a track. I turn right before some metal gates and go through a wooden gate. I climb over a stone a stile in the wall on the left. It’s rather high up and so I have to ditch my bag and camera and clamber over in an undignified fashion. I then turn right along the road for a bit. I turn left onto a public footpath at a gap in the wall just before the Cats and Dogs Home. I follow a path, which narrows at the end then reaches Claverton Down Road. I go left briefly and then cross the road to reach a small layby.

During the 18th century there was a two-mile race course with marker stones running across Claverton Down and parts of Bushey Norwood providing popular entertainment for Georgian society.

I go through a gate to the left of the layby and follow a fenced path, going through several wooden gates until I reach woodland on the right.

I turn right into woodland, and follow a woodland path where I pass a woodland play area.

I pass a clump of snowdrops and then crocuses.

I reach a wooden gate in a stone wall. I go through the gate and straight over a cycle track. I continue, with a playing field on my right.

The playing field is also known as Monument Field after a memorial tower built in honour of Ralph Allen by his nephew in-law, Bishop Wharburton. It was demolished in the 1950’s after falling into disrepair.

I bear left down a rocky slope, ignoring a wooden stile straight ahead.

I turn right through some stone pillars and continue along a path with views down to the valley on my left.

I go past a pond on my left which has a marsh marigold flowering in it. Mine back home haven’t started flowering yet.

I then climb up steps to my right. I continue straight ahead through trees until I re-join the cycle track. I turn left onto the cycle path and follow it until I reach a metal kissing gate on the left. There is a rather out of place Dott electric scooter next to the gate.

I go through the gate and follow a path down to the main road at the bottom, passing a large clump of snowdrops.

I cross the road and continue down the road with a field and views to the right.

I turn right into a field through a kissing gate and then immediately turn left through a second kissing gate. I walk downhill across a field keeping views ahead. I bear right to reach a kissing gate next to a water trough. I go through the gate and follow a path down steps keeping a fence to my left.

Smallcombe Wood to my right are the most ancient woods in Bath. A great variety of native tree and shrub species provide a home for abundant bird life including nuthatch, wrens and blackcaps.

I go through a kissing gate at the bottom of the hill, cross a lane, and go through a gate opposite. I continue up a steep path with steps, bearing right and bending left. I go through another kissing gate into a field and continue up a slope until Bath is in view.

I bear right then keep left as the path forks and continue to a kissing gate into Richens Orchard.

I cross the top of the orchard to another kissing gate and then bear left and head for a final kissing gate. The waymarking has been fantastic all along the walk but I must have missed one here and took the wrong path down the hill, confusing myself and ending up in the wrong place.

I come out onto a path next to some cherry blossom.

I try to correct myself but get hopelessly lost and wander around aimlessly for a while before correcting myself to reach the National Trust Bus Stop where my walk started. That’s the end of the Bath Skyline.

I retrace my steps from earlier on today and head down Bathwick Hill and along the Kennet and Avon Canal and the River Avon. Unfortunately, I confuse myself again and take the wrong path and end up next to Pulteney Weir and Bridge. Never mind. It’s easy walking from here back through Bath and on to our apartment.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

primroses
celandines
helebores
swans
blackbirds
blackcaps
great tits
blue tits
song thrushes
robins
woodpeckers
snowdrops
crocuses
marsh marigold
woodspurge
cherry
green alkanet

PODCAST

The podcast of today's walk is now available. You can subscribe via Apple Podcasts or listen using the player below.

MARKS OUT OF TEN?

According to my phone I've walked 11.2 miles which amounts to 28448 steps. The Bath Skyline itself is about 6 miles. It has taken me 5 hours. The weather has been pretty good for February and I soon had to ditch my fleece. It has been very muddy though and I’ve slipped and slid all over the place although I did manage to stay on my feet. Eight out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

map

lyme regis to west bay

June 16, 2025 by Mark Seymour in south west coast path

SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

monday, 9th june 2025

Start location: Lyme Regis (SY 34574 92500)

End point: West Bay (SY 46148 90403)

Map: Explorer 116

I should have another lovely day today with no chance of rain.

Lyme Regis low tide: 11:38

Lyme Regis high tide: 18:23

I start the day at the Charmouth Road car park above Lyme Regis. A sign here tells me that there are 114 steps down to the foreshore. I climb the steps down to the foreshore where I have a view of the Black Ven landslip and the coast path walk for the day is laid out in front of me, although a little hazily.

I can see over to Golden Cap and in the distance, East Cliff and West Cliff at West Bay and Burton Bradstock and just beyond those, Chesil Beach stretches out to the Isle of Portland. This is one of my favourite stretches of coast on the whole coast path.

I climb back up to the Charmouth Road car park and head towards Charmouth Road.

Today's walk has typically in the past been dogged by landslips resulting in several inland diversions starting with an inland diversion at Lyme Regis.

I head upwards through fields high above Lyme Regis, photographing the wild flowers and I have a final view over the Cobb.

I enter a wood and the sign posts which were once very confusing, are now OK, so I wander along tracks through the woods until I'm then dumped out onto a busy road above Lyme Regis where I enjoy some of the garden flowers.

I continue along the road until a sign points me to a path through Lyme Regis Golf Club.

I continue walking through the golf course following a stone path. There are some spectacularly bad golfers out on the course.

I come across a patch of common spotted orchids in the middle of the course.

There is now a decent coastal route behind the golf course and down into Charmouth without having to walk along nasty, stinky main roads.

I come across a sculpture of Mary Anning in woods and you can find out all about the making of the sculpture.

It is a thoroughly pleasant walk now next to the golf course before I come across a viewing point looking back over the cliffs to Lyme Regis.

A signpost tells me that I’m two miles from Lyme Regis and just half a mile away from Charmouth.

It’s now time to descend down to Charmouth along a minor road.

I decide today to head through the main part of Charmouth, passing the Royal Oak pub, the Charmouth Community Library, St Andrews Parish Church, Charmouth Stores, Charmouth Pharmacy, Bank House Cafe, Charmouth Bakery and Charmouth Fish Bar and Pizzeria.

I head back the way I came and descend down a road towards the beach where I come across some beach huts and the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre.

I wander along the beach here which is surprisingly busy.

I head up from Charmouth Beach and walk towards a bridge above East Beach, where I cross the River Char. With a spring in my step I start to ascend the cliffs out of Charmouth.

I amble along the cliffs enjoying the views back to Charmouth and ahead towards Golden Cap as well as all of the wildflowers.

I come across a coast path sign at Westhay Farm and descend into a meadow full of flowers, including yellow rattle going to seed. It looks absolutely lovely.

I’m now headed towards Golden Cap. I walk through a field full of cows and then climb slowly up on to the top of Golden Cap.

It's a long way up at 627 feet and the highest point on the south coast but it’s a surprisingly easy climb. I enjoy the magnificent views from up here. In one direction I can see out to the Isle of Portland and in the other direction back to Lyme Regis and beyond.

There are several paragliders flying around.

Golden Cap is named after the distinctive outcrop of golden greensand rock at the tip of the cliff and is owned by the National Trust. There is a trigpoint s3752 on the eastern side which must have one of the best views of any of the trigpoints.

I hang around for a while admiring the views before taking the long descent down to the Anchor Inn at Seatown.

I crunch my way across the pebbly beach before heading across a footbridge at the car park and then climb back onto the cliffs.

I climb up Ridge Cliff high above Seatown where I have magnificent views back over Seatown.

It’s getting quite hot now and I’m getting seriously sweaty. After descending the other side of Ridge Cliff there’s an even higher climb up to Thorncombe Beacon.

It's now another long descent, this time down to the village of Eype where there's another pebbly beach at Eype Mouth

I head over the footbridge over a stream where I come across some colourful pebbles.

Another ascent and descent over West Cliff takes me to the charming West Bay.

I've lost count of the number of times I've visited West Bay, but it's an awful lot. I round the harbour passing The George, the Bridport Arms Hotel, The West Bay Hotel, the amusement arcade and all of the food shacks dotted around the harbour. It is very busy.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

oxeye daisy
red clover
knapweed
honeysuckle
roses
hydrangea
foxglove
red campion
red valerian
mexican fleabane
aqualegia
common spotted orchid
poppy
fuchsia
wild carrot
yellow rattle
ribwort plantain
bird’s-foot trefoil

PODCAST

The podcast of today's walk is now available. You can subscribe via Apple Podcasts or listen using the player below.

MARKS OUT OF TEN?

According to my phone I've walked 11.7 miles which amounts to 30001 steps. It has taken me 5 and a quarter hours. The weather has been lovely and warm and I’ve been walking on one of my favourite stretches of the coast. Ten out of ten!