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

the lizard to poldhu cove

June 14, 2021 by Mark Seymour in south west coast path

SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

monday, 7th june 2021

Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday dear me
Happy birthday to me!

The weather forecast for today looks to be great with sun all day long and it might actually be quite warm.

Porthleven low tide 10:10

Porthleven high tide 16:01

I start the day at the car park in the Lizard village next to the Top House Inn. I'm walking this walk to Poldhu Cove in the wrong direction so that when I reach Kynance Cove it should still be pretty quiet.

I wander down the footpath towards Lizard Point, the most southerly point on mainland Great Britain noticing that for the first time ever, I don’t have the dreaded 'no signal' on my phone, but instead have a 4G signal. I wander down to Lizard Point where masses of seagulls have congregated by the cafe.

There’s also a chough wandering around but I can’t get my camera out quick enough to photograph it and I’d have had the wrong lens on anyway. I amble down to the old lifeboat station (I'll pass the latest lifeboat station tomorrow) and then climb back up and head off along the cliffs. Masses of seagulls are flying around here.

Choughs(@cornishchoughs) have taken up residence here. They became extinct in Cornwall in 1973 but returned in 2001. I don’t seem to be able to find any up to date and reliable breeding numbers but they seem to be doing ok. 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.

I disturb a couple more choughs and they fly off before I have a chance to whip out my camera and I then come across a herd of cows together with their calves.

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.

The car park is looking quite busy even though it is still very early but there aren’t many people about so I descend steeply down to the cove.

kynance 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 couple of people here. I strap back on my bag and climb back out of the cove, passing the Kynance Cove Cafe on the way up.

kynance cove

As I climb out of Kynance Cove I pass more of the native bloody cranesbills. The views back overlooking Kynance Cove are magnificent.

After ambling for far too long I head off along the Lizard cliffs where I encounter the first orchids of the day, including loads of heath spotted orchids so I waste more time, taking photographs.

An old schoolfriend of mine took her own life eight years ago yesterday. I last spoke to her the day before she died on the phone at this exact spot.

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

I continue along the cliffs, enjoying the views to reach Predannack. Predannack airfield is nearby and there is usually a constant stream of helicopters flying overhead but it's quiet today. Maybe they don't fly on a Monday? The wild flowers around here are amazing and there's sea thrift everywhere. I come across ragged robin which I rarely see at home and a small patch of what looks like southern marsh orchids.

Mullion Cove comes into view and I have some kayaks racing past me down below.

I take the steep descent down to the harbour. The last time I was here, Mullion Cove had taken a battering in winter storms and the harbour was badly damaged. It has now been fully repaired.

mullion cove

I ascend the other side of Mullion Cove and pass the Mullion Cove Hotel (@mullioncove).

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

Above Polurrian Cove I come across an unfamiliar moth which, I think turns out to be a barred yellow moth.

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 stop briefly at a bench which has magnificent views to let some dog walkers pass me.

“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 think that Marconi probably had a better signal 100-odd years ago than I've had today although, to be fair, I think I’ve got a 3G signal here but the sun is too bright for me to be able to see my phone screen properly. I continue along the cliffs enjoying the masses of pink sea thrifts.

As I descend to Poldhu Cove a chough flies across my horizon, calling as it goes. What a lovely end to the day.

I reach Poldhu Cove where the Poldhu Beach Cafe (@poldhu) can be found and waste more time on the sandy beach. It's quite a bit busier here than I'm used to but not too bad for a sunny summer’s day.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

seagulls
choughs
ribwort plantain
mesembryanthemum
foxgloves
bluebells
red and white campion
wild carrot
bladder campion
cows
sea thrift
kidney vetch
dropwort
birds-foot trefoil
bloody cranesbill
heath spotted orchid
common dog-violet
scarlet pimpernel
devils-bit scabious
ragged robin
southern marsh orchid
flag iris
rape
barred yellow moth

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 10.75 miles which amounts to 25616 steps. It has taken me five and a quarter hours. I’ve had glorious weather all day long and the flora and fauna has been magnificent. Ten out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

For a change two out of three of my tracking apps have actually worked today so I have some walk details. They don’t entirely match up but there you go.

MAP

praa sands to poldhu cove

June 13, 2021 by Mark Seymour in south west coast path

SOUTH WEST COAST PATH

Sunday, 6TH JUNE 2021

After yesterday’s manky weather it looks like today will be lovely, with sun all day long and nothing in the way of wind. Perfect for walking. Woop!

Porthleven low tide 09:26

Porthleven high tide 15:20

I start the day at the car park at Praa Sands where I climb steps down to the beach. I head down the beach to the sea and then start to amble along the beach. Some of the murkiness from yesterday still remains but I don’t think it will last very long.

Part way across the beach I climb back on to the low cliffs, passing a memorial honouring the crew of a Sunderland Flying Boat which crash landed on Praa Sands on the 2nd of June 1943.

I head through the holiday park here passing massive echiums and I enjoy the wild as well as the cultivated flowers. They are all extremely damp after yesterday’s rain and much more advanced than they would be at home.

I leave the holiday homes behind and climb onto Lesceave Cliffs where I continue to enjoy the wild flowers.

Lesceave Cliffs were given to the National Trust by the family of William Arthur Quintrell Treloar in his memory. I have some final views back over Praa Sands and the weather is already picking up.

I continue climbing to reach Rinsey Head where I come across Wheal Prosper tin mine, a rubbish mine which was only open for six years. A sign tells me that Wheal Prosper featured in a BBC TV series, Poldark, in 1995 but I can find no trace of this programme.

I head onto Trewavas Cliff where the sea thrift is looking magnificent.

The path then starts to ramble aimlessly along the cliffs, although the paths seem to be much better than they used to be. I come across Wheal Trewavas which started work in 1834, at its peak employing 200 miners but the mine closed suddenly in 1846.

I enjoy more of the wild flowers on the cliffs before finally entering Porthleven.

I follow the coast path down to the harbour at Porthleven and head around the harbour where I come across the Harbour Inn.

I amble along the road out of Porthleven where I walk past ancient fishing winches and canons protecting the harbour, enjoying the views back to Porthleven.

I walk along the path above Porthleven Sands.

I then descend to Loe Bar and crunch along the pebbly beach.

I regain the cliffs and amble along the top where I continue to enjoy the wildflowers.

I come across masses of five-spot burnets feeding on the sea thrift as well as what must be wall brown butterflies but they are so flighty that I don’t get to see their upper wings to be certain.

As I approach Gunwalloe Fishing Cove I come across a raptor enjoying the sunshine. I’m rubbish when it comes to raptors but is it possibly a common buzzard? Are they even a seaside bird?

I come across a hairy caterpillar shuffling across the path. When I said I was rubbish at identifying raptors I’m even worse when it comes to caterpillars. Is this a ruby tiger moth caterpillar? I have no idea.

I come across a common blue butterfly. It’s becoming quite a day for butterflies.

I drop down to Gunwalloe Fishing Cove and enjoy the sandy and pebbly beach. The Halzephron Inn (@InnHalzephron) can be found 100 yards inland here.

I climb up onto Halzephron Cliff and, oh my word, is that a small pearl-bordered fritillary? I’ve never seen one of these before.

After this first one I see several more but they prove to be too flighty to photograph.

I continue along Halzephron Cliff enjoying the beautiful wildflowers and I have a final view back to Porthleven Sands. Halzephron Cove can be found here but the climb down is a little adventurous even for me.

Creation or evolution? Judging by all the flora and fauna I’ve seen today it can only be evolution.

I continue along the cliff before descending down to Dollar Cove. The cove is named after the great wreck in 1780 when 2 tonnes of silver coins were lost overboard.

dollar cove

It is now a short hop and a skip to Church Cove at the church of St Winwaloe, set into the hillside beside the beach. I waste yet more time on the sandy beach here before heading along the beach and then climbing back onto the cliffs.

church cove

It is another short hop and a skip to reach Poldhu Cove where the Poldhu Beach Cafe (@poldhu) can be found and I waste more time on the sandy beach. It's quite a bit busier here than I'm used to although not too bad for a sunny Sunday.

I amble back along the beach to reach the car park where my lift awaits.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and fauna encountered on the walk today includes :-

rabbits
chiffchaffs
chaffinches
skylarks
stonechat
small pearl-bordered fritillary
red and white valerian
bluebells
wild carrot
red campion
echiums
aqualegia
arum lily
bottlebrush
iris
roses
sea thrift
foxgloves
birds-foot trefoil
ribwort plantain
bladder campion
devils-bit scabious
kidney vetch
english stonecrop
five-spot burnet
wall brown butterfly
buzzard
ruby tiger moth caterpillar
navelwort
common blue butterfly
wild garlic
gladioli
mint
hawthorn
scarlet pimpernel

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 11.3 miles which amounts to 26520 steps. It has taken me four and three quarter hours. After a murky start I’ve had glorious weather and the flora and fauna has been magnificent. Ten out of ten!

WALK DETAILS

A familiar story now and two of my tracking apps failed me today, including my normally extremely reliable backup myTracks app. However my Ordnance Survey app actually worked.