Stunning coves and glorious views
Lantic Bay to Polruan South West Coast Path, South East Cornwall. A glorious circular walk in this area of outstanding natural beauty in South East Cornwall (about 20 miles from Kernock). Just a short walk from Lantic Bay National Trust car park to this stunning section of the South West Coast Path to Polruan, with coves and wonderful views. Leave the car park and pick up the path across the road at the well-marked gate. There is the option of a 40-minute loop walk just around the cliffs above the stunning Lantic Bay, but the walk to Polruan along the coast path is genuinely rewarding – taking about 70 minutes each way. The scenery is spectacular and there was only one section where we had to put our dog on his lead for farm animals; he loved it too.
We meandered the narrow streets of Polruan and its busy harbour, enjoying a refreshing quick cuppa at The Russell Inn, before following the Pont Pill Creek back to the Lantic Bay car park. Finding the footpath out of Polruan back along the creek is slightly challenging, it’s off East Street after the first raised section up the steps from the quay, turnign left between some cottages. The route back is via the stunning Grade 1 listed St Wyllow Church, opposite Churchtown Farm, and the car park is just 15 minutes further on.
Maybe next time we will take the passenger ferry across the river from Polruan to Fowey for a full day out.
The Lantic Bay car park is National Trust – postcode PL23 1NP. There’s a map in the car park that’s well worth taking a photograph of with your SmartPhone, particularly as a useful guide to follow the paths back out of Polruan along the creek. Our SmartPhone map App also showed all the footpaths in both directions.
