South West Coast Path: Padstow to St Ives (8 Days & 7 Nights)
- Walk the Padstow to St Ives section of the South West Coast Path.
- Freshly caught fish and chips at Rick Stein’s in Padstow.
- Walking for miles along white and pristine sandy beaches.
- The wild Atlantic surf crashing into the cliffs below you.
- Vast selection of local Cornish galleries and traditional culinary delights.
Gallery
Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive in Padstow and overnightSynonymous with TV chef Rick Stein, Padstow is a delightful mix of piers, inns, restaurants and craft shops huddled around a small harbour.
Padstow is a 270 mile (5 hour) drive from London. It is also accessible by train and bus from London in 5 hours.
Standing on the quayside, the Old Custom House is still one of the finest buildings in the town. Today it is famous for its fine food, award-winning ales, elegant, accommodation and for its Beauty Studio. The Old Custom House hotel has 24 bedrooms, as it is an old building, each room has a unique view and dimensions. It has long been a pub, providing a focal point for Padstow fishermen, local people and visitors to enjoy a drink and a bar meal. They serve stylish pub grub, washed down with award winning St Austell Brewery ales and a choice of good wines throughout the year.
The London Inn opened in 1803 which original housed three fisherman’s cottages and taking its name from an old Local Sloop. The owners will welcome you to their family run pub, full of charm, atmosphere and character. All rooms offer tea and coffee making facilities, TV and hairdryers. All their rooms are situated above the sometimes-busy bar. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the pub. Their classic pub menu is sourced locally using local ingredients whenever possible and comprises of local fish and meat dishes, which can be eaten in the main bar or in the lounge bar area.
The Old Ship Hotel is an historic Grade II listed building in the heart of Padstow and each one of the spacious bedrooms has its own unique character. All have ensuite bathrooms, hot drinks facilities, Freeview and secure safes. You are assured a very warm welcome at the Old Ship Hotel, the perfect place to relax after your days adventure!
A lovely start to your walk along low cliff tops, with tempting beaches below. The prominent Trevose Head offers wonderful views of the beaches ahead and Constantine Bay is a great spot for a relaxed picnic.
Ascent: +149m / Descent: -137m
Overlooking Fistral Beach in Newquay, you will have a lovely relaxing stay at this hotel.
Gecko’s Rest offers traditional bed and breakfast at their Four Star Silver guest accommodation in Newquay, Cornwall. Geckos Rest is located on Mount Wise, only a 3-minute walk to the town centre and a 5-minute walk to the beach.
St.Bernard’s is a family run guest house and has eight bright modern bedrooms all of which are en-suite, with a generous amount of facilities to make your stay comfortable. The guest house is over three floors, the spacious stairways, modern dining and lounge facilities compliment the bright bedrooms. They have an airy dining room which is used for your breakfast or a take away in the evening, the lounge has a bar and has a selection of board games and books which is a great way to relax after a long days walking.
This rugged coast of little coves and jagged headlands has been the graveyard of many ships. Local legends, expansive views and the three miles of sand at Watergate Bay are real highlights.
Ascent: +535m / Descent: -535m
Overlooking Fistral Beach in Newquay, you will have a lovely relaxing stay at this hotel.
Gecko’s Rest offers traditional bed and breakfast at their Four Star Silver guest accommodation in Newquay, Cornwall. Geckos Rest is located on Mount Wise, only a 3-minute walk to the town centre and a 5-minute walk to the beach.
St.Bernard’s is a family run guest house and has eight bright modern bedrooms all of which are en-suite, with a generous amount of facilities to make your stay comfortable. The guest house is over three floors, the spacious stairways, modern dining and lounge facilities compliment the bright bedrooms. They have an airy dining room which is used for your breakfast or a take away in the evening, the lounge has a bar and has a selection of board games and books which is a great way to relax after a long days walking.
Leaving the busy town of Newquay behind you immediately find yourself on the famous surfing beach of Fistral. Then look out for the prolific wildflowers on West Pentire Headland and the colonies of kittiwakes and waders.
Ascent: +482m / Descent: -482m
St George's is a small country house hotel with 8 en-suite guest rooms. They offer contemporary accommodation in an old mine captains house with a large garden and extensive views.
Oceanfront living at Perranporth Beach allows you to eat well, sleep well and surf well. The hotel offers locally sourced and freshly prepared food to order served in our traditional Cornish bar. Seiners bar has a relaxed atmosphere with plenty of seating, and an outdoor beach terrace. The winter menu ranges from sandwiches to steaks, with constantly changing specials, and a beautiful freshly prepared Sunday Roast. During the Summer months, Sunday Roast is switched to Sunday BBQ's, weather permitting!
Red Fox Barn is a small family run Bed & Breakfast situated in a beautiful setting close to the coastal town of Perranporth. Their rooms are bright and airy with luxury facilities and fittings, each room has a super-king bed and a small dining area where a full breakfast is served each morning. Toiletries (Shower Gel + Shampoo/Conditioner) and hairdryer are supplied. Wifi Internet is available in all rooms.
A day of steep climbs and descents through an area of ancient mines, many of which are now home to bats. The area around St Agnes Head is a favourite for birders.
Ascent: +748m / Descent: -748m
The Portreath Arms Hotel is a small, traditional, family run hotel located in The Square, the hotel has a bustling public bar and lounge - a traditional meeting place for locals. They only have seven guest rooms; therefore, the staff can give you their full attention to make sure you have a great stay. Breakfast is served each morning in the dining room and there is a choice of Full English or Continental. Lunch and Dinner can be taken in the traditional lounge bar, the dining room or even in the garden - weather permitting! The Portreath Arms Hotel serves an excellent choice of home cooked food, freshly prepared from locally sourced ingredients and local fish and crab is a speciality.
Cliff House is a small and friendly B&B in Portreath, a 2 minutes’ walk from a sandy beach and situated on the coast path. The rooms light and airy and have tea/coffee making facilities and Freeview TV, with fluffy towels and quality linen provided, en-suite rooms are available.
The Copper House is a B&B in the Cornish coastal village of Portreath, designed and built with comfort in mind, step inside the peaceful, modern rooms looking out onto the valley and ancient woods of Illogan. The rooms are light and spacious and furnished to a high standard. Sit outside in your private, furnished terrace and sip a glass of wine straight out of your own fridge. They have two rooms: both with large terraces and these are stylish and contemporary. Dressing gowns, hairdryers and Duck Island toiletries are provided along with tea, chocolate and Rombouts filter coffee.
Smugglers coves, with colourful names such as Ralph’s Cupboard pepper the coast. Cliffs, dunes and estuaries all contribute to a wonderful day of walking.
The path goes on the Hayle Swing Bridge, the oldest in Britain and ends in the delightful town of St Ives, where you could easily spend a few days exploring the galleries, craft shops and excellent cafes.
Ascent: +616m / Descent: -616m
The Pedn Olva, with the sea only thirty feet below and flanked by golden sands, is founded on blue-black granite rocks on the southern shores of St. Ives Harbour and Bay. Each bedroom at the Pedn Olva has stunning views of St Ives and the Cornish coast – light, airy and contemporarily decorated – they have everything you need for a relaxing, memorable and comfortable stay.
Steeped in history, The Western Hotel is one of St Ives's oldest coaching houses and has been a St Austell Brewery hotel since the 19th century. It has the perfect blend of comfort, convenience, and character in the heart of St Ives, this charming hotel resides within a characterful building, providing a unique and inviting atmosphere.
Within 72 acres of private grounds, this Tregenna Castle Resort overlooks St Ives and the Cornish coast. You can enjoy 2 on-site restaurants, offering fine food and drink. Meals are made from local ingredients and are cooked fresh to order. Wireless internet is free, and there is free parking on site.
Today you can do a loop walk that goes along a further stretch of the South West Coast Path and through beautiful coastal scenery eventually leading to "The Carracks" - rocky islands just offshore and which mean “rocky” in Cornish. Continue inland climbing Rosewall Hill for more fabulous views before walking back into St Ives. (15 kilometres / 9.30 miles)
Ascent: +275m / Descent: -275m
Alternatively, if your legs have had enough walking then you can enjoy a free day in St Ives to explore the promenade and indulge in the culinary delights that this fantastic coastal town has to offer!
The Pedn Olva, with the sea only thirty feet below and flanked by golden sands, is founded on blue-black granite rocks on the southern shores of St. Ives Harbour and Bay. Each bedroom at the Pedn Olva has stunning views of St Ives and the Cornish coast – light, airy and contemporarily decorated – they have everything you need for a relaxing, memorable and comfortable stay.
Steeped in history, The Western Hotel is one of St Ives's oldest coaching houses and has been a St Austell Brewery hotel since the 19th century. It has the perfect blend of comfort, convenience, and character in the heart of St Ives, this charming hotel resides within a characterful building, providing a unique and inviting atmosphere.
Within 72 acres of private grounds, this Tregenna Castle Resort overlooks St Ives and the Cornish coast. You can enjoy 2 on-site restaurants, offering fine food and drink. Meals are made from local ingredients and are cooked fresh to order. Wireless internet is free, and there is free parking on site.
Check out and proceed with your onward travel plans.
This trip has a carbon score of 14kg per person per night, meaning it’s one of our best trips! For comparison, a carbon count of 14kg is equivalent to 7 bottles of champagne. That’s a lot of bubbles!. Here at Macs, we pride ourselves on being a responsible travel company and continue to adopt, develop and innovate ways to positively impact the environment. Find out more information on how we've carbon counted our trips.
Other Information
Is it for me?If you love walking, then this section of the South West Coast Path is a “must-do”. Cliff top and coastal walking, huge sandy beaches, hidden coves, great birdlife and overnight stays quaint fishing villages and traditional Cornish towns. If these sound like the perfect ingredients for a walking tour then this trip is for you!
Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!
Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&Bs, inns, and guesthouses.
Solo Travellers, Families with Teens
The minimum age for this tour is: 12 Years
This holiday is graded from easy to moderate to moderate depending on the itinerary you choose. Although you follow the coast quite closely it includes plenty of up and down and some steep sections. You will be walking on a national trail, so the paths are usually well-maintained.
One of the highlights of this tour is the high standard of the accommodation. We specifically choose the hotels, inns, guesthouses and B&B’s to ensure that you enjoy every minute of your stay. They all offer a warm welcome to walkers, traditional hospitality and delicious local food.
Single Rooms
If you require single rooms we would be happy to accommodate you, subject to availability. There is a single room supplement payable.
Solo Walkers
Solo walkers are welcome, but there is a solo walker supplement to cover the additional cost of luggage transfer.
The South West Coast Path is well-waymarked and easy to follow. Navigation is straightforward as you can use the Macs Adventure App on your phone which has maps, GPS tracks and daily route information. Simply download the GPS tracks for offline use and follow the route on your phone with the assurance that navigation on this tour will be made simple.
Recommended Reading
Although not essential, if you would like more information on the route please see our recommendation below:
- Guidebook: Trailblazer Cornwall Coast Path - Part 2 (Bude to Plymouth)
- Map: SWCP Harvey Maps 1 - Minehead to St Ives
- Accommodation in B&B's, guesthouses and country inns
- Daily breakfast
- Door to door baggage transfer
- Access to maps, GPX tracks and daily route information with the Macs Adventure smartphone navigation app
- All your trip documents provided digitally through your online Macs “My Account”
- Emergency telephone support from our office in the event of a problem
- Lunches & dinners
- Snacks and drinks
- Travel Insurance
- Travel to Padstow
- Travel from St Ives
- Additional nights before, during or after the walk
- Accommodation upgrades
You can start this trip on any day between April & October subject to availability (in some cases we can book this tour in March - please reach out to your adventure specialist to discuss). This area is very popular so it is best to book far in advance.
Time of Year
We recommend April, May and June when the spring flowers are out and September and October when the summer holidaymakers have gone home.
By Air— Newquay Airport is served by Flybe and Air Southwest from UK Airports. The closest international airports are Bristol and the various London airports.
By Rail/Bus—Trains run from London to Bodmin Parkway (3h40) and connect with buses to Padstow. Use Traveline to plan your journey.
By Car—Padstow is a five hour drive from London and long stay parking is available for £2 per day.
By Bus/Train - Bus to St Erth (15min) and train to London (5h). Returning to Padstow to collect your car is possible by train and bus but will involve a couple of changes. You can find information for travelling to and from Padstow & St Ives by clicking on the Traveline Website. See National Rail for booking trains in advance.
Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.
Online Documents
At Macs Adventure we care about the environment! We are taking action to minimize the impact we have by converting the majority of our tour documentation for online delivery.
On this tour, all your detailed tour information will be digitally delivered. You will have access to this documentation via My Account on our website.
Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.
It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.
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The South West Coast Path
Join us on a walk from St Ives to Penzance on the South West Coast Path. This remote and exhilarating walk along the clifftops visits the bustling towns, golden sands and secluded coves of Cornwall.
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Walking the South West Coast Path
The South West Path stretches around the south-west peninsula of England, exposing dramatic coastal scenery as the walk unfolds. The route is split into several delightful sections as walking the entire route at once would be rather time-consuming. This video gives you an overview of the route and how best to tackle it.
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