By the St Mawes and Place ferries onto the quiet Roseland cliffs past St Anthony Head and Nare Head to Portloe.
Highlights
- St Mawes ferry
- St Anthony Head lighthouse
- Nare Head
- Portloe
Know before you go
- Two ferries required
Climbs 848 m and descends 836 m, topping out at 99 m and dropping to 0 m. Measured along the mapped route.
What you walk on, by distance (from OpenStreetMap way types).
Four axes rated 1–5 — the single rating above is only the headline.
By the St Mawes and Place ferries onto the quiet Roseland cliffs past St Anthony Head and Nare Head to Portloe.
This stage depends on 2 crossings. Check times before you set out — most are seasonal or tide-bound, and the inland detour is long.
Places on this leg with a full history, and free audio guides you can read or hear.
Falmouth to Portloe is 13.7 miles (22.0 km). Allow about 9 h 6 min of walking, before stops.
Stage 30 climbs about 848 m and descends about 836 m, with a high point of about 99 m. On the South West Coast Path the ascent, not the distance, is what decides how long a day takes — the route repeatedly drops to sea level and climbs straight back out.
It is graded hard. Rated out of five: physical demand 5/5 (Severe), terrain 3/5 (Moderate), navigation 2/5 (Modest), remoteness 2/5 (Modest). On the SAC hiking scale it is T2 — some steep, rough or uneven ground.
By distance the surface is footpath 72%, bridleway 1%, track 1%, road & lane 6%, other 20%. Percentages come from the mapped way types along the route.
March to October is the usual window for this leg. Outside it, daylight is short, some estuary ferries stop running and cliff-top wind and rain make an exposed route much harder work.
Water on this stage is moderate. We map 6 refill points on the leg — mostly pubs, cafés and taps in the villages the path passes through. Shade is minimal: this is open cliff-top walking, so carry more than you think in summer.
Yes — Falmouth–St Mawes ferry, St Mawes–Place ferry. Year-round passenger ferry across Carrick Roads from the Prince of Wales Pier. Seasonal ferry to Place on the Roseland; when not running, a long road walk around the Percuil River is required.
Highlights on this leg are St Mawes ferry, St Anthony Head lighthouse, Nare Head, Portloe. It also passes 1 place we cover in depth: St Anthony Head & the Roseland. There is 1 free audio guide between them.
Two ferries required.