Along the long shingle of Mount's Bay past Praa Sands to the working harbour of Porthleven.
Highlights
- St Michael's Mount views
- Praa Sands
- Porthleven harbour
Know before you go
- Shingle and stream crossings
Climbs 646 m and descends 680 m, topping out at 74 m and dropping to 3 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.
Along the long shingle of Mount's Bay past Praa Sands to the working harbour of Porthleven.
Marazion to Porthleven is 10.2 miles (16.4 km). Allow about 5 h 30 min of walking, before stops.
Stage 25 climbs about 646 m and descends about 680 m, with a high point of about 74 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 moderate. Rated out of five: physical demand 2/5 (Modest), 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 85%, track 5%, road & lane 10%. 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 3 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.
Highlights on this leg are St Michael's Mount views, Praa Sands, Porthleven harbour.
Shingle and stream crossings.