Around the Gribbin daymark to Fowey, ferry to Polruan and on to picture-postcard Polperro.
Highlights
- Gribbin daymark
- Fowey & Polruan ferry
- Polperro
Know before you go
- Fowey passenger ferry
Climbs 1,002 m and descends 1,001 m, topping out at 119 m and dropping to 1 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.
Around the Gribbin daymark to Fowey, ferry to Polruan and on to picture-postcard Polperro.
This stage depends on 1 crossing. 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.
Par to Polperro is 13.9 miles (22.4 km). Allow about 7 h 36 min of walking, before stops.
Stage 33 climbs about 1,002 m and descends about 1,001 m, with a high point of about 119 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 4/5 (High), 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 89%, road & lane 7%, other 4%. 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 — Fowey–Polruan ferry. Year-round passenger ferry across the Fowey estuary.
Highlights on this leg are Gribbin daymark, Fowey & Polruan ferry, Polperro. It also passes 1 place we cover in depth: Fowey. There is 1 free audio guide between them.
Fowey passenger ferry.