Quiet cliffs past Talland and Looe and around the long, remote Whitsand Bay to Portwrinkle.
Highlights
- Looe & Looe Island
- Whitsand Bay
- Portwrinkle
Know before you go
- Long remote cliff stretch
Climbs 972 m and descends 944 m, topping out at 141 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.
Quiet cliffs past Talland and Looe and around the long, remote Whitsand Bay to Portwrinkle.
Places on this leg with a full history, and free audio guides you can read or hear.
Polperro to Portwrinkle is 13.4 miles (21.5 km). Allow about 7 h 18 min of walking, before stops.
Stage 34 climbs about 972 m and descends about 944 m, with a high point of about 141 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 3/5 (Moderate), 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 58%, bridleway 5%, road & lane 37%. 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.
Highlights on this leg are Looe & Looe Island, Whitsand Bay, Portwrinkle. It also passes 1 place we cover in depth: Looe & Looe Island. There is 1 free audio guide between them.
Long remote cliff stretch.