Past the dramatic rock stacks of Bedruthan Steps and Watergate Bay to the surf capital of Newquay.
Highlights
- Bedruthan Steps
- Watergate Bay
- Newquay beaches
Know before you go
- Bedruthan steps can be closed/steep
Climbs 500 m and descends 476 m, topping out at 93 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.
Past the dramatic rock stacks of Bedruthan Steps and Watergate Bay to the surf capital of Newquay.
Places on this leg with a full history, and free audio guides you can read or hear.
Porthcothan to Newquay is 10.7 miles (17.2 km). Allow about 6 h 6 min of walking, before stops.
Stage 16 climbs about 500 m and descends about 476 m, with a high point of about 93 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 86%, road & lane 12%, other 2%. 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 Bedruthan Steps, Watergate Bay, Newquay beaches. It also passes 1 place we cover in depth: Bedruthan Steps. There is 1 free audio guide between them.
Bedruthan steps can be closed/steep.