Along the cliffs past Hell's Mouth and Godrevy lighthouse — Virginia Woolf's 'To the Lighthouse' — to the Hayle estuary.
Highlights
- Hell's Mouth
- Godrevy lighthouse
- Gwithian Sands
Know before you go
- Sheer cliff edges at Hell's Mouth
Climbs 600 m and descends 601 m, topping out at 88 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.
Along the cliffs past Hell's Mouth and Godrevy lighthouse — Virginia Woolf's 'To the Lighthouse' — to the Hayle estuary.
Places on this leg with a full history, and free audio guides you can read or hear.
Portreath to Hayle is 12.1 miles (19.4 km). Allow about 6 h 36 min of walking, before stops.
Stage 19 climbs about 600 m and descends about 601 m, with a high point of about 88 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 88%, road & lane 12%. 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 scarce. 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 Hell's Mouth, Godrevy lighthouse, Gwithian Sands. It also passes 1 place we cover in depth: Godrevy Lighthouse. There is 1 free audio guide between them.
Sheer cliff edges at Hell's Mouth.