The wildest, roughest leg in Cornwall — boulders and bog around Zennor Head and Gurnard's Head to Pendeen Watch.
Highlights
- Zennor Head
- Gurnard's Head
- Pendeen Watch lighthouse
Know before you go
- Very rough, slow, boggy ground
- Allow extra time
Climbs 1,093 m and descends 1,047 m, topping out at 120 m and dropping to 10 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.
The wildest, roughest leg in Cornwall — boulders and bog around Zennor Head and Gurnard's Head to Pendeen Watch.
Places on this leg with a full history, and free audio guides you can read or hear.
St Ives to Pendeen is 12.6 miles (20.3 km). Allow about 6 h 54 min of walking, before stops.
Stage 21 climbs about 1,093 m and descends about 1,047 m, with a high point of about 120 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 hard. Rated out of five: physical demand 3/5 (Moderate), terrain 3/5 (Moderate), navigation 2/5 (Modest), remoteness 4/5 (High). On the SAC hiking scale it is T2 — some steep, rough or uneven ground.
By distance the surface is footpath 97%, track 3%. 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 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 Zennor Head, Gurnard's Head, Pendeen Watch lighthouse. It also passes 1 place we cover in depth: Geevor Tin Mine & Pendeen Watch. There is 1 free audio guide between them.
Very rough, slow, boggy ground. Allow extra time.