Walk - The Cove - Gwennap Head - St Levan

Walk information provided with help from Natural England. Map reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100022021.

Difficulty: Easy
Start: Porthgwarra Carpark - TR19 6JR
Finish: Porthgwarra Carpark
Length: 1.6 miles (2.5 km)
Summary: One of four walks around the South West Coast Path starting from Gwennap Head; but with as many as seven different loops all leaving from the Porthgwarra car park, there are many possible mix-and-match routes, providing a walk for every occasion! There are cliffs and blowholes, saints and seabirds, theatres and underwater communications systems, all spread around an area of heathland dotted with the relics of the past and fringed with crystal waters lapping on sandy coves.
Public Transport: Buses run regularly on the B3315 between Penzance and Land's End, stopping at the top of the road above Lamorna and at Polgigga above Porthgwarra. For details visit: www.travelinesw.com or phone 0871 200 22 33
Nearest car park: Porthgwarra pay and display carpark.
Nearest toilets: In Porthgwarra
Nearest refreshments: In Porthgwarra

Route Description

An easy walk eastwards through the heathland to St Levan, where the medieval church perches high above the fifth-century saint's original chapel and the bracken-clad hillside plunges to the tiny beach with its white sand and turquoise water. Bring a picnic and make a day of it!

The granite steps between the chapel and the well are very old and were restored in 2003, more than 60 years after they were rediscovered. The St Levan Stone in the medieval churchyard was considered to be a sacred monument by the pagans worshiping here before the saint arrived, and the tall cross beside it was erected to sanctify it. According to legend, the stone was split in two by a blow from St Levan's staff, and he prophesied that no-one would ever ride a loaded pack horse through the two halves of the rock unless the world was about to end. There are five ancient Celtic crosses in the churchyard, each pointing the way from a local settlement, and there are others in the fields to mark the routes.

From the car park turn left, bearing left at the gift shop, and turn right on the road beyond to pick up the South West Coast Path on the right through an archway formed of the feathery fronds of the Mediterranean salt- and sand-loving tamarisk bushes. Carry on through the heathland, forking left to stay high when the path splits.
When it forks again, bear left to visit St Levan's Church and then return to this spot to take the path downhill towards Porth Chapel.
Reaching the South West Coast Path, turn right to follow it back to Porthgwarra and the car park; but before you do, take time to visit the tiny hermit's cell a few steps down towards the beach, carrying on down this path if you want to visit the beach itself before returning to Porthgwarra.

Nearby refreshments

In Porthgwarra

If you spot any problems or changes to this walk please email the details to [email protected] so we can get it fixed for those that follow in your footsteps.