Highlights

• The tiny white Huer’s hut overlooking Newquay Bay. The Huer was a lookout who had the important job of alerting the fishermen when shoals of pilchards were spotted in the bay.
• Crossing the River Gannel: you have a number of options including taking the summer ferry, using one of the tidal bridges southeast of Pentire or following the main road and taking the alternative route through Trevemper.
• The birds who enjoy the sandy haven of the Gannel Estuary. Thousands of birds travel here to find winter shelter, including ringed plover, greenshank, dunlin, curlew and teal.
• Crantock Beach backed by a grassy plateau called Rushy Green.
• Fantastic views from Pentire Point west. This area is owned by the National Trust who are keen to encourage wild flowers and grasses.
• The hidden beach of Porth Joke.
• Holywell Beach dunes, home to hundreds of different insects. You may also see dolphins from here.
• Penhale Point with Iron Age defences still visible. Fantastic views here stretch to St Agnes Head, Godrevy Point and St Ives beyond.
• Looking south from Ligger Point over the 2 mile stretch of golden sands of Perran Beach.
• The view across the sands of Perran Beach from Droskyn Point with its natural rock arch. This is a good place to watch the surfers of Perranporth.
• The Millennium sundial located on the point of the Droskyn mine overlooking Perren Bay. The dial shows ‘Cornish times’ which are 20 minutes behind GMT.

Places of interest

• Newquay Aquarium.
• St Piran’s Cross and the ruins of the 12th century church of
  St Piran on the dunes behind Perran Beach.
• The village of Crantock with its Norman church. A church has been sited here since 600AD. The Round Garden in the centre of the village is a tranquil orchard owned by the National Trust and is thought to be the site of one of 7 Celtic chapels.
• Nansmellyn Marsh Nature Reserve is a Cornwall Wildlife Trust reserve east of Perranporth, and is said to be one of the few remaining untouched areas of reedbed in Cornwall, home to otters and warblers.

Shorter option

Holywell (8.1 miles, 13 km).

Longer option

Walk to St Agnes (an additional 5.5 miles, 8.9 km to St Agnes Head).

Nearby refreshments

You can stock up on refreshments at the beginning of your walk in Newquay, which has numerous restaurants, shops, pubs and cafes to choose from. Establishments that serve local produce include Taste of the West members The Headland Hotel on Fistral Beach which serves locally sourced fresh produce in their Sand brasserie or restaurant, Rock Island Bistro, Alexander Road, Porth, Newquay: a family run restaurant overlooking the beach, , and Morris Pasties, with their award winning Cornish pasty selection. Further refreshments can be found at Pentire, Holywell Bay and Perranporth. For locally sourced produce you may like to try Taste of the West member The Green Parrot pub in Perranporth.

Public transport

The easiest way to reach Newquay is by train, fgrom where you can ctach a bus to Perranporth. For timetable information, zoom in on the interactive map and click on the train station and bus stop symbols, visit Traveline or phone 0871 200 22 33.

Parking

Newquay (Postcode for Sat Navs: TR7 1PF), Towan Head, Fistral Beach, Pentire, West Pentire, Holywell and Perranporth.