Leave the St Anthony Head car park at its far end and keep straight ahead along a surfaced lane past a row of holiday cottages on the left. Follow the coast path, running parallel with the old military road alongside Drake’s Downs, to where it passes above Porthbeor Beach at a junction with what was the beach access path until a rock fall closed it, as indicated by a sign.
Follow the coast path round Porthmellin Head and Killigerran Head to reach Towan Beach. At the junction with the beach access path, turn left and inland. Bear off left before a gate and go through a roofed passage to reach a road.
Go straight across the road and through a gapway, signed ‘Porth Farm’, then go down a surfaced drive. Turn into the entrance to the National Trust car park, then bear off left along a path signed ‘Riverside Footpath Place Quay’. Go down a drive and soon turn right along a waymarked path. Cross a footbridge and turn right. Follow Froe Creek then follow a path alongside Porth Creek, through fields and woods and through Drawler Plantation, ignoring side paths.
Pass a small jetty where the St Mawes ferry picks up passengers. Continue to a gate on your right and onto the road end in front of Place House. Go left along the road and then head uphill for 160yds (150m).
Turn right and cross a stile, signposted ‘Church of St Anthony and St Anthony Head’. Follow the path past the graves to the church. Keep dogs under control here. Go up the steps opposite the church door and follow a shady path uphill. Keep right at a junction signed ‘St Anthony Head’ and then at the next junction with a broad track turn left. At the beginning of the driveway to Cellars Cottage, go left through a gate into a field. Follow the edge of the field uphill then go through a kissing gate and head downhill to the water’s edge.
Turn left and follow the coast path around Carricknath Point. Just past Great Molunan Beach, cross a causewayed dam above a small quay, then, at a junction, keep right and follow the coast path signs. At a junction with a surfaced track coming down from the left, keep straight ahead to St Anthony Lighthouse.
Return to the junction and climb the steep, surfaced track to reach the car park. Halfway up, another track leads off right to the preserved Battery Observation Post and to the bird hide above Zone Point. Just past this turn, at another junction, keep right and go up steps to reach the car park.
St Anthony Head lies at the tip of the most southerly promontory of the beautiful Roseland Peninsula, and was always of strategic importance. There was a gun battery on St Anthony Head from the early 19th century until 1957, its purpose being to defend the key port of Falmouth. The lighthouse on... the Head was built in 1834. One of its main purposes is to warn vessels of the highly dangerous reefs known as the Manacles that lie offshore from Porthoustock below St Keverne. As early as 1805, guns were positioned on St Anthony Head to cover the approaches to Falmouth. By the end of the 19th century the headland had been transformed into a formidable gun battery that remained either active or in readiness until after World War II. By 1957 Coastal Artillery was discontinued and the St Anthony Battery was stripped of its ordnance. The site came into the care of the National Trust in 1959. Breezy coast and peaceful woods The route of this walk starts from above the lighthouse and makes a circuit of the narrow peninsula behind St Anthony Head. The first part of the walk lies along the breezy east side of the peninsula. The path soon passes above the cliff-fringed Porthbeor Beach. Another half-mile takes you to the splendid Towan Beach within its sheltering bay. From Porth, above the beach, the route heads inland and follows the opposite side of the peninsula. Leafy paths wind along the peaceful wooded shores of Porth Creek and the Percuil River to pass the 19th-century Place House and St Anthony’s Church. Beyond the church a more open coast is reached. The path now takes you south along the sea’s edge back to St Anthony Head, where you can visit the lighthouse at certain times and also take a detour to see the old Observation Post on the high ground above.
Cornwall has just about everything – wild moorland landscapes, glorious river valley scenery, picturesque villages and miles of breathtaking coastline. Known for its popular surfing spots, the region provides ample opportunities for water sport enthusiasts, and for those who prefer to stay on land, visitor attractions like the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan offer a lovely day out.
Leave the St Anthony Head car park at its far end and keep straight ahead along a surfaced lane past a row of holiday cottages on the left. Follow the coast path, running parallel with the old military road alongside Drake’s Downs, to where it passes above Porthbeor Beach at a junction with what was the beach access path until a rock fall closed it, as indicated by a sign.
1 of 7
Follow the coast path round Porthmellin Head and Killigerran Head to reach Towan Beach. At the junction with the beach access path, turn left and inland. Bear off left before a gate and go through a roofed passage to reach a road.
2 of 7
Go straight across the road and through a gapway, signed ‘Porth Farm’, then go down a surfaced drive. Turn into the entrance to the National Trust car park, then bear off left along a path signed ‘Riverside Footpath Place Quay’. Go down a drive and soon turn right along a waymarked path. Cross a footbridge and turn right. Follow Froe Creek then follow a path alongside Porth Creek, through fields and woods and through Drawler Plantation, ignoring side paths.
3 of 7
Pass a small jetty where the St Mawes ferry picks up passengers. Continue to a gate on your right and onto the road end in front of Place House. Go left along the road and then head uphill for 160yds (150m).
4 of 7
Turn right and cross a stile, signposted ‘Church of St Anthony and St Anthony Head’. Follow the path past the graves to the church. Keep dogs under control here. Go up the steps opposite the church door and follow a shady path uphill. Keep right at a junction signed ‘St Anthony Head’ and then at the next junction with a broad track turn left. At the beginning of the driveway to Cellars Cottage, go left through a gate into a field. Follow the edge of the field uphill then go through a kissing gate and head downhill to the water’s edge.
5 of 7
Turn left and follow the coast path around Carricknath Point. Just past Great Molunan Beach, cross a causewayed dam above a small quay, then, at a junction, keep right and follow the coast path signs. At a junction with a surfaced track coming down from the left, keep straight ahead to St Anthony Lighthouse.
6 of 7
Return to the junction and climb the steep, surfaced track to reach the car park. Halfway up, another track leads off right to the preserved Battery Observation Post and to the bird hide above Zone Point. Just past this turn, at another junction, keep right and go up steps to reach the car park.
St Anthony Head lies at the tip of the most southerly promontory of the beautiful Roseland Peninsula, and was always of strategic importance. There was a gun battery on St Anthony Head from the early 19th century until 1957, its purpose being to defend the key port of Falmouth. The lighthouse on... the Head was built in 1834. One of its main purposes is to warn vessels of the highly dangerous reefs known as the Manacles that lie offshore from Porthoustock below St Keverne. As early as 1805, guns were positioned on St Anthony Head to cover the approaches to Falmouth. By the end of the 19th century the headland had been transformed into a formidable gun battery that remained either active or in readiness until after World War II. By 1957 Coastal Artillery was discontinued and the St Anthony Battery was stripped of its ordnance. The site came into the care of the National Trust in 1959. Breezy coast and peaceful woods The route of this walk starts from above the lighthouse and makes a circuit of the narrow peninsula behind St Anthony Head. The first part of the walk lies along the breezy east side of the peninsula. The path soon passes above the cliff-fringed Porthbeor Beach. Another half-mile takes you to the splendid Towan Beach within its sheltering bay. From Porth, above the beach, the route heads inland and follows the opposite side of the peninsula. Leafy paths wind along the peaceful wooded shores of Porth Creek and the Percuil River to pass the 19th-century Place House and St Anthony’s Church. Beyond the church a more open coast is reached. The path now takes you south along the sea’s edge back to St Anthony Head, where you can visit the lighthouse at certain times and also take a detour to see the old Observation Post on the high ground above.
Cornwall has just about everything – wild moorland landscapes, glorious river valley scenery, picturesque villages and miles of breathtaking coastline. Known for its popular surfing spots, the region provides ample opportunities for water sport enthusiasts, and for those who prefer to stay on land, visitor attractions like the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan offer a lovely day out.
