Porthleven to Poldhu Cove

8 June 2025

Distance on Coast Path: 9.5km; ascent: 210m

Total distance: 9.5km; ascent: 210m

Walking time: 2h 16′

Total time: 2h 57′

Overnight: Self-catering, Helston

Logistics: To start: U4 bus Helston – Porthleven Harbour. Finish: 34 bus Poldhu Cove – Helston

A short walk today. It wouldn’t be unusual to walk from Porthleven to Lizard Point in one day, but I was at the mercy of the Sunday bus timetable and couldn’t be sure I could get to Lizard village in time for the last bus back to Helston.

As I walked round Porthleven harbour from the bus stop three people, two women and a man, unmistakably kitted out as Path walkers came out of The Harbour Inn. Exchanging greetings and falling in with them for a short while they said they were planning to reach Lizard Point. Unlike me they had booked a place to stay in the village. We split up shortly after but not before the man had told me he was a leader for HF Holidays. Regular readers will know that I have also been an HF leader, but not for more than 10 years.

Not only was today a short day, it was also easy going; fairly level and mostly in the open. No overgrown paths!

Loe Bar vegetation

The first of two points of interest, Loe Bar, came just two and a half kilometres into the walk. The Bar is a long low bank of coarse sand over 200 metres wide which cuts off the combined fresh waters of The Loe and Carminow Creek from the sea. Large patches of green turned out to be not grass but a ground-hugging succulent plant establishing itself in the dry nutrient-poor sand. A low-growing variety of spiny thistle was also establishing itself.

The three I had met earlier caught me up as I was leaving the Bar and we walked together as far as the next cove, Gunwalloe Fishing Cove, where I decided to take a break. They carried on and I didn’t see them again.

Gunwalloe Fishing Cove

The second point of interest follows after the small headland of Halzephron Cliff at the second Gunwalloe cove – Church Cove. It’s well-known for the isolated church of St. Winwalloe built under the cliff at the north end of the cove. There’s a car park nearby so there were quite a few people around. I spent a few minutes inside the church talking to one of the people cleaning there.

St Winwalloe’s church.

I was deliberately taking my time and not looking at my watch, so continuing the easy walking I reached Poldhu Cove about 5 minutes after the 1203 bus back to Helston would have left. But the cove is well-known – there’s a car park and a café which was open and busy. I queued up and bought a bacon bap and a coffee for lunch, and sat at a table overlooking the beach. Later I strolled around killing time before the 1403 bus arrived to take me back to Helston.