Argal Lake Walk: A 2-Mile Reservoir Loop Near Falmouth

A 15-minute walk from the gate at Trewena, down the country lane that drops south through Mabe Parish, takes you to one of our favourite quiet places in this corner of Cornwall: Argal Lake. Some of our guests have made it their morning run. Others wander down with a flask and the dog and lose an hour to the wildlife. It’s a 2-mile circular walk on the flat, mostly under tree cover.

Argal Lake is technically Argal Reservoir, managed by South West Lakes Trust on behalf of South West Water. That stewardship gives it a quiet, kept-but-not-manicured feel: native trees along the shoreline, meadows mown for hay, no jet skis or weekend traffic.

The circular path hugs the shore, ducking into woodland on the south side and opening out onto pasture on the north, where Mabe’s picturesque St Laudus Church overlooks the lake from the rise above. In late summer the hayfields around the church get baled and the whole landscape looks like a 19th-century pastoral painting.

Walking from Trewena

From our gate, turn right towards the Donkey Sanctuary and follow the lane south-west down into the valley. It’s a quiet road but cars do use it, so keep your wits about you and step into the verge for vehicles. Walking time is 15 to 20 minutes each way, which makes for roughly a 90-minute round trip including a slow lap of the lake itself. There’s no pavement and no street lighting, so we’d avoid the route after dusk in winter.

For runners it’s about 4 miles round trip from the cottages. The loop around the lake is mostly flat but it's a steady climb back up the lane to Trewena at the end. Plenty of guests have made it their default morning route, especially in summer when the lake throws off mist at sunrise.

If you’d rather drive, there’s a paid car park at the lake run by South West Lakes Trust, signposted off the lane.

Wildlife

The birdlife is the headline reason to come. Year-round you’ll see herons stalking the shallows, mute swans and Canada geese on the open water, coots and moorhens in the rushes. Tufted ducks, mallards, and goldeneyes overwinter in good numbers. The woods around the path are thick with robins, wrens, blue tits, great tits, and goldfinches, with the occasional sighting of the elusive yellow-browed warbler. Cormorants drop in to fish.

For a fuller guide to the species you’ll see at Trewena itself, read our birdwatcher’s guide to Cornwall’s garden birds.

Fishing

Argal is one of Cornwall’s better-known coarse fishing waters. Permits are available from South West Lakes Trust, who have up-to-date prices and rules on their site. Anglers are allotted private embankments, and many pitch tents and camp lakeside overnight.

Practicalities

• Distance: 2-mile circular loop around the lake; 4 miles round trip from Trewena
• Terrain: flat, mostly compacted gravel and grass
• Parking: paid car park run by South West Lakes Trust, signposted off the lane
• Kiosk: the kiosk that used to sell hot drinks and snacks is currently closed, so bring a flask
• Family: there’s a rustic play area next to the car park
• Dogs: welcome
• Best time: mid-summer for the hay bales, late autumn for migrating waterfowl, any time for the quiet

Pair the walk with

For a longer afternoon, pair the Argal loop with Verdant Brewery and Taproom in Penryn down the hill: the taproom serves pizzas and hazy IPAs through the day and is actually closer to Trewena than central Penryn is. For the cottage-base couples' weekend that uses this walk as the gentle local option, see Cornwall for couples. For the spring version with bluebells through the lakeside wood, see spring in Cornwall. For the wider walking picture, see walks near Falmouth and Penryn and the Falmouth walking tour.