St Agnes Head to Chapel Porth: A Short North Coast Walk Past Wheal Coates

If you only have an hour or so on the north coast, spend it here. This short loop runs south from St Agnes Head along the clifftops, past the ruined engine houses of Wheal Coates, drops into the cove at Chapel Porth, then climbs back over the heath below St Agnes Beacon. It is a little over two and a half miles, but it has everything the north coast does best: big Atlantic views, mining history on the edge of the cliff, and a beach at the bottom.

At a glance

• Distance: 2.6 miles (4.2 km), a loop
• Climbing: about 530 ft, mostly the descent to and climb out of Chapel Porth
• Time: about 1 hour 15 minutes, longer with a stop at the beach
• Start: the free National Trust car park at St Agnes Head, or the paid National Trust car park at Chapel Porth if you want to make a beach day of it
• Facilities: toilets and a small seasonal cafe at Chapel Porth
• Terrain: coast path and heathland tracks, stony in places; one steep climb out of Chapel Porth
• From Trewena: about 40 minutes by car

The walk

Along the clifftops from St Agnes Head. Head south on the coast path with the Atlantic below you and the whole sweep of the north coast ahead. On a clear day the views run a long way in both directions.

Wheal Coates. The engine houses of Wheal Coates stand right on the cliff edge, the most photographed mine buildings in Cornwall. They are part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, and the National Trust looks after them. For us, the best view of the whole walk is the distant one: the mine on the cliff with Chapel Porth laid out below it.

Down to Chapel Porth. The path drops steeply into the cove at Chapel Porth, a sandy beach between high cliffs that almost disappears at high tide. The little beach cafe is famous for its hedgehog ice cream: vanilla, clotted cream and hazelnuts.

Back over the heath. Climb out of the cove and return over the heath on the lower slopes of St Agnes Beacon, with the heather and gorse around you and the sea behind.

Good to know

• Chapel Porth and the tide. The beach is mostly covered at high tide, and it is easy to get cut off exploring the rocks and caves on a rising tide. Check tide times before heading onto the sand.
• Swimming. Surf and currents here are powerful. Swim only when and where lifeguards are on duty.
• Mine shafts. Keep to the paths on the heath; old mine workings are fenced but still dangerous.
• The cafe is seasonal. Check before relying on it for lunch outside the summer.

Why it's worth the drive

Trewena is on the south coast, and the north coast is a different world: bigger, wilder and more open to the Atlantic. This walk is short enough to fit into a morning, with time for lunch in St Agnes afterwards and back to the cottage by mid-afternoon.

Plan your walk

• Autumn walks near Falmouth
• Cornwall's mining heritage
• Where to see seals in Cornwall, including Godrevy further along the north coast
• The best South West Coast Path walks in Cornwall