Via Ferrata Cornwall: Iron Stairway in a Mabe Granite Quarry

The area around Mabe Parish is unique in Cornwall for its granite quarrying heritage. It is also unique in being home to the only via ferrata, or "iron stairway", in the south of England: a set of cables, rungs, bridges and a zipline that lets non-climbers explore a 60-acre former quarry the way climbers see it.

Via Ferrata Cornwall is run by a local operator on a working outdoor-education site, and the site itself is one of the more interesting half-days out within easy reach of Falmouth.

What it is

Via ferrata is an Italian-Alpine concept: a permanent system of steel cables and metal rungs fixed to the rock, with climbers clipped on with a harness and twin lanyards so they cannot fall. It opens up routes that would otherwise need full climbing experience, kit and confidence, and lets ordinary visitors get a real taste of moving through vertical terrain.

The Cornwall site uses the disused quarry's worked granite faces, ledges and bridges as its playground, with routes graded by difficulty so adventurous eight-year-olds and experienced thrill-seekers are catered for at the same site. Highlights of the longer routes include a 70-metre high-wire bridge strung across the pit and a clifftop zipline finish that drops you back to ground level past views last seen by Cornish quarrymen nearly a hundred years ago.

Where it is and how to get there

The site is in Mabe Parish, a few minutes by car from Falmouth and Penryn and signposted from the local lanes. There is a free visitor car park on site. The nearest postcode for satnav and the booking page are at viaferratacornwall.co.uk.

For Trewena guests, the quarry is around 10 minutes' drive, and there is also a footpath route across the fields from Argal Lake for anyone who would rather walk in.

On site beyond the climbing

The site is more than the via ferrata itself, and there is plenty to fill an afternoon for non-climbers in your group:

• The Cornish Barista cafe overlooks the action with one of the more dramatic outlooks of any Cornish coffee stop. Proper coffee, sandwiches and cake, with seating both indoors and out. Open to non-climbers as well.
• The adventure park and mud kitchen is free to non-paying guests. Climbing frames, swings, slides and a mud-and-water area that keeps younger children busy.
• Walking trails connect down to Argal Lake, a quiet inland reservoir with a flat circular walk that pairs naturally with a coffee stop.
• A heritage mining trail dotted with quarrying ironwork, chisels, shaping tools and interpretive boards gives a glimpse into the work that shaped this landscape for generations.

A local company supporting a local charity

Via Ferrata Cornwall is run by a Cornwall-based outdoor operator and is affiliated with BF Adventure, a registered Cornwall charity that uses outdoor education to support vulnerable young people across the county. A percentage of every spend across the site, from climbs to coffees, goes directly to the charity, so booking here is one of the more meaningful ways to spend an outdoor day in the area.

Beyond the quarry

If a day at Via Ferrata has put you in the mood for more outdoor adventure, our guides to the Argal Lake walk, walks near Falmouth and Penryn, the best places to paddleboard in Cornwall and the best South West Coast Path walks cover natural pairings within easy reach. For the gentler outdoor option with a wildlife angle, the Flicka Foundation Donkey Sanctuary at Mabe Burnthouse is a few minutes away.