Godrevy to St Ives

(Our overall day number 39 - Part of The KC3 ECP Leg 6b - Godrevy to Land's End)

Godrevy to St Ives

10th September 2023 | Miles 11.4 | Elevation gain 1288ft

An 11.4 mile walk, with the first 3.5 miles completed at low tide along the beach facing St Ives Bay (at high tide the path runs through the dunes). At The Towans, the path turns inland for a four mile stretch around the estuary through the towns of Hayle and Lelant and back to Porthkidney. The final four mile stretch runs into St Ives via Carbis Bay and around St Ives Head to finish at Porthmeor Beach, with some hilly stretches rewarded with great views over the bay.
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Getting there and back
It's possible to get the Sunseeker bus from St Ives to Gwithian and then walk to the path, but the timing didn't work for us and with eight walkers to organise we opted for A1 Cabs to take us to the start.
Weather conditions
Spots of rain at the start of the day, clearing up later, the sun came out and it felt very warm by the time we reached the very welcome bar at Porthminster Beach.
Walking difficulty
Moderate - borderline easy, initial walk up the beach, then around Hayle and Lelant, before some ups and downs at the end of the day on the way into St Ives

The story of our day in photos

The night before the big walk - you can just see Godrevy past the bottle of Sol
Explaining the route to the guest walkers
Setting off - we'd just been dropped off in Godrevy and now making our way down to the beach
On to the beach at Godrevy
Walking down the beach - only possible at low tide and so the coast path has an alternative route through the dunes
Looking back - towards Godrevy Island and the lighthouse
Three miles done and we're heading inland towards Hayle
The B3301 section of the coast path!
Lunching on the beach at Lelant Towans
Looking across from the lunch spot towards Hayle Towans - we'd walked up those dunes a couple of hours earlier
Another view across the estuary - the tide now covering our path up the beach
Above Porth Kidney Sands
Walking above Carbis Bay
Carbis Bay
Heading towards Porthminster Point
Above Porthminster Beach, with St Ives in the background
The Garden Bar at Porthminster Beach - a most welcome refreshment stop
Walking through busy St Ives
St Ives Harbour
Heading up for the final push around St Ives Head
Porthgwidden Beach
Around St Ives Head - busy-ness of St Ives suddenly left behind
Around the point
Portmeor Beach - our finish point for the day
Final few yards along Portmeor Beach
The climbing wasn't over though - plenty of gradient to get to our accommodation after dinner!
Useful links
The Garden Bar at The Porthminster Beach Cafe
Refreshment stop 10 miles into the very hot first day of our walk. The perfect location for a refreshing beer / pimms / G&T!
The Hub, St Ives
Burgers and other very tasty food, consumed avidly by us on the evening of day 1 after our very hot 12 mile walk.
The Tinners Arms, Zennor
It's the only pub in Zennor and we'd been told it was a brilliant location for a pint after the very tough section from St Ives to Zennor - it didn't disappoint, in fact we stayed for two and got the later bus back to St Ives. Not far from the Land's End Coaster bus stop.
The Queen's Arms, Botallack
Location for our warm down drink after the very tough ten miles from Zennor to Botallack - the beer tasted every bit as good as the Tinners Arms the day before - must be something to do with the relief at finishing!
Seven Bar, St Ives
Located right on the front in St Ives - we had a couple of great cocktails here on the evening of the third day of walking, watching nightfall over the harbour.
Cintra Seafood Bar, St Ives
Located right on the front at St Ives. Small plate / tapas type food, mainly fishy - the food was fantastic and the Vinho Verde equally delicious!
Old Success Inn, Sennen Cove
Perfect location for refuelling after the walk down the beach and before the final push to Land's End. We only had time for a drink but the food looked good too - especially the sharing flatbreads.
Porthminster Kitchen, St Ives
Great celebration with seafood and wine here on the evening of the day we reached Land's End.
Pasties from The Cornish Bakehouse
There's no shortage of pasty shops in St Ives and they all looked fabulously appetising, and this was the one we chose - it didn't disappoint!
Porthmeor Beach Cafe, St Ives
Located overlooking Porthmeor Beach, we ate here early evening in one of the booths - open fronted but covered and heated and with fab views of the sun setting. The food and wine lived up to it's billing as one of the best places to eat in St Ives!
By The Sea fish and chips, St Ives
Apparently shortlisted for one of the top ten fish and chip restaurants of 2023, we ate here the night before we headed home - very classy fish and chips, we loved it.
South West Coast Path in West Cornwall
Link to the excellent South West Coast Path site, West Cornwall section, covering this stretch
A1 Cars St Ives
This taxi firm took us to Godrevy on the morning of the first day's walking. Also ran us around St Ives at various times, mostly back up the hill after dinner when our legs were too achy to make it under our own steam!