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Walking the South West Coastal Path: From Crantock to Holywell Bay

The Plume's location sits conveniently between Cornwall's North and South coast. A home for your Spring and Summer Cornish adventures, grab those walking boots and dig out your inner explorer; we're about to set you up for a coastal path stomp to remember. We know you've all heard of the famous route from St. Ives to Zennor, but, we're also bringing rugged coastline and vast Atlantic ocean views to the table with our route from Crantock to Holywell Bay.

All photography on this journal entry is credited to Alex Bowden

Starting at Crantock

Double ended by two National Trust car parks, this ramble can be started at either location: Holywell Bay or Crantock. On this occasion, we’ve chosen to start at Crantock Bay.

From the car park next to Crantock beach, you’ll find the way markers pointing you to the coastal path route for this walk. Feel free to leave your map at home on this stroll, the way markers will be your guide from start to finish.

The route should take you approximately 1 hour at a brisk pace, or closer to 2 hours at a steady pace.

Follow the track to Polly Joke beach

Side by side with the sea along the coastal path, you will stumble across Polly Joke, a smaller cove in between Crantock and Holywell.

If you’ve got time to spare, take a moment to head down to the shore, feel the sand in your toes and take a big old breath of that seaweed air. Polly Joke’s narrow bay is overlooked by rugged cliffs and wildlife galore, making it a haven for hikers and exploring families, especially in the summer.

Discover wildlife in its natural habitat

Hidden amongst coves and rocky cliff edges, beyond a grass verge you’ll find a little secret.

A colony of seals makes this small cove its home in between Polly Joke and Holywell, and whilst we won’t disclose its exact location, you may wish to adventure out to find these beauties.

Often found onshore in the Winter months, the seals sleep the day away and like to slumber in relatively quiet conditions, so please do respect this if you stumble across them whilst on your walking journey.

 

Make your way to Holywell Bay

At the end of this section of the path, you’ll find Holywell Bay.

Watch as the tide brings in rolling waves for surfers, as seaside paradise for anyone looking for an open beach with white sands and high dunes for venturing in and out of.

The bay is also a recognisable location from famous TV series, Poldark, acting as the Warleggan’s beach in season 2 of the series.

Head on back home

Once you reach Holywell Bay, you have two route choices. You may wish to return back the way you came and get a second glimpse at all the scenic spots you stumbled across the first time around, or, if you’re finding your legs a little worn out, you can catch the 85 bus route from Tregruth Inn in Holywell to Treloggan, and then the 92 bus route to Mitchell. Or, you may wish to continue on the 85 bus through to Newquay, and stop off at our sister venue, Lewinnick Lodge, for a post-adventure lunch.

If you prefer, feel free to speak to your Plume host to book you a taxi back from Holywell to Mitchell.

And, don’t forget to make a dinner reservation to fill your boots after your venture out into the wilds of the Cornish coastline.