Walks from Mawnan Smith
How to get to the Coast Path
Mawnan Smith sits like the centre of a quarter of a bicycle wheel within the surrounding coast path with the ‘spokes’ similar to the paths that lead down to the water. This means you can get onto and off the coast path in a number of ways and choose how long you would like to stay on the coast path before heading inland back to the village.
The best idea is to refer to OS Maps which are available from Mawnan Stores and copies of which are in the house. Please leave them in the house and not take the big ones with you on walks. The following are some suggestions for local walks. However, we may have missed some crucial landmarks so be sure to take a map or reference with you.
OS Explorer 105: Falmouth & Megavissy
OS Explorer 103: The Lizard
Mawnan Stores also stocks local walking books and a pamphlet called Mawnan: Parish footpaths and visitor guide, which is a great place to start.
Mawnan Smith to Porth Saxon Beach Walk
Dog friendly all year, Porth Saxon is a real local’s beach. Only accessible down the footpath from Mawnan Smith or Mawnan Church, or if you are walking along the Coast Path, there’s no chance of bumping into a car, cyclist or anything other than fellow dog walkers and beach barbecuers. The walk broadly follows the river that formed Carwinion valley and is wooded, well sign posted and a must if you are staying in the village.
Porth Saxon is mostly a pebbly / shingle beach but the Beast from the East in 2018 washed up a load of sand which has stayed above the high water mark for the time being. Low spring tide reveals 20m of beach, a normal high tide gives you about 4m so plenty of room for throwing sticks or having a picnic. It is also the perfect spot to enjoy a sheltered swim in safe waters with only the gentle wash of a passing boat to disturb your strokes. NOTE: choppy waters and unsafe conditions in an Easterly wind.
There aren’t any facilities on the beach. Despite this, it is the home of the Helford River Sailing Trust which is based out of the beautiful boathouse on the westerly end of the beach.
If you happen to find yourself there on a Wednesday afternoon you might well experience a bunch of cadets messing about in dinghies and generally having a brilliant time on the water.
(1) The quickest way to walk to Porth Saxon from the centre of Mawnan Smith is to start with the main facade of the pub in front of you and take the left-hand road, keeping The Square car park on your left. Walk up that road past the forge on your right, past the bowling club on your right and onwards. After about 400 yards you will see a wide footpath / vehicle track on your right – signposted and it has a red dog poo bin, you can’t miss it. (If you see the entrance to the school playing fields on your left you have gone too far.)
Head down this track and you will see a larch clad building at the end. At this building bear left along the track (keeping the larch cladding on your right) and after Carwinion Cottage (on your right, magnificent cottage garden in the spring and summer) you will see the National Trust footpath sign “Carwinion: Footpath to Porth Saxon).
(2) Follow this path downhill. When it flattens a little you will notice a stream on your left and you will cross a little slate bridge, (I bumped into a load of children from the school the other day who believe there to be trolls living there).
After this little bridge keep left with the river on your left until you come to a gate. Go through the gate and bear left along about 50 yards of field until you see the path again. Keep going on this path downhill and after about 400 yards. you will come see the side of a boathouse on your left and a gate onto Porth Saxon beach.
Coast Path signs to the right and left: LEFT: heads towards Mawnan Church, Trerose, Rosemullion Head, Maenporth and Falmouth. RIGHT: Durgan, Trebah and Helford Passage.
Time from Daphne Cottage to Porth Saxon beach is approx. 25 minutes. Uphill on the way back. Dogs are allowed on this beach all year round so there and back is a good hour walk with additional time for swimming and stick chasing on the beach.
Mawnan Smith - Maenporth - Mawnan Smith Circular Walk
An absolutely fabulous walk of about 8km taking in Maenporth beach, a spectacular section of the coast path from there to Rosemullion Head via Bream Cove, and two beaches on the Helford.
With the pub directly in front of you, head on the left-hand road up past the forge. After about 150 yards you will see a footpath sign on your left. Head down there and over a style onto open fields. Head towards the metal gate into the next field (which has a small footpath gate on the right-hand side of the larger gate) and the next along the track to another gate where you will see a farm in front of you. Bear about 10 o’clock across the field and you will see a small wooden gate in the hedge. Go through the gate, head left down the path until you come to a gate on your right (see picture below). Go through the gate onto open fields, head directly down the field towards another gate, go through this gate and then walk down that field to the hedge. When you hit the hedge, turn right and at the corner of that field you will see a gate into the woods. Follow this path all the way down and it will bring you out at Maenporth (you will see a footpath on your left half way down, this leads back to Mawnan Smith if you only want a short circuit). To carry along the coast path, cross the road and follow the signs on your right up onto the headland. The sea will be on your left. Great views of St Anthony’s lighthouse and a bit of Falmouth. Follow this coast path as it takes in breath taking views of the sea, which will be on your left hand side throughout.
You will pass The Meudon Hotel sign and Bream Cove at Nansidwell, keep following the coast path signs keeping straight ahead at a junction at the end of that beach. You will come up onto Rosemullion head where you can see the entry to Helford River in the distance and views of the Lizard over the water.
Keep going until you go down a steep hill to a little beach which has a sign saying Trerose on the side of the boat house. Pass this boathouse on your left and stay on the coast path until you reach another beach. This is Porth Saxon. To get back to Mawnan Smith, take the inland footpath at the far end of the beach signposted Carwinion. This will bring you back up to the village, bear left onto the road and you will come into the village by The Cornish Maid and the Red Lion.
This route usually takes about 2 - 2.5 hours at a brisk pace, it’s around 8-9 km.
Mawnan Smith - Bosloe /Grebe Beach / Durgan Walk
Heading the other way out of the village, with the pub directly in front of you, take the right-hand road towards Helford Passage. Look out for two newly built houses on the left and a footpath sign on your left about 300 yards from the pub. Take this footpath and at the T junction at the end turn right and walk along the back of the houses until you come to Mawnan Smith allotments. Keep walking along the hedge to the gate at the far end and the road to Durgan. Turn left onto the road and keep going until you see the Bosloe car park. Head through the car park down the path that runs alongside the road. When the path comes out at Bosloe Lodge you can either head through Candy’s gate and follow the path down to connect with the left-hand coast path at Porth Saxon (and from there back up to the village) or keep going on the footpath down to Durgan. When you hit the road, there is a track on the other side just off to the right which leads down to Grebe Beach. This is dog friendly and mostly used by locals and Durgan holiday makers. It’s great for a BBQ and if you simply fancy this, then take the car and park at Bosloe making it a short walk down the beach with your kit.
If you want to loop Durgan – Helford Passage walk through Durgan and follow the coast path signs. You will pass Trebah beach (inaccessible from the coast path) and then on to Helford Passage. There’s no great footpath from Helford Passage back to Mawnan Smith unless you consult your OS map and go via Higher Penpol farm.
Falmouth to Mawnan Smith Walk
A great mission is to take the bus into Falmouth (number 35, the only one!) then walk back to Mawnan Smith via Porth Saxon beach. We’ve done it that we get to Falmouth in the morning then walk all the way to Helford Passage and stop at The Ferryboat for fish and chips as a reward.
Mawnan Smith - Ferry - Helford - St Anthony - Manaccan - Helford - Ferry - Mawnan Smith Walk
A great day’s walking, this route takes in some highlights of the north Lizard. Be sure to get the ferry over from Helford Passage in the morning allowing yourself plenty of time to stop at The New Inn in Manaccan for refreshments. The pub has re-opened after being saved by a community bid by the locals. We usually park at Helford Passage to save ourselves the last haul back to Mawnan Smith. St Anthony is one of the loveliest ‘waterside hamlets’ on the Lizard and the church there is magical in the winter when candle lit (there’s no electric!). We’ve had some issues crossing the water at St Anthony and the road fell in a few years ago but there will be plenty of people to guide you on your way in that part of the world (don’t be tempted to walk up the creek at low water, it gets boggy and has quite a dangerous bottom)
NOTE: the ferry stops running in October and starts again at Easter. Check Helford River Boats website for more info.