South West Coast Path - St Anthony Head, the Roseland

Notes from the South West Coast Path; in this blog series we document the short stretches we've done with the aim of helping others to enjoy it piece by piece. If there is any useful information that we’ve missed out, let us know in the comments!

Circular from Towan Beach around St Anthony Head - 5.4 miles

Starting and finishing - Porth National Trust car park, the Roseland, TR2 5EX

Halfway point – St Anthony Head, TR2 5HA

This was a fantastic walk with beautiful beaches, open fields, clifftop views and wooded creeks. If you like modern history, it also has points of interest at St Anthony Head with the remains of fortifications and a panoramic observation post used in World War 2.

Ease of walking

Partly due to the length of the walk as well as the hills, I'd describe this as moderate difficulty. It was also pretty muddy when we walked it in late December which added to the trickiness. There are steep sections including a steep slope down to the lighthouse itself, plus a few high stiles to cross. The path runs close to the cliff edge in some places which might put off a few walkers. Overall we had a superb time taking in all the different views and wildlife, one of our favourite walks of 2024!

Wildlife

We saw lots of seals in a couple of coves early on in the walk, not far from Towan Beach. Mostly lying on the beach but also some playing in the water. There were plenty of seabirds around; cormorants, gannets and various gulls (sorry terrible at identifying gulls!).

We watched a kestrel hunting for some time just above the path near Great Molunan beach. The higher ground around St Anthony Head would make a perfect lookout point for dolphins, whales and other marine megafauna, we sadly didn't spot anything on the day of our walk but vowed to return on a nicer day.

Refreshments

The Thirstea café between Porth car park and Towan Beach is an excellent little cafe serving food to eat in or takeaway. They also had a water refill point. We grabbed a pasty to go but everything looked good! There was no cafe at St Anthony Head so this is your only chance for a hot drink or some food.

Toilets

Toilets were available at the Thirstea Cafe as well as at St Anthony Head provided by the National Trust.

Parking

Parking is run by the National Trust at both Porth car park and St Anthony Head, free for members and plenty of spaces. Non-members pay by the hour. See the postcodes at the top.

Time to spare?

Find the bird hide up at St Anthony Head for some quiet time spotting the birds listed on the National Trust's webpage for the site; fulmars, peregrine falcons, whitethroat, linnet, and kestrels. During the summer you can take the boat from Place ferry jetty across to St Mawes for cafes, shops and the 16th century castle as well as further boats to Falmouth. You could also continue your walk if you've got the energy for it towards Portscatho and the excellent Hidden Hut at Porthcurnick Beach. Towan Beach is a quiet sandy beach for swimming and rockpooling if you want to stay closer to the car and the cafe facilities.