3 miles
Once you reach Mawgan Porth it’s so hard to leave. The beach and bay are pretty as a picture, with golden sands, rolling waves and rock pools tucked in either side of imposing cliffs.
There are several cafes and a pub to enjoy also, making it even harder to leave this picture-perfect beach.
But if you can summon up the energy it’s worth following the South West Coastal Path by foot northwards to visit the equally impressive Bedruthan Steps.
Follow the path from the far corner of the beach. It’s a manageable climb although your legs and calves soon feel the incline. But if you take it easy and break your efforts with a look over you shoulder you’ll be treated with wonderful views of the beach you’ve just left.
The path soon levels out. You feel the excitement and adrenaline surge of walking on the cliff tops.
When we did the walk the sun shone on the gorgeous purple heather which mixed spectacularly with yellow western gorse.
At times the path skirts the cliff edge closely, so take care. It’s a long and direct drop down to the sea.
Soon you seen a National Trust sign telling you that you are entering Carnewas, the name of this particular headland, and you see car park and tea rooms to your right.
The Steps aren’t far.
Before we visited this area we thought the Steps were, in fact, steps leading down to the beach and sea. However, the Steps are the name of a set of imposing rocks that reach out from the shoreline.
When the path dips and these steps come into focus, you realise what all the fuss is about. They look magnificent.
Sadly you can no long take the stepped path down to the beach to take a closer look. In 2019 the path was deemed unsafe and has been locked ever since. Even so, the viewing point still offer breathtaking views.
When it’s time to return to Mawgan Porth you retrace your own steps along the path you came on. Some may prefer a circular route (and if you do you can follow the road back to Mawgan Porth via the tea rooms and car park). However, the coastal route back heading southwards offers different views, so much so that it’s almost as if you are on a different path.
You soon return to Mawgan Porth.
It’s time, once again, to enjoy the beach.
As you relax on the beach you realise that the time and effort to walk the coast path to the Bedruthan Steps was well worth it.
And of course, if you still have the energy you can follow the path southwards and take in the view on the other side of Mawgan Porth. Again, the stepped path is quite steep, but you soon reach the top of the cliffs. There’s a simple bench from where you can take in the view, and feel a tad virtuous that you’ve climbed both sets of cliffs that flank the beach below.
