9 Fantastic Walks in St Ives

Thinking about staying in the beautiful town of St Ives for your next staycation? If so, then we’d highly recommend embarking on one of these fantastic walks in St Ives, the best way to experience the natural beauty that this region is famous for!

Whether you’re a keen hiker looking for the perfect place to book your next walking holiday or simply looking for somewhere to go for a stroll whilst staying in this bustling town, you’ve come to the right place!

This guide to the best walks in St Ives covers all the best routes, descending in order of difficulty and starting with the easiest routes. Passing by some of the most beautiful beaches in the country, quaint countryside pubs and dramatic coastal cliffs, these St Ives walks will be sure to impress you, no matter which one you choose.

Keep scrolling to uncover all the best walks in St Ives…

1. St Ives to Carbis Bay

Difficulty: Easy
Length: 3.1km
Avg. Time: 45mins
Elevation (gain): 63m

One of the easiest and most popular walks in St Ives is the route from the harbour to the neighbouring town of Carbis Bay. Starting at The Island Car Park on Burrow Road, this route starts by taking you right past the harbour along Wharf Road, the beating heart of this popular tourist town.

Further along the trail, you pass the beautiful Porthminster Beach, known for being one of the best beaches in St Ives, before making your way through the hilly Treloyhan area. Here, you’ll navigate along the South West Coastal Path before arriving at the iconic Carbis Bay Hotel. As you arrive at the finishing point, you’ll be right by the entrance to this town’s iconic beach, a great place to stop off and rest before making your way back to St Ives.

If you have the time or simply fancy grabbing a bite to eat before making the return journey, we’d highly recommend stopping off at The Beach Club restaurant, a fantastic place to unwind and relax and one of our favourite restaurants in St Ives.

2. Ayr Circular

Difficulty: Easy
Length: 4.3km
Avg. Time: 1hrs 15mins
Elevation (gain): 141m

If you’re looking for an easy St Ives walk that won’t take you too far out of the way, then the Ayr Circular is a great route to consider! With the start and end point at the entrance of Ayr Field in the middle of the town, you’ll make your way westward before turning right up Burthallan Lane.

From here, you’ll slowly make your way out of the suburbs and into the countryside before reaching the end of the paved road. Here, you’ll continue north towards Clodgy Point before joining the South West Coastal Path, where you’ll turn left and continue for around 0.3 miles before turning south back towards St Ives.

Continue along the path until you reach Hellesveor Holiday Park before turning left again onto Higher Stennack (B3306). Continue along this road for around half a mile until you reach the junction with Carnellis Road. Carry on along this road onto Alexandra Place before banking right onto Alexandra Road and, finally, Ayr Terrace, bringing you back to where you started.

Even though this is considered to be one of the easier St Ives walks, due to the varied and rugged terrain, we’d highly recommend bringing suitable walking boots/shoes when tackling this trail.

3. St Ives Coastal Loop

Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 4.5km
Avg. Time: 1hrs 13mins
Elevation (gain): 120m

Moving onto the moderately difficult St Ives walks, the St Ives Coastal Loop starts at the Porthmeor Beach Car Park on the northern side of the town. From here, you’ll start by going south along Porthmeor Hill before turning right onto Alexandra Road at the end.

From here, continue along Alexandra Road before turning right up Burthallan Lane. Continue along this path before reaching the signpost, where you’ll turn left and continue along the rugged route before reaching the South West Coastal Path. Here, turn right and follow the trail northwards, where you’ll pass around Carn Naun Point and the Clodgy Point headland before bringing you back towards the town.

Continue straight along the headland route before reaching the West Beach Bakery, bringing you back to where you started! Similarly to the Ayr Circular Route, as this walking trail covers a lot of unpaved ground, we’d recommend wearing suitable walking boots or shoes to tackle this popular St Ives walk.

4. Treen Cove – Porthglaze – Pendour Beach Route

Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 6.6km
Avg. Time: 2hrs 4mins
Elevation (gain): 258m

This St Ives walk starts and ends just outside the town, and is a great option for couples in St Ives. Begin by making your way to The Gurnard’s Head pub in the village of Treen, found just a 25-minute drive west of the town.

When you set off, start by heading north of the pub past the Treen Cottages before taking a left onto the footpath, taking you through the gorgeous countryside through publicly accessible fields. Continue north along this trail until you reach the junction with the South West Coastal Path. When you get there, turn right onto the path and follow the route along the coast eastward.

Along the coastal route, you’ll pass by the stunning Treen Cove before continuing past the Old Mine Ruin and Rose-an Hale Cove before reaching Porthglaze Cove. As you carry on, you’ll be taken around Carnelloe Headland and past Veor Cove before reaching a junction.

Here, take a right and continue south towards the village of Zennor. Here, you’ll be around two-thirds of the way through this St Ives walk, and as you’ll be passing by the well-renowned Tinners Arms, we’d highly recommend stopping off here for a pint before continuing!

From the Tinners Arms, take a right onto the path next to the layby behind the pub and continue along the path towards the village of Poniou. Here, you’ll join the B3306, where you’ll carry on in the same direction past Boswednack before returning to where you started.

5. St Ives to Zennor via Boscubben Farm

Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 9.3km
Avg. Time: 2hrs 42mins
Elevation (gain): 334m

The longest of the moderately difficult routes, the St Ives to Zennor Walk via Boscubben Farm starts at the Barnoon Long Stay Car Park, found in the heart of the town near the Tate Gallery.

From here, follow the path northwards, taking you past Barnoon Cemetery towards Porthmeor Beach. Once you reach Porthmeor Hill, take a left and hop onto the South West Coastal Path next to the entrance to the beach. Here, continue along the path past the headlands before reaching the junction near River Cove.

Here, take a left and start making your way south, taking you through the countryside past Treveal Mill before reaching the B3306. Here, take a right and continue along the road towards the village of Zennor, finishing up at The Tinners Arms. With this St Ives walk taking an average of two and a half hours to complete, we’d highly recommend stopping off at the pub to reward yourselves with a pint or a Sunday lunch to compensate for your hard work!

6. St Ives to Zennor Circular

Difficulty: Challenging
Length: 18.7km
Avg. Time: 5hrs 23mins
Elevation (gain): 601m

Moving onto the most challenging of St Ives walks, the St Ives – Zennor Circular is another fantastic route worth taking if you’re hoping to spend a full day hiking. Starting at the St Ives Museum next to the harbour, you’ll begin by following the road north and west, taking you past Porthmeor Beach before hopping onto the South West Coastal Path.

From here, continue along the path past the rocky headlands and secluded coves before reaching Porthzennor Cove, a great place to consider stopping off for a rest. From here, continue until you reach the junction, taking a left onto the path towards Zennor. When you arrive, you’ll need to join the path opposite you, alongside St Senara’s Church. From here, you’ll continue back towards St Ives, passing through the villages of Trendrine and Trevalgan on the way.

Finally, you’ll reach the junction with Burthallan Lane, where you’ll need to take a right and follow the road back into the town, passing through Ayr before turning right again onto Windsor Hill. Following this road will bring you to the St Ives Theatre, where you’ll take a left back towards the harbour. Eventually, when you reach the waterfront, take a final left along the seafront before reaching The Wharf and the starting point of this St Ives walk.

7. St Ives to Geevor Tin Mine

Difficulty: Challenging
Length: 23.2km
Avg. Time: 7hrs 16mins
Elevation (gain): 925m

Another challenging St Ives walk that isn’t for the faint of heart, the St Ives – Geevor Tin Mine route is a point-to-point trail that follows the South West Coastal Path along the majority of North West Cornwall’s coastline.

Despite being a long route, this St Ives walk is simple to follow, as you’ll be sticking to the South West Coastal Path for most of the journey. Starting at The Island Car Park next to Porthgwidden Beach, here you’ll hop straight onto the coastal path, first taking you around St Ives Head and St Nicholas Chapel before taking you westward along the coast. Passing by Porthmeor Beach before leaving the town, you’ll also be taken past some of the best-hidden coves in the county. This includes, but isn’t limited to hotspots like Porthkervis, River Cove, Zennor Beach, Porthmeor Cove and beautiful vistas like Bosigran Castle.

Eventually, you’ll reach the Levant Mine car park. Here, take a left and carry on along the road for a few minutes before reaching the entrance to Geevor Tin Mine. Known for being one of the most popular attractions in the region, it’s a place that’s well worth checking out if you manage to arrive here in good time.

8. St Ives to Mousehole

Difficulty: Challenging
Length: 61.8km
Avg. Time: 18hrs 12mins
Elevation (gain): 2103m

For those of you looking for a challenging St Ives walk that’ll take you more than a day to complete, the St Ives to Mousehole route is a fantastic idea to consider. Sticking primarily to the route of the South West Coastal Path for most of the way, you’ll need to take a few additional steps before embarking on this wild walk!

As this St Ives walk can’t be completed in one day, we’d highly recommend sourcing a suitable tent and camping equipment for this walk or finding somewhere to stop off for the night. Once that’s all sorted, make your way to the entrance of Porthmeor Beach Car Park to get started. From here, make your way onto the South West Coastal Path and simply continue along the marked route towards Sennen Cove and Land’s End. This leg of the journey will take you around 9 hours, so taking a halfway break at Sennen Cove is a great idea.

For the second leg of your journey, set off from Sennen and continue southwards along the coastal path, which will bring you to Land’s End, one of the most popular attractions in Cornwall and a must-visit during your hike. Continuing past Land’s End, you’ll pass some of Cornwall’s best beaches, including the likes of Nanjizal Beach, Porthgwarra and Porthcurno.

Eventually, once you arrive at the outskirts of Mousehole and the coastal paths draws to an end, you’ll reach the junction with Raginnis Hill, where you’ll need to turn right and continue along the road. From here, you’ll only be 10 minutes away from the harbour, where you’ll find a host of fantastic pubs and restaurants where you can stop off and reward yourselves for completing this epic journey!

9. St Ives to Penzance

Difficulty: Challenging
Length: 63.7km
Avg. Time: 18hrs 30mins
Elevation (gain): 2077m

Similar to the St Ives – Mousehole route, this St Ives walk takes place predominantly on the South West Coastal Path. Following the same route past Sennen Cove and Land’s End, once you arrive in Mousehole you’ll need to continue along the waterfront and make your way onto Parade Hill and The Parade, where you’ll continue northwards along the coast.

For the rest of this St Ives walk, simply continue along the road, passing the Newlyn Millennium Milepost before reaching Newlyn Harbour. From here, continue along New Road past Newlyn Art Gallery for around half an hour until you reach Penzance Harbour. From here, cross over the Long Stay Car Park before finally arriving at Tiny Beach and Penzance train station, which will mark the end of your journey.

Of course, before making your return journey back to St Ives, we’d highly recommend stopping off for a hearty meal and a bite to eat to reward yourselves for tackling this challenging adventure!

If you’re feeling inspired, the next best thing to do is check out this vast collection of holiday cottages in St Ives and find the perfect place to book for your next staycation! For more ideas on what to get up to here, be sure to check out our ultimate guide to St Ives too!