Crackington Haven to Tintagel: South West Coast Path Day 13 Guide

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Despite waking up earlier than usual, we managed to faff around until nearly 8:30am before finally wandering out of the campsite, past the church, and back down the road towards Crackington Haven.

On the upside, that meant that we timed our arrival back at Cabin Cafe just in time for them to start serving breakfast, an offer that we gladly took them up on as there weren’t any other options for the rest of the morning.

Two leisurely Farmer’s Fry-up’s later (I mean, how could you not with a name like that), we muttered something about how we should probably be getting on with it and started making our way out of the village.

The steps started immediately (literally on the other side of the road) as we worked our way up onto the relatively low cliffs outside Crackington Haven and on to the Cambeak headland. From there, the path stayed relatively flat as we passed Strangles Beach, but it wasn’t to last: the tallest cliff in Cornwall lay just ahead.

The appropriately-named High Cliff sits at 224m (735 feet) but the climb to the top wasn’t all that bad: we’d already gained much of the height on the cliffs before it, so only had 100m or so to go. It was more of a slow, steady plod than a sweaty cardio workout, probably helped by the clouds that had been hovering overhead all day.

The view from the top was impressive, if not quite as stunning as some we’d had recently due to those clouds, but we didn’t get to enjoy it for long: the drop down the other side was a similar height but felt noticeably steeper.

Here the trail runs past Rusey Beach, where there’d been an obvious landslip at some point, with big gouges cut out of the cliffs for quite a distance. The hills had recovered enough to be covered with colourful heather as we climbed yet again, the path zig-zagging steeply back to the top. It wasn’t quite as high as High Cliff, but it certainly felt like it by the time we got there.

After a small descent and a very welcome flatter section along the clifftops for the next couple of kilometres, the path took a sudden plummet down into the valley, and damn was it steep. I was so grateful that we’d taken that time off in Bude a couple of days ago to let my toe start to heal: it was these sort of descents that had done the damage in the first place, and it would have been agonising otherwise.

Fortunately, once we hit the bottom, that was the end of the hard stuff for the day. Not that there wasn’t still the odd hill to navigate, of course–that’d be far too much to ask for–but all the rest of the climbing and descending was much less aggressive about it.

Next up was Pentargon inlet, which slowly came into view as we rounded the headland. This was particularly stunning, with clear water and colourful rockfall at the base of the steep cliffs.

There’s apparently a waterfall here, at least at other times of year, but after weeks of dry weather I couldn’t see it at all. Not that it mattered: the view was more than impressive enough without it, and by this point the rumbling of my stomach would have drowned out the sound of tumbling water anyway.

We passed a farm shop immediately afterward, and it was all I could do to not stop there for lunch: it was only because we were so close to Boscastle that we decided to press on a bit further. The village’s thin, narrow harbour rolled into view about half an hour later, though it was almost right on low tide and there was barely any water in it.

Rather than dropping straight down the cliff, the path took us on a slightly longer, shallower route out towards the mouth of the harbour and back again, making sure we got the best viewing angle as we ambled our way towards our lunch spot.

There were a couple of cafes right there on the harbourside as we arrived, and we didn’t need a second invitation to stop at the first one with an empty table. Neither did anybody else, apparently: in the middle of the summer holidays, Boscastle was busy.

That’s not a big surprise, really: it’s an attractive place, with lovely old stone buildings and that pretty harbour. The clouds had been breaking up for the last hour or so, and by the time our cream tea and sausage roll arrived at the Harbour Light, we were bathed in bright sunlight that stuck around for the rest of the day.

Knowing that we’d likely to be stopping that night at a campsite with nothing else nearby, we headed into the village to grab supplies from the cramped little Nisa Local store before we left. That route took us straight past the Cobweb Inn, with a bunch of tables outside that looked unbelievably appealing in the sunshine. Next time, I’d probably go there for lunch instead.

The tide had come in while we were messing around, starting to fill the harbour and making it look stunning under the now-completely blue sky. With little boats bobbing around and teenagers dive-bombing into the remarkably clear water, Boscastle’s appeal was more than obvious. If you wanted a shorter day’s walking, this would be a great place to spend the night.

We had further to go, however, so we struck out back along the other side of the harbour from where we’d come in and up onto the rocks. We immediately noticed how much busier the path was: the section between Boscastle and Tintagel is scenic, not especially difficult, and only five miles long, making it a very popular section for day walkers.

We weren’t walking all of that part today: with a shortage of campsites near the trail, and none in Tintagel itself, we’d made the decision to try and stop at a site about halfway along. Because it was a caravan club site and I didn’t know if we were even able to stay there without being members, never mind whether there’d be any space, I’d tried to call ahead from Boscastle.

After a couple of attempts, though I couldn’t get through to a human, so figured we’d just rock up and see what happened. It had worked every time so far, after all.

Before that, we had a couple of miles of lovely, easy walking along the cliff edge, past fields and fern-covered hillsides, on what was by now a beautiful day. I’d enjoyed all of it, but this was my favourite part, with the weather, views, and terrain combining into a delightful afternoon.

With that in mind I was almost sad to see a little wooden sign beside the path, pointing over a low stile into the campground we were aiming for. It’s a long, narrow site, and coming in at one end, we thought we’d saved ourselves the better part of a half-mile walk around to the official entrance. Except, of course, that’s where the camp office was, so we got to walk down there anyway.

Fortunately the walk was worth it. Not only were those empty spaces we’d spotted as we climbed over the stile still available, they were almost half the price shown online. This ended up being a common thing all along the path: if you’re happy to roll the dice by not booking ahead and just showing up with a hiking pack on your back, there’s often a much cheaper rate for walkers.

Speaking of walking, we did have to then turn around and head all the way back to where we’d first entered the site, because of course that’s where the camping field was. Still, as I suspect you’ll agree, the views from our pitch were more than worth walking a little further for.

Since it had been a shorter day, we’d arrived earlier than usual and for once had some time to kill after chores like showers and clothes washing were done. How did we spend that time, you may ask?

Why, we lay in the grass alongside our tent, basking in the sunshine, gazing out at the ocean, and eating our only-slightly-dry Nisa sandwiches. In this weather, with these views, stale sandwiches didn’t bother me in the slightest. It had been a fantastic day.

Planning

Started at:  Coxford Meadow Campsite (1.3 miles/2.1 km off-trail uphill)

Finished at: Trewethett Farm Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite (on-trail)

Given the lack of alternatives on this section, we would likely have tried to stay here even if it was nothing more than a muddy field with a pit toilet. Fortunately it wasn’t that at all: in fact, it was one of the better campsites on the entire path, in a spectacular location.

We were lucky to be there on the perfect day, with plenty of sun and almost no wind: our pitch overlooking the ocean had no shelter whatsoever, but fortunately this was one of the few times where it really didn’t matter.

The staff were friendly and helpful, especially given that I wasn’t even sure we’d be able to stay there at all because it was a club site. Being offered a spot for £20, almost half the advertised rate, felt like quite the win.

The toilets and showers were portacabins, but the fanciest I’ve ever seen: spotlessly clean, endless hot water, and generally a pleasure to use. Let’s just say that’s not always the case!

There were plenty of families with young kids camping in the same field, but while they were making plenty of noise playing in the evening, everything fell quiet when the sun went down. Overnight we could hear little but the sound of crashing waves from the ocean far below.

Being able to walk to the end of the field, over the stile, and straight back onto the path the following morning was just the icing on the cake!

Transport and Parking

The 95 bus runs every two hours or so between Crackington Haven and Tintagel in both directions until early evening. The service operates Monday through Saturday, and on Sundays and public holidays in the warmer months. It also stops in Boscastle, and carries on as far as Bude to the north and Newquay airport to the south.

Free parking is in short supply in Crackington Haven, Boscastle, and Tintagel, so plan on paying for your stay if you’re leaving a car in any of them. There’s a long-stay carpark opposite the Coombe Barton Inn in Crackington Haven (coin-only), and likewise opposite the Cobweb Inn in Boscastle.

There are plenty of paid carparks in Tintagel, including an affordable long-stay option at the visitor centre, but don’t forget that you’ll have a steep walk to or from the path to get to them.

Waymarking and Navigation

There weren’t too many places to go wrong on this section, although we did initially try to leave Crackington Haven via the road instead of the footpath for some reason.

This was one of those days where the path rarely left the cliff edge, especially after Boscastle, so even if you accidentally ended up on a parallel track, you’d still be heading in the right direction.

I used AllTrails as my main navigation app for the entire South West Coast Path, and it worked well throughout. You can find the Crackington Haven to Tintagel route here: it’s free to use, although I pay a couple of pounds a month for a subscription so I can download maps to my phone in advance.

Phone Service

We had a bit of service with O2 in Crackington Haven, and now and again while up on the cliffs between there and Boscastle. There was just enough signal to make a phone call in Boscastle, but once we climbed back out of the valley and onto the cliffs, we had better service from there until we got to the campsite.

As a backup, I’d also paid a few pounds for a data eSIM from Instabridge that let me swap between all three UK networks, EE, O2, and Vodafone/Three.

It worked really well as a fallback option throughout my time on the Coast Path: whenever I needed data service but couldn’t get it on my usual SIM, I’d switch to the eSIM and choose a different network. If there was any signal to be had in the area at all, I’d pick it up.

Facilities

We had an excellent fry-up breakfast at the Cabin Cafe in Crackington Haven, and pretty decent coffee as well. It doesn’t open until 9:00am, but the other places in the village open later than that: if you want food or drink before you leave, this is the place to get it.

After that the trail becomes quite isolated, with no facilities near the path until you get to Boscastle. There are plenty of cafes there, along with a pub and a few restaurants, so this is very much the spot to grab some lunch.

If you’re going as far as Tintagel today, you’ll have no problems getting fed and watered there either. Because we weren’t, we’d had to get dinner supplies from the Nisa Local in Boscastle beforehand.

Accommodation

If you’re planning to camp on this section, you’ve got two options: Lower Pennycrocker Farm a bit before Boscastle and three-quarters of a mile off the trail, or Trewethett Farm where we stayed.

Unsurprisingly in a popular tourist area like this, you’ve got more choice if you don’t intend to sleep in a tent.

One of the few youth hostels on the path is in Boscastle: the trail takes you literally straight past the YHA. That’s assuming you can get a bed: they only seem to be offering group bookings when I checked. For more upmarket accommodation, the Riverside and the Wellington Hotel are the two obvious picks, close to the trail, cafes, and restaurants.

There’s nothing of note near the trail between Boscastle and Tintagel, but once you get there, you’ve again got plenty of choices. Not all of them are especially affordable, but there are a few good options: Bosayne Guest House and the King Arthurs Arms are where I’d start my search.