Tintagel to Port Gaverne: South West Coast Path Day 14 Guide

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We woke up this morning to bright sunshine lighting up the inside of the tent and the sound of waves breaking on the rocks below. It was the ideal start to what ended up being a wonderful day of walking, my favourite on the path so far.

Due to the lack of alternatives closer to town, we’d stayed about three miles from Tintagel, and really couldn’t have asked for more. Not only was the campsite perched on the cliffs above a pretty bay, but it was directly alongside the Coast Path. There’d been a lot of off-trail distance to and from campsites in the last two weeks, so it was a welcome change.

Even more welcome were the stunning views that greeted us, first of the ocean and then the lovely Valley of the Rocks a few minutes after setting out. The sun wasn’t in the perfect position this early in the morning, with long shadows at the bottom of the valley, but it was seriously pretty even so.

The drop down to the bottom of the valley and back up the other side was the first steep bit of the day, but it was very much not the last. Despite never getting higher than 130m (425 feet) above sea level, this section was rated as “severe” in the guidebook: flat paths were in short supply all day.

For once, though, I didn’t mind. My toe no longer hurt despite still looking like a train wreck, the weather was as good as it gets, and we had a shorter day in store. I mean really, what more could I ask for?

The views got even better as we continued towards and past Bossiney Cove: we found ourselves turning around to gaze at where we’d come from just as often as we were admiring what lay in front of us. I really can’t over-emphasise how pretty today’s walking was, some of the best on the entire Coast Path.

The trail hugged the cliff as we approached Tintagel, hiding the castle ruins and dramatic cantilevered footbridge bridge from view until we were relatively close to it. Once we rounded the last headland, though, there was absolutely no mistaking it.

Famous in legend as the place where King Arthur was conceived, Tintagel makes the most of its “magical” connection, and visitors flock to it. We’d visited the castle a few years ago, so felt no need to do so again today: given the length of the queue, that felt like the right decision.

Sticking to the shoreline, the path comes in well below the village. I was hoping the cafe at the bottom of the cliff would be open for breakfast and save us the steep climb up into town, but sadly we were a bit too early and the door was very much closed.

Watching other people being driven up to the village in a shuttle as we sweated our way up the stairs alongside had me questioning my life choices, but it was worth it in the end: both the coffee and the food at the predictably-named King Arthur’s Cafe were better than I might have expected in a tourist town like this.

After dragging things out with a second coffee and a chocolate brownie, we eventually got moving again, past the ever-growing queue at the ticket office and then a hard left before the bridge to make our way out of town.

You arguably get better views of the bridge and castle ruins from the south, although based on the number of photos I took from both sides, apparently it’s a close run thing. There’s a particularly good viewpoint looking back from alongside St Materiana’s Church, a little further along the path.

Leaving the church behind, we had more epic views as we followed the path along the cliff edge to Penhallic Point, passing several stunning beaches and a YHA that would be the perfect place to stay if you didn’t have to book the entire place to do it.

As someone who stayed in hostels almost exclusively when travelling in his 20s, seeing so many transitioning to all-or-nothing bookings since the pandemic upsets me. It’s not helpful for walkers, budget travellers, or anyone else!

The mile and a half since Tintagel had mostly been a gradual downhill, albeit with a single climb to regain the altitude we’d lost. That changed at Trebarwith Strand, with a steep drop down to the village and somehow an even steeper ascent waiting on the other side.

One look at the stairs was enough to have us heading for the pub instead. We didn’t really need a break quite yet, but the beach and ocean views had looked so lovely on the way down, and the outdoor tables at the Port William so inviting, that it would have taken a much stronger man than me to not stop there.

A packet of crisps and a pint of lime and soda (my new go-to soft drink on this walk) later, we hefted our packs, handed the table over to a grateful family who’d been looking mournfully at the now-packed terrace, and started the hardest part of the day.

Up the painfully-steep path we slogged, only to be greeted at the top by the sight of an immediate drop to sea level at Backways Cove and back up the other side. With the sun now high in the sky, our quads burning, and only just over half the distance completed, I could have done with a pint of something a bit stronger than that lime and soda.

With no refreshments in sight, however, I made do with a few mouthfuls of very warm water from my backpack. It wasn’t the same.

Fortunately the path was uncharacteristically kind at this point: other than the brief descent inland of Tregardock Beach, there was a two-mile stretch of something almost resembling a flat path. I mean, it definitely wasn’t flat, but compared to what we’d just done, it was as smooth as an ice rink, if a hell of a lot warmer.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but it wasn’t to last. Four valleys awaited, the first of which (Jacket’s Point) had the steepest descent of the day, and the last of which had the highest climb. All of that in under two miles; it’s no wonder we were exhausted by the end of this section.

Erosion is a constant all along the Coast Path, and the sheer, exposed cliff faces and huge piles of rocks below hinted at some very large rockfalls along this section. They were starkly beautiful in their way, but also a good reminder not to get too close to the edge!

And then, just like that, the tough stuff was over. Sure, we still had a mile and half to go, but other than going in and out of one small valley, it was mostly a gradual descent all the way into Port Gaverne, our destination for the night.

This little hamlet is only a ten minute walk from Port Isaac, but felt a world away: much calmer and quieter than its tourist-packed cousin over the hill. As befits a place like this, our campsite for the night was in a farmer’s field that doesn’t have a website. It isn’t even marked on Google Maps: you kind of just have to know it exists.

Obviously at least one group of people did: one end of the field had a collection of campervans and tents with three generations of the same family staying in them. We checked in with the owner, pitched in the shelter of the trees in case the breeze decided to pick up that evening, and promptly went to the pub.

And what a great idea that was. We loved the Port Gaverne Hotel, especially on this sunny Friday evening. Somehow managing to grab a table for two in the bustling beer garden opposite the pub, we had a wonderful couple of hours eating, drinking, and people-watching.

I chatted about nothing and everything to anyone who’d listen, from the barman to the friendly guy who we’d met up on the hills a few hours earlier, walking in the other direction. He’d made it to Tintagel with his family and promptly returned to Port Gaverne, walking in to order his first pint as I walked out with mine.

On the five-minute walk back to the campsite, we reflected on just what a fantastic day it’d been. I’d always enjoyed visiting Cornwall, but even after just a few days of walking from village to village and beach to beach, I was getting a newfound appreciation for its beauty and its people.

The idea of walking its entire coastline had made me more than a little nervous before I’d set out, but no longer. Now, I was just thrilled to be doing it.

Planning

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

Finished at: Brooklands Farm (0.3 miles/0.5km off-trail)

As I say above, this campsite is a simple affair, with no online presence. To find it, turn left off the path beside the Port Gaverne Hotel and continue down the lane with the ocean at your back. Go through the gate and look for a white house on your right: that’s the farmhouse. The owner’s name is Anne, and you can call her on 01208 880 259 if you want to confirm a space beforehand.

It’s a smallish field, but was nowhere near full when we arrived on the Friday of the August bank holiday. This meant that it stayed nice and quiet, one of the more peaceful places we’ve camped so far.

In terms of facilities, there were a couple of toilets and push-button showers: I wouldn’t say they were immaculately clean, but they were far from dirty. There was a tap with drinking water alongside, and a power socket just beside the front door of the house where you can charge a phone or power bank: I left the latter there for a couple of hours while we went to the pub.

We paid £10 per person, and could choose anywhere we liked to pitch the tent. We chose a spot sheltered by some trees, but although there’d been a bit of a breeze back beside the ocean, the wind was noticeably lighter at the campsite anyway.

Transport and Parking

It’s possible to combine a couple of buses to get between Tintagel and Port Isaac and vice versa, at least most of the time. The 95 bus runs every two hours or so from Tintagel: take it as far as the B3314/B3267 intersection, marked as “The Skerries” on Google Maps. From the telephone box on the B3314, take the 96 bus the rest of the way to Port Isaac.

Expect the journey to take somewhere between 80 minutes and two hours, depending on how long you need to wait between buses. Both routes run Monday through Saturday year-round, and the 95 also runs on Sundays and public holidays in the warmer months.

Free parking is rare in Tintagel and essentially non-existent in Port Isaac or Port Gaverne, so plan on paying for your stay if you’re leaving a car in any of them.

There’s an affordable long-stay option at the visitor centre in Tintagel, but don’t forget that you’ll have a steep walk to or from the path to get to it. There are several carparks between Port Gaverne and the harbourside area in Port Isaac, but the ones further out of town on the B3267 are cheaper.

You can also leave your car in the council carpark (paid) at Trebarwith Strand, but there’s no public transport there: you’ll need a second car or taxi ride to get back.

Waymarking and Navigation

We never went majorly off-track on this section, but there were at least three or four places where another signpost wouldn’t have gone astray. We’d often find ourselves on an alternative path: sometimes it’d meet up with the Coast Path again shortly after, sometimes we’d need to backtrack.

I used AllTrails as my main navigation app for the entire South West Coast Path, and it worked well throughout. You can find the Tintagel to Port Isaac 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

I had good service with O2 before and after Tintagel, at least while we up on the cliffs. It became much patchier after that until we got closer to Port Isaac, but again down at sea level in Port Gaverne, I had no signal at either the pub or the campsite. The pub did have Wi-Fi, at least.

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. EE was better than the rest in both Port Gaverne and Port Isaac.

Facilities

Our breakfast at King Arthur’s Cafe in Tintagel was much better than expected given the touristy nature of the place, but if the menu there doesn’t appeal for some reason, you’ve got plenty of other choices nearby. There’s also a small SPAR supermarket on the main road.

A mile and a half further down the path lies Trebarwith Strand, where the cafe or pub are the last places to get food or drink before you get to Port Gaverne. We opted for the latter: it hadn’t been long since breakfast so we only had snacks and drinks rather than a full meal, but it was a lovely place to stop regardless.

Even if you’re not staying in Port Gaverne, I’d strongly suggest stopping in for a pint at least, especially if the sun is out. It’s not the cheapest place to eat, but the menu is a step above traditional pub grub and you can’t beat the location.

Port Isaac has several cafes, a pub, and approximately one million fancy seafood restaurants. If you’ve been living on two-minute noodles and protein bars for the last week and are looking to treat yourself to a nice meal, this would be the place to do it. There’s a Co-op supermarket on New Road as well.

Accommodation

If you’re planning to camp on this section, you’re probably going to end up at the same place we did: there’s nothing else close to the path between Tintagel and Port Isaac.

There are many other types of accommodation, of course, at least if you can snag a booking: this is a popular part of the Cornish coast in summer. I won’t complain any more about the YHA near Tintagel only taking group bookings, but it does mean the first place to stay is the Port William, the pub in Trebarwith Strand that we liked so much.

After that, you’re looking at Port Isaac, which has dozens of options: I’d start with either The Slipway BnB or this cozy little studio.