Outstanding Circular Walks in Cornwall Video Series
Welcome to the first in a brand-new video series with outdoor enthusiast and storyteller Dan Smedley aka @bimblingbooksbeer. Dan is exploring some of the most scenic and characterful routes from the Outstanding Circular Walks in Cornwall Pathfinder Guidebook. With the OS Maps App downloaded and our guidebook in hand, Dan brings each walk to life, sharing not just the landscapes, but the stories, history, and hidden gems along the way.
If you’re planning your next holiday in Cornwall and looking for inspiration to get out on some beautiful solo or family walks, Dan’s relaxed style and insightful commentary will help you experience the routes before you even lace up your boots.
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Each walk in our Pathfinder Guidebooks is carefully curated, with OS map extracts, GPS waypoints, and local highlights. From quiet coves and ancient monuments to welcoming pubs and wildlife-rich paths. Dan’s video reviews will give you a real feel for what to expect, and how to make the most of your time in Cornwall.
So grab a cuppa, settle in, and let Dan guide you through the first of five unforgettable Cornish adventures.
Route 21: Lizard Point, Kynance Cove & Cadgwith
This route takes in some of the most scenic and iconic coastline in Cornwall. It’s wild, rugged, and very much untamed, the perfect balance of coastal walking, countryside paths, and cliff-edge drama. What makes it truly special is how it circles the most southerly point of mainland Britain. Some might say that Lizard Point has become even more iconic than Land’s End, which feels increasingly commercial these days. But for me, they both showcase the variety and grandeur of Cornwall’s coastline, just in different ways. (And, who knows, Land’s End might make an appearance later in this Top 5 series.)
Kynance Cove is the undeniable highlight. That café there is one of my all-time favourites in Cornwall, simple, tasty, and perched above one of the most photographed beaches in the country. It’s also wonderfully old-school. You still get a wooden spoon with your table number and hear your order shouted out of a window when it’s ready.
Standing at Lizard Point itself feels both warming and exposed. You know you’re standing as far south as you possibly can in the UK, but the comfort comes from the raw beauty surrounding you. The lighthouse behind, the sea in front, and the knowledge that you’re at the end of the map. The day I filmed this, the weather was glorious sunshine. But Lizard Point holds a personal connection for me, it was the first place I came to sit and breathe after we came out of lockdown years ago. That moment of quiet made it special long before it became a filming location.
Through Kynance Cove
The descent into Kynance Cove is savagely steep, but worth every step. The reward is one of the most ridiculously beautiful beaches in England, turquoise waters, dark serpentine cliffs with an almost emerald shimmer, and a sense of grandeur that’s hard to put into words.
There’s something important to note here though: there are two paths into Kynance; a high-tide route and a low-tide route. Do not use the low-tide path when the swell is up. The rips around Kynance can be fierce, and when the tide is high that lower route is completely wiped out. I’ve seen people try to sprint across the sand only to get wiped into the cliffs — it’s a risky move that’s not worth it.
For me, it’s the colours that stand out most, that turquoise water against the deep greens and reds of the rock. The café, perched perfectly above the bay, might be one of the most idyllic spots for a coffee or cream tea (jam first, obviously). They also do an incredible bacon, brie, and cranberry baguette, which is reason enough to plan a return visit.
Kynance has been a draw for visitors for centuries. Prince Albert and the poet Alfred Tennyson were among the Victorian “excursionists” who made it famous, and the area remains part of the Lizard National Nature Reserve, known for its rare serpentine rock and heathland flora.
Across Lizard Downs
Leaving Kynance behind, the path opens up across Lizard Downs, a sudden change of pace from the coastal drama. It’s flatter, calmer, and gives your legs a break after the early climbs. The open heathland is dotted with gorse, heather, and butterflies. It’s a proper moment to breathe and let the walking poles take some of the weight.
Halfway along, you pass Grade Church, one of those hidden gems that captures the spirit of rural Cornwall. It’s lit entirely by oil lamps, and the organ bellows are still pumped by hand, a living link to simpler times.
The silence around it feels like a reward after the busy stretch between Lizard Point and Kynance. From there, the path drops back toward the coast, passing Bass Point, home to one of Marconi’s early wireless telegraph stations, and the lifeboat station at Housel Bay, before looping back toward the Lizard Lighthouse. It’s a route that feels like a greatest hits album of Cornish walking; cliffs, coves, calm downs, and fishing villages all rolled into one.
Reflections on this Coastal Walk in Cornwall
What I loved most about this walk was its rhythm. Every section gives you something different, the noise of the sea, the stillness of the downs, the charm of Cadgwith’s fishing boats at the finish. It’s the sort of walk that leaves you tired but content, with that quiet, post-hike calm that only comes from being out in nature for a few hours.
And while I’m usually an OS Maps app kind of guy, I have to say the Pathfinder guidebook really added to the experience. There’s something reassuring about flipping through the pages instead of a screen, tracing the line with your finger, knowing where you’ve been and what’s ahead. It gave me confidence in the route, and there’s something grounding about doing it the old-fashioned way. If you’re looking for a route that captures the essence of Cornwall, dramatic, varied, and full of heart, this one’s hard to beat.
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