Treyarnon to Mawgan Port
The description of the walk below is from The Times (20th December, 2025) and describes the route from Mawgan Porth to Treyarnon Bay.
The 56 bus runs Newquay and Padstow with stops at Trearth and Mawgan Porth. The bus stop (no sign, but an official stop known as Treyarnon Turn) is at the end of our road.
Check the timetable here and select “all stops” for Treyarnon Turn to appear on the timetable.
A magical 7-mile walk along north Cornwall's dramatic coastline
Explore the beaches, coves and headlands on the South West Coast Path between Mawgan Porth and Treyarnon Bay
Winter brings a different kind of magic to Cornwall. Storms roll in, strewing seaweed over sandy beaches, whipping up shimmering blue seas, piling bright skies with dark, ragged clouds. Out in the foam and spray only the few gnarliest surfers brave the big, angry waves.
On a midwinter visit to Mawgan Porth, we walked the warren of paths through rambling terraces, past old stone and modern glass, climbing the hill to the north of the village to find the earthy outlines of a 10th-century settlement. The village, huddled in a sheltered arc of north Cornwall’s coastal cliffs, has a reputation for celebrity second homeowners but, almost disappointingly, we recognised no one as we wove through scattered groups of families and dog walkers, crossing the beach to join the South West Coast Path.
Climbing steeply to the clifftop we paused to look back across the sweeping arc of Watergate Bay to distant Towan Head off the coast of Newquay. Ahead, the path skirted Trenance Point to reach Carnewas, a former mining landscape and home to the famous Bedruthan Steps.
Rockfall had closed access to the beach and steps so we stood at the viewing point, scanning the rugged fins and spires rising from gleaming acres of sand. The cliffs along this stretch of coast are a friable mix of sandstones, siltstones, slates and mudstones, and the coast path makes regular route diversions to avoid sections lost to the sea. The narrow headlands feel airy and exposed, as if it would only take a few more tides to set them free of the mainland, to stand alongside the numerous other stacks.
Rounding Park Head above the narrow cove at Porth Mear we met a chatter of choughs. Jet black with bright red beaks and legs, these cheeky, enigmatic birds disappeared from Cornwall altogether in the mid-20th century due to the loss of coastal grasslands. Among other changes, conservation grazing on the clifftops has brought them back, and they are now a relatively common sight. We stood for a good half-hour as they stabbed their curved bills into the earth to forage invertebrates, squabbling between themselves, taking off to make tumbling flights over the cliffs before settling back down to feed.
Eventually dragging ourselves away, we headed for Porthcothan Bay. Papery, winter-dried thrift danced along sheer, rocky edges framing the creamy crescent of sand. In the 18th and 19th centuries these secluded coves and inlets would have provided ideal cover for smugglers.
From Porthcothan the Seven Bays stretch towards Padstow: a string of surf-edged sandy beaches interspersed by coastal headlands rich in prehistoric sites. As we dropped into Treyarnon Bay, the churning Atlantic looked far from appealing. But we’d read about Treyarnon’s sheltered tidal pool, which is 8ft deep in places, and came prepared with wetsuits and flasks of coffee, because there’s no better way to end a winter walk in Cornwall.
How hard is it? 7 miles; moderate; undulating coast path and beach
Start Mawgan Porth, TR8 4BA (OS ref SW849671)
Finish Treyarnon Bay, PL28 8JR (OS ref SW859739)
Getting there Train to Newquay then bus No 56 runs from Newquay up the coast stopping at Mawgan Porth. Buses from the finish back to Mawgan Porth leave from Trehemborne (1 mile from Treyarnon). Road Both Mawgan Porth and Treyarnon are off the B3276 coastal road between Newquay and Padstow
Walk Join South West Coast Path (SWCP) and walk across beach and up onto cliff. Continue on SWCP north, around Trenance Point and above Bedruthan Steps, past Park Head and down to road in Porthcothan. Turn left and follow road across bridge, continuing on SWCP to road and car park in Treyarnon. To return by bus turn right and follow lane uphill to B3276 at Trehemborne.