Roseland Peninsula Coast Walk

A wooden lookout post on the path to Killigerran Head is a convenient spot to stop and watch shags or the effortless flight of fulmars. Further on, the bracken covered cliffs fall away to tiny, inaccessible inlets. From Zone Point, the views are truly stunning. To the south and east is open sea; to the west, across the estuary, the dockside cranes and castle of Falmouth; and, to the north west, the great artery of Carrick Roads probes deep inland.

Grey seals may be seen here, and kittiwakes heard calling their name. In summer, migrant butterflies such as painted ladies, may be found among the more familiar species.

A grassy path winds over St Anthony Head. A coastal defence site since the Iron Age, more recently it has housed an artillery emplacement. The lighthouse, which is open to visitors, was built in 1834. Its lamp helped keep ships clear of The Manacles, an infamous reef six miles to the south.

As you walk away north, the harbour of St Mawes appears ahead. The open path winds behind the scoop of Molunan Beach, past dramatic groups of pine trees, then drops steadily down to sea level under a canopy of ash and sycamore.

Place House, the most prominent building in St Anthony in Roseland, stands facing St Mawes, its large gardens running down to the waterside. Sir Samuel Spry built the present house in neo-Gothic style in 1840. The fine 13th century Church of Saint Anthony in Roseland is joined to it. This may be because the house occupies the site of an old monastery built, according to legend, to mark the spot where Christ, in the company of his uncle Joseph of Arimathea, who traded for tin, took shelter during a storm.

Place Quay could be the start and finish point of the walk in summer, when a foot ferry from St Mawes plies gently to and fro. St Mawes itself is accessible by ferry from Falmouth. The path follows the estuary of the Percuil River to North Hill Point. The hedgerows are rich with ferns, mosses and flowers. Occasional orchids may be seen, and wall pennywort is common.

The final stretch, along the well wooded Porth Creek, emerges at Froe, a splendid ivy-clad house, fronted by what appears to be a dammed lake. This was a millpool, filled by the rising tide. Beyond Froe, the path leads across a footbridge back to Porth Farm.