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See our Activity Level Guidelines to check if this holiday is right for you
See our Activity Level Guidelines to check if this holiday is right for you
Set out to explore the ancient Celtic kingdom of Cornwall from your charming stays on the medieval harbour of Padstow and Georgian harbour of Charlestown. With ample opportunities to comb the north and south coast, this route begins by crossing the Camel Estuary by ferry and walking towards the spectacular beaches of Polzeath and Daymer Bay, with the opportunity to dine on chef Rick Stein’s celebrated fish and chips. Next, head towards the cliffs at Stepper Point, where peregrine falcons are known to nest, for panoramic ocean views. After visiting the Lanhydrock, the Fowey Estuary and Restormel Castle, we join the South West Coast Path and wander around the Lost Gardens of Heligan. Enjoy lunch in the harbourside village of Mevagissey with a host of wonderful dining options and fish straight from the day’s catch.
Moderate walks, leisurely pace; good level of fitness recommended
Terrain:The sections of the north and south coast that we will be visiting on this trip are best described as rolling. Paths are typically well maintained though in some places rough underfoot.
Begin your adventure in Padstow, a working harbour town in north Cornwall that’s seen a popularity surge among walkers and foodies in recent years.
Around 6pm, say hello to your tour leader and fellow travellers in the hotel reception, where we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead.
Your tour leader then ensures a big welcome by arranging a group dinner.
Want more time in Cornwall? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.
Accommodation: Old Custom House (or similar)
Upgrade to a town-view room today – speak to your sales representative for more details
We set out from Padstow by catching the foot ferry across the Camel Estuary to the small seaside village of Rock. Our route takes us slightly inland to the idyllic beaches of Polzeath and Daymer Bay and then up to Pentire Head. After lunch, we walk past St Enodoc Church and along the dunes, returning to Padstow by foot ferry in the late afternoon. Dinner offers a chance to try chef Rick Stein’s much-acclaimed fish and chips – though you may want to visit one of the many other restaurants here – before returning to our townhouse hotel for the evening.
Accommodation: Old Custom House (or similar)
Upgrade to a town-view room today – speak to your sales representative for more details
Heading out of town from the hotel and along the coastal path, our route follows the cliffs at Stepper Point, past the observatory with panoramic views of ocean, town and estuary. Keep an eye out for peregrine falcons, the fastest birds in the world, known to fly and nest in this area, as you traverse the coast and beaches towards lunch in Trevone or Harlyn Bay or even Constantine Bay depending on our progress. Catching the bus back across the headland in the afternoon provides a leisurely end to the day.
Accommodation: Old Custom House (or similar)
Upgrade to a town-view room today – speak to your sales representative for more details
We transfer to Lanhydrock Gardens to start walking down the Fowey Estuary. From the gardens, which are well worth an explore, we walk towards the coast passing the picture-perfect Restormel Castle and onto the lovely town of Lostwithiel for lunch. In the afternoon, we join the Saint’s Way through the lovely village of Golant and onto Fowey and the south Cornish coast. At the end of the walk, we transfer to our new hotel in Charlestown.
Accommodation: The Rashleigh Arms (or similar)
Upgrade to a deluxe harbour-view room today – speak to your sales representative for more details
In the morning, we walk directly from our hotel southwards along the South West Coast Path towards the wonderful town of Mevagissey. On the way, we veer from the path to visit the Lost Gardens of Heligan (revived in 1991 after 70 years of neglect and restored to former glory – see ‘Money’ section for entrance fee) and then into Mevagissey for a lunch of seafood caught that morning.
Accommodation: The Rashleigh Arms (or similar)
Upgrade to a deluxe harbour-view room today – speak to your sales representative for more details
After breakfast, we jump on a public bus, which will drop us just above the village and beach at Polkerris. We begin walking along the coast towards Gribben Head, before dropping down to Polridmouth Cove, where Daphne Du Maurier based her 1938 gothic novel, Rebecca. Arriving in Fowey, we stop for lunch and in the afternoon there is the opportunity to cross the harbour by ferry into Polruan and walk the other side of the estuary. Afterwards, we catch another ferry back into Fowey and enjoy our last night together.
Accommodation: The Rashleigh Arms (or similar)
Upgrade to a deluxe harbour-view room today – speak to your sales representative for more details
Our exploration of Cornwall ends in Charlestown. You can make your way home, but if you’d like to explore Cornwall a little more, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay.
Sunday 21 Jun 2026 to Saturday 27 Jun 2026
This departure is available for new bookings and has reached the minimum number of passengers required to go ahead. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
This departure is available for new bookings and has reached the minimum number of passengers required to go ahead. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
Usually USD 3193
Now USD 2715
Book with USD 678 deposit
Sunday 20 Sep 2026 to Saturday 26 Sep 2026
This departure is available for new bookings and has reached the minimum number of passengers required to go ahead. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
This departure is available for new bookings and has reached the minimum number of passengers required to go ahead. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
USD 3195 (excl. flights)
Book with USD 798 deposit
Sunday 16 May 2027 to Saturday 22 May 2027
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
USD 3600 (excl. flights)
Book with USD 900 deposit
Sunday 20 Jun 2027 to Saturday 26 Jun 2027
This departure is available for new bookings and has reached the minimum number of passengers required to go ahead. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
This departure is available for new bookings and has reached the minimum number of passengers required to go ahead. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
USD 3600 (excl. flights)
Book with USD 900 deposit
Sunday 05 Sep 2027 to Saturday 11 Sep 2027
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
USD 3600 (excl. flights)
Book with USD 900 deposit
Sunday 19 Sep 2027 to Saturday 25 Sep 2027
This departure is available for new bookings and has reached the minimum number of passengers required to go ahead. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
This departure is available for new bookings and has reached the minimum number of passengers required to go ahead. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
USD 3600 (excl. flights)
Book with USD 900 deposit
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View Details
On this walking adventure in Cornwall, our time is split between two traditional seaside towns: Padstow and Charlestown.
Upgraded rooms are available throughout this itinerary – speak to your sales representative for more details.
Padstow: Old Custom House (nights 1-3)
Enjoy a quayside spot in the bustling fishing port of Padstow. The town itself is a foodie hotspot, largely thanks to the success of local TV chef Rick Stein, though there are also traditional tearooms, cafes and pubs to try. Our 23-room boutique hotel overlooks the working harbour, ideally placed for exploring. It’s also a gastro pub, serving contemporary pub classics and award-winning beers.
Charlestown: The Rashleigh Arms (nights 4-6)
The Rashleigh offers 18 nautically themed rooms by Charlestown harbour, the last 18th-century Georgian harbour and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The accommodation and in-house pub-restaurant are both award winners, the latter offering drinks from the nearby St Austell Brewery and classic-contemporary pub food.
This trip is graded Activity Level 3 (Moderate) with six days of walking on rolling terrain. For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.
Each day features up to five hours of walking with visits to places of interest. Unsurprisingly for this portion of Cornwall, there will be some ascent each day. You will not need to carry all your luggage with you. Our support vehicle will transfer it on Day 4 from Padstow to Charlestown.
A good level of fitness is required; however, regular walkers will not find this itinerary challenging.
Your trip normally starts at our accommodation in Padstow in the afternoon of Day 1 of the itinerary. Guests can arrive by car directly to the hotel or by train into Bodmin Parkway Rail Station, which is approximately four to five hours from London Paddington. If arriving by car, there is a long-stay car park a short walk from the Custom House hotel. Please ask for further details.
If arriving at Bodmin Parkway, the simplest option is a taxi to the hotel, approximately a 35-minute journey. Public buses are available, taking around an hour to Padstow from the train station.
We recommend arriving in good time to settle into the hotel before our welcome briefing at 6pm.
The group will be transferred between hotels on Day 4 and returned to pick up cars as required at the end of the trip.
Travellers from the US, Canada, and the EU normally do not need a visa to enter the United Kingdom, but do need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (or ETA), which you can apply for at www.gov.uk/eta/apply.
Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.
Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.
All breakfasts are included and one dinner. Breakfasts consist of cooked and continental options each day.
Cornwall has some of the best cuisine in the UK. Fish, naturally, is one of the regional specialities. Your leader will suggest different restaurants for the evening meal to showcase the full range of Cornish cuisine. Lunch follows a similar theme, with variety and quality paramount.
As we are in a coastal area there will always be a degree of wind. Rain can come at any time of year; however, the temperatures typically rise from around 12C (54F) in April to the high 20Cs (around 80F-85F) or above in early September. Like much of the UK, there have been hotter spells in recent years. Equally, the odd bout of unpredictable weather can occur.
As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.
We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.
This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.
Excellent guide Mel who was very flexible and also dealt with an emergency situation really well
seeing so many different parts of Cornwall that I probably wouldn't have otherwise seen
Mel was amazing, she held us together as group really well
Well organised, excellent walking, great guide, nice hotels.
Beautiful coastal walks, visit to Heligan gardens.
Mel should be particularly commended for how she dealt with the head injury, she was excellent at dealing with the injured lady as well as looking after the whole group.
A very enjoyable 6 days walking. I've only marked it as very good as I had rooms that looked over roof tops and air conditioning units in both hotels. Some others in the group had harbour views and very big rooms. Be aware that the Old Custom House in Padstow...
The north coast is stunning and the visit to The Lost Gardens of Heligan.
We had Gaby and Tatty as our guides. They are exceptional young women, multi-talented, organised, caring and fun. They always had a supply of snacks and wine gums ready when required! They made this trip very special.
Make sure you pre-book a taxi if you are going by train to Bodmin Parkway. There were only a couple of taxis there and they were both pre-booked. One cabby tried phoning for me but couldn't get anyone. The bus was supposed to arrive in 3 minutes and 35 minutes later we were still waiting for it. Luckily then a taxi did arrive that took me and two others to Padstow.
I'd forgotten just how beautiful Cornwall is. Turqouise seas, dramatic cliffs and wonderful beaches. The prefect tonic for a tough year for us all. The usual mix of interesting and friendly fellow walkers. A wonderous week, well orchestrated by two great guides. They even secured a week of sunshine. You...
Walking along the coast line on days one and two..
We had 2 and they were both excellent.
Rediscover Cornwall on an Exodus tour as quick as you can !
I think the walks worked well from a practical perspective with 2 guides so they could manage the fit fast walkers up front and the slower walkers savouring the views from a little way back..so everybody got out of it what they were looking for. Might have been more diffcult to achieve this with one guide. Heligan is a beautiful place but popular and maybe this part could start earlier in the day and would benefit for most of group if there was a guide to get the most out of the sprawling gardens. Small gripe otherwise four glorious coast walks and some wonderful memories. Made me want to book up the Gower walks next!
Based in two centres, starting in Padstow then spending the second half of the week in Charlestown on the South coast. Our tour leader, Will, and his colleague Gaby, were prepared to go to any lengths to make sure we were fully supported. The walking required a decent level of...
The first two days were along the most beautiful coastline with secret beaches and spectacular rock formations. I also loved visiting the Lost Gardens of Heligan, something I've wanted to do for a long time.
He worked extremely hard, could take a joke even at the end of a long day, and kept us all informed and safe. Can't fault him.
Get fit. If you can't manage 10 miles a day, with at least 25% being uphill, you are on the wrong trip and will always be a long way behind the rest of the group. Come properly equipped with waterproof trousers, well walked in boots/shoes, a good rucksack, etc. Don't expect a sea view from your room. My first room I looked out to an a/c unit, and the second room I was below ground level so could only see the tyres of parked cars.
I would have liked an opportunity to take a swim/paddle at the end of one of the walks but it didn't work out that way.
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