Rough Tor and Brown Willy lead Cornwall’s most popular walks

Stand on the summit cairns of Brown Willy and there is nowhere in Cornwall higher. Just across the valley, the weathered granite stacks of Rough Tor have drawn walkers onto Bodmin Moor for generations. This week, the circuit that takes in both is the most popular walk in the county.

iWalk Cornwall has shared its most-walked routes for the week. The list runs from the open moor above Camelford to the creeks of the Helford River, ancient woodland near Blisland, Britain’s most southerly point and the quiet Hayle valley. If you’re after one of the best walks in Cornwall this weekend, here’s what everyone else is choosing.

Every route comes from the iWalk Cornwall app, which we rate highly. This is not a paid partnership. We like it because each walk comes with hand-written directions, GPS guidance and local history along the way. Distances and grades are a guide rather than a promise, and the practical notes below come from iWalk Cornwall’s own route pages.

1. Rough Tor and Brown Willy

📷Rough Tor, Bodmin Moor

• Location: Bodmin Moor, near Camelford and St Breward, North Cornwall
• Dog-Friendly: Yes, with care. There are two stiles on the climb to Brown Willy. The first sits beside a gate and is easier for dogs, but the higher one is wire-topped, so dogs will need lifting over to reach the summit. Sheep, cattle and ponies graze the open moor, and from 1 March to 31 July dogs must be on a lead no longer than 2m to protect ground-nesting birds.
• Café: None listed on or near the route, so pack supplies
• iWalk Cornwall Route: Rough Tor and Brown Willy
• Distance: 5.2 miles / 8.4 km
• Difficulty: Moderate-strenuous
• Highlights: Rough Tor, Showery Tor, Brown Willy summit cairns, Fernacre Stone Circle, Roughtor Holy Well, Stannon Lake, panoramic views from both summits

Walk Description: This mostly circular route climbs Cornwall’s two highest tors. Rough Tor is Bodmin Moor’s most rugged and recognisable outcrop, while Brown Willy is the highest point in Cornwall. Between them the moor is scattered with Neolithic cairns and stone circles, Bronze Age hut circles and field systems, and a holy well. Expect to scramble over granite boulders near the top of Rough Tor and on the drop into the valley between the tors. The ground stays marshy even in summer, so walking boots are a must at this time of year.

2. Helford to Dennis Head

📷Helford River

• Location: Helford River, on the Lizard peninsula, South Cornwall
• Dog-Friendly: Yes. Dogs should manage the stiles without much trouble. St Anthony beach has seasonal dog restrictions.
• Café: A café is marked near the route, plus The New Inn and The Shipwrights Arms pubs
• iWalk Cornwall Route: Helford to Dennis Head
• Distance: 5.1 miles / 8.2 km
• Difficulty: Easy-moderate
• Highlights: Helford, Manaccan and St Anthony villages, Gillan Creek, views over the Helford River, St Anthony Church, Manaccan Church, small sheltered beaches

Walk Description: A circular walk around the creeks of the Helford River, linking small villages first settled by Celtic monks from Brittany. The route mixes coast path, field paths and steps down to the water, calling in at the churches of St Anthony and Manaccan along the way. Some stretches run close to unfenced cliffs, so keep an eye on children and dogs. The route page also links to Helford ferry information and tide times, which are worth checking before you set off.

3. Blisland to Lavethan Wood

📷Lavethan Wood, Blisland

• Location: Blisland, on the western edge of Bodmin Moor, North Cornwall
• Dog-Friendly: Mostly. Dogs will probably need help over the stile at the lane at Cock’s Penrose, and large dogs may not fit through the last stile leaving Lavethan Wood.
• Café: No café listed. The Blisland Inn, a CAMRA National Pub of the Year winner, is on or near the route.
• iWalk Cornwall Route: Blisland to Lavethan Wood
• Distance: 2.7 miles / 4.4 km
• Difficulty: Easy-moderate
• Highlights: Blisland village green, 15th-century Blisland Church with its Celtic cross and sundial, St Pratt’s Cross, Lavethan Wood, the granite bridge over the Mill Race, the river at Trewint

Walk Description: The shortest walk on this week’s list starts in the Saxon village of Blisland, passes through the churchyard and takes in two stretches of the Woodland Trust’s Lavethan Wood reserve, an area of ancient woodland. The route crosses land that once belonged to the Lavethan and Barlandew manor estates and passes St Pratt’s Cross, which marks the site of a medieval holy well. It’s famous for bluebells in spring, but at this time of year iWalk suggests wellies rather than boots.

4. The Lizard and Kynance Cove

📷Kynance Cove, the Lizard

• Location: Lizard village, the Lizard peninsula, South Cornwall
• Dog-Friendly: Yes. Stiles are fine for large dogs. Polpeor Cove allows dogs all year, but Kynance Cove has seasonal dog restrictions.
• Café: A café overlooks Kynance Cove, and The Top House Inn is on or near the route
• iWalk Cornwall Route: The Lizard and Kynance Cove
• Distance: 4.4 miles / 7.1 km
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Highlights: Lizard Point, Lizard Lighthouse, the Lizard Foghorns, the old lifeboat house, Kynance Cove, the Devil’s Bellows blowhole, serpentine rocks, The Lizard National Nature Reserve, Cornish choughs

Walk Description: A circular walk from Lizard village to the most southerly point in Britain, then along the coast path to the sandy beach at Kynance Cove. Part of the route follows the old Victorian excursion path from the village. Look out for Cornish choughs along the cliffs and for serpentine rock polished smooth by the sea. There are two tricky crossings, over bedrock at Caerthillian Cove and over loose boulders and pebbles at the top of Kynance Cove (a high tide path avoids the second), and a walking pole can help with balance on both.

5. St Hilary and Hayle Valley

📷St Hilary Church

• Location: St Hilary and Relubbus, near Hayle and Penzance, West Cornwall
• Dog-Friendly: Yes. There are no stiles to climb, only cattle-grid-style coffin stiles. The route crosses three fields, two on the way to the church and a small one after the butterfly house.
• Café: None listed on the route page
• iWalk Cornwall Route: St Hilary and Hayle Valley
• Distance: 5.4 miles / 8.7 km
• Difficulty: Easy-moderate
• Highlights: St Hilary Church, the Hayle River near Relubbus, ponds and lakes, heather at Penberthy Crofts, an optional visit to Guy’s Butterfly House (pre-booking recommended)

Walk Description: This circular walk follows the Hayle river valley to St Hilary Church, through a former industrial landscape that nature has turned back into woodland, heath, lakes and streams. Waterproof boots are recommended even in summer. In winter the bridleway between directions 9 and 10 can become waterlogged, and iWalk suggests an alternative: follow the lane from the start to where it ends, then take the bridleway from there to rejoin the route at direction 10.

Plan your walk

All five routes are in the iWalk Cornwall app. Each walk has hand-written directions and GPS guidance that warns you if you stray off the route, and it all works offline with no phone signal, which matters on the open moor and around the more remote coves. Again, this is not a paid partnership, just an app we rate.

The app is free to download from the App Store and Google Play, and you buy the individual walks you want. The full set runs to more than 300 routes across the county.