Carn Galver Mine Bosigran Cliff, Coast Path, Porthmeor
Walk Details
Start at the car park. Looking towards the sea, take the grassy path to the immediate left of the mine buildings, down through the willows
Go over the stone stile to the right of the classic iron Penwith Gate SW 419 364, heading downhill towards the sea to join the Coast Path. Stay along the lower left hand edge of the fields – ignore the paths branching uphill to the right – in the second field head for the bottom corner and cross another granite stile beside a Penwith Gate.
Here the path goes up to your right towards the rocky outcrop, past a National Trust stone saying Bosigran.
As you reach the top here, the ground suddenly levels out and you find yourself in the interior of Bosigran Castle. On a sunny calm day, there is plenty of room for a picnic with staggering views down the coast to Pendeen Watch (lighthouse) and up to Gurnard’s Head. If, as is more likely, the weather is windy and cloudy take great care up here – it’s about 700 feet down!
A second path heads back inland back away from the cliff castle, heading east – beside a long, low stone wall.
At the bottom of the path beside the wall, you will come across a stone Coastal Path marker – turn left over the wall and follow the coast path as it skirts above Halldrine Cove. The path drops down a little way before climbing up towards Carn Veslan.
Continue to follow the coast path above Carn Veslan Cliff, around Carn Moyle, and down towards Porthmeor Cove.
Go over a wooden stile and make your way across a boulder strewn field, where the path becomes quite fragmented for a short while. Keep going ahead – the way soon becomes more obvious again, then crosses a small stream.
Immediately after the stream is a junction SW 426 373. Leave the Coast Path and take the right hand path, which starts to climb up the southern side of the valley towards the Porthmeor Tin Stamps.
The path passes through a granite gateway into the site of the stamping mill, and continues as a hedged trackway past the mill. There are a couple of routes off to the left here into the site itself.
Just above the mill, you come to a 4-way junction of paths at SW 429 371. The track you are on (which continues uphill to the road), is crossed by the Zennor Church Path. Take the path heading right, over the granite stile, which climbs uphill towards Bosigran Farm. The first section of this path has a deep stone ditch on one side. Follow the footpath to reach the stile leading into Bosigran Farmyard – the footpath heads through the farmyard, round to the right and out into the fields on the far side.
Optional diversion to Bosigran Courtyard Houses see Note 1.
From the gate indicating the end of the Bosigran fields SW 422 369, the path becomes slightly ambiguous. Take a more obvious path line slightly downhill, ultimately coming to the Penwith gate at SW 419 364 – from there follow the path back uphill to the Carn Galver Engine Houses and the start point.