Loe Bar and Penrose Loop

A circuit of Loe Pool on National Trust estate drives and woodland paths, dropping to Loe Bar where a ridge of shingle holds the pool back from Mount's Bay, then returning up the eastern shore past Degibna. Traffic-free almost throughout.

1 hr 15 min – 1 hr 55 min

Helston, Coronation Park to Helston, Coronation Park

Desk-researched / Not yet field-checked

Distance: 12.9 km
Elevation: 253 m
Start: Helston, Coronation Park
Terrain: Trail
Difficulty: Moderate
Route type: Loop

Practical notes

Best for

Long steady runs without a single road to cross
Sheltered miles among the estate oaks
Runners based around Helston and Porthleven

Watch for

The bar itself: soft shingle that doubles the effort for two hundred metres
Swimming is forbidden at Loe Bar — the undertow there has killed, and the signs mean it
Exposed wind funnel at the bar even when the woods are calm

Facilities

Free parking and toilets at Coronation Park
Seasonal National Trust cafe at Penrose stables

Season

Works year-round; the estate drives drain well. The bar crossing is grim in a southerly gale and glorious in most other weather.

Parking: Coronation Park in Helston is free and sits right on the route. Porthleven works as an alternative start with a short link path.
Public transport: Buses serve Helston from Penzance, Falmouth and Truro; the park is a few minutes from the stops.
Conditions: Compacted estate drive and woodland path, one soft shingle crossing, and a rougher, rootier stretch up the Degibna side.
Navigation: Keep the water on one side and you cannot go far wrong. The only junction that matters is signed for Degibna at the south-east corner.