Cornish Miles
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Route map

Mapped line

North Coast / Coast path

Port Isaac to Port Quin

An out-and-back between two harbour hamlets on a stretch the guidebooks politely call strenuous: the path drops to sea level and climbs straight back out four times in each direction. Port Quin, the turnaround, is a handful of cottages and no shop — carry what you need.

1 hr – 1 hr 45 min

Port Isaac, main car park to Port Isaac, main car park

Desk-researched / Not yet field-checked

Distance
8.0 km
Elevation
263 m
Start
Port Isaac, main car park
Terrain
Coast path
Difficulty
Hard
Route type
Out and back

Practical notes

Best for

  • Stair repeats with a sea view
  • Race prep for lumpy coast events
  • Out-running the Port Isaac day-trip crowds

Watch for

  • Relentless steep steps, greasy after rain
  • The smoothed elevation profile underplays how sharp each dip really is
  • Unfenced drops on the narrower shoulders

Facilities

  • Car parks, toilets, pubs and cafes in Port Isaac
  • Nothing but a National Trust bench at Port Quin

Season

Dry ground makes it merely hard; wet ground makes the steps a controlled-descent exercise. Winter light finishes early under these cliffs.

Parking
Use the main car park at the top of Port Isaac — the village lanes below are barely wide enough for people, let alone parking.
Public transport
Buses reach Port Isaac from Wadebridge; service is thin, so plan the return before you start.
Conditions
Rock steps, worn earth and short grassy shoulders; almost nothing flat enough to call recovery ground.
Navigation
One path, well signed. The work is never in finding the way, only in getting up it.

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From the journal

Reading for this ground