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Walk from St Ives to Carbis Bay
July 10th, 2019
As much as there are four spectacular beaches in St Ives, all within a few minutes walk of Cohort Hostel, sometimes you just fancy exploring and there aren’t many prettier walks than the one from St Ives to Carbis Bay – the next beach along.
Distance from St Ives to Carbis Bay
The walk is about 1.5 miles (about 2.5km). Theoretically it shouldn’t take you much longer than 25 minutes but that doesn’t account for all the stopping and taking photos of the view.
Directions out of St Ives
From the hostel turn left and head down to the beach, cross over the high street (The Hain Line pub on the corner) and walk down Street-an-Pol to Westcotts Quay.
Once at the sea take a right and walk all the way to Porthminster Beach, head to the far end and the SW Coast Path starts from outside the door of the Porthminster Beach Cafe.
Heading towards Carbis Bay
Just keep walking along the coast path which will take you up a steep (but short) hill to a wider path which you can walk along for a while.
Check out the houses to your left and look out for any ‘Open Gardens’ sign. If there’s one up do make sure you dip down and take a look. The residents along this path often open up their gardens to the public in aid of charity and they are spectacular.
Eventually you’ll come to a wooden sign post on your right; do not turn off but keep heading in the same direction with the sea on your left. The path becomes narrower at this point and as you walk you should start to get glimpses of the ocean with views out towards Godrevy Lighthouse.
Arriving in Carbis Bay
As you walk along this path it will take you over a small bridge and eventually down into Carbis Bay where the first thing you’ll see are some phenomenal self-catering apartments which are part of the Carbis Bay Hotel complex. These go for around £20k/week and come with a butler so feel free to ogle!
You’ll then come out to Carbis Bay beach…
Yes… it’s beautiful!
What to do in Carbis Bay
There are loads of options at this point, probably the most attractive after your walk would be to grab an ice cream and head down to relax on the beach.
However, if you fancy something a bit more energetic, Carbis Bay is the home of Ocean Sports – a fabulous water sports centre right on the beach. You can hire kayaks, stand up paddleboards and wetsuits and they also have instructors if you’d like to take a lesson. You could even try foiling if you’re feeling experimental.
There’s a lovely (slightly posh) cafe on the beach, along with a (less posh) takeaway which does fab pizzas and coffee.
All in all it’s worth the walk!
Heading back to Cohort
Just come back the way you came OR you can carry on along the coast path to Lelant Saltings where you can pick up the train back to St Ives.
Alternatively head through the car park at Carbis Bay beach and up the hill to the main road – here you can pick up a bus which will take you back to St Ives in just a few stops. As always, Cohort is a short walk (4 minutes) from the bus station.