St Agnes Beacon and Wheal Coates Walk

Route Description for St Agnes Beacon and Wheal Coates Walk

Thanks to some amazing panoramic views and interesting historical sites, the St Agnes Beacon and Wheal Coates Walk is a popular route for a wide range of outdoor enthusiasts. Be sure to arrive early to secure parking near the trailhead. Additionally, there is a good amount of uphill walking along some rugged terrain, so remember to wear comfortable footwear.

While it may be a popular adventure along the Cornish Coast, it is definitely for good reason, as the stunning views from St Agnes Beacon are more than worth the minimal amount of effort required to walk up to the summit, and the picturesque engine houses at Wheal Coates are some of the most photographed buildings in the region. If you enjoy breathtaking coastal views, then you will be sure to enjoy this amazing walk in Cornwall.

Setting out from the St Agnes Head Car Park, follow the trail as it climbs uphill to the southeast for 0.4 km, making a left at the junction, followed by the next right in order to eventually meet up with the road. Turn right and follow the road for 0.3 km to reach an intersection with Beacon Drive, where you will turn left, followed by an immediate right onto a footpath. Keeping a southeasterly direction, you will climb uphill along this trail until you arrive at the summit of St Agnes Beacon. From this elevated point, you will enjoy spectacular views that sweep across the Cornish Coastline and extend far out towards the sea.

After taking in the breathtaking views from the beacon, you will head downhill to the southwest for 0.9 km, where you will once again meet up with Beacon Drive and follow it to the left for 114 m. Turning right here, you will keep right onto a footpath just before the car park and make your way downhill towards the Wheal Coates Engine Houses, a series of popularly photographed buildings that once contained Cornish Beam Engines utilized in the mining industry. After passing by the buildings, you will make your way further down towards the coast, where you will arrive at the southwesternmost point of the route.

Making sure to spend some time here to appreciate the views of the sea and nearby Chapel Porth Beach to the south, you will head to the north along the trail and keep the coastline on your left, enjoying the beautifully scenic views across the water as you traverse the rugged terrain. After 1.4 km, you will arrive back at the car park where you began your adventure along the St Agnes Beacon and Wheal Coates Walk.

Trail Highlights

Wheal Coates Engine Houses

Wheal Coates is a former tin mine near St Agnes, Cornwall that features the ruins of several of the original engine houses that contained Cornish Beam Engines, a type of steam engine developed in the area for industrial use. While the earliest recordings of there being a mine on the site date back to 1692, the present buildings date to a mine that was operational between 1802 and 1889. The site features some of the most-photographed buildings along the Cornish coastline.