Meudon Walk

Detailed walk information

Start from the Hotel Meudon where you can treat yourself to lunch or cream tea before you set off. Walk down through the gardens to the South West Coast Path. To the left the path will take you to Falmouth and to the right to Helford Passage. We are heading right. Bream Cove is down the ramp in front of you and has some fascinating geology. The rocks are mainly slate with a layer of glacial head on top from the last ice age. This means that the dividing line between the two layers is 400 million years. It is worth pondering what happened in the intervening times.

When the tide is out there are some great rock pools to explore here and in the next cove, Gatamala Cove. Many an hour has been spent here looking for crabs, fish and cushion stars. Take the coast path up to Rosemullion Head. Either walk over the spine of the headland or follow the coast path around the edge. Like many headlands around the coast this was an Iron Age hill fort commanding a view over to St Mawes and the Roseland Peninsula.

Walk on the coast path past Prisk cove. There is an entrance to the beach, which is usually devoid of people but great for bird life and at low tide great for rock pooling. Continue up hill into the evergreen oak wood. To the right is a path that takes you to Mawnan church, which is worth a visit. It is named after St Maunanus, who according to various theories is either a Breton Monk or an Irish Bishop. Nevertheless the church was built on the Celtic earthworks in the 13^th Century. The position of the church has been important for boats for many centuries as a point of reference and a guide for the mouth of the Helford River.

Retrace your steps back to the wood and the coast path and turn right continuing out to a clearing where at the highest point you can see left down to Nare Point on the Lizard where in the 2^nd World War Elstree studios built a false Falmouth as a film set with working lights and explosions to deflect the bombers to that site and not the real Falmouth. Ahead is the Helford River with a great photo opportunity of Helford. Trebah and Helford Passage.

Walk down hill from Toll Point to Porth Saxon. The beach is great for skimming stones and at the end of the beach (where one approaches the beach) is a 2^nd World War look out shelter. At the other end of the beach at the boathouse go through the gate and turn right up to Carwinion wood. To go straight ahead would take you to Durgan, which is 15 minutes walk (and the only toilet enroute, the others being in Mawnan Smith or back at Hotel Meudon.

The wood is full of ferns and in spring bluebells and wild garlic. Carwinion Gardens is open for teas during the summer months and its 14 acres are open to the public with its wonderful collections of bamboo and rare plants bought back from around the world by Victorian plant hunters. At the top of the lane that leads off from the wood one reaches the main road. Turn left for Mawnan Smith or right following the road until you get back to get back to Hotel Meudon and the beginning of the walk.

An alternative to this walk is to start in Mawnan Smith and walk up the road to this point.

Public transport information

35 bus from Falmouth to Helford Passage via Mawnan Smith.

Nearest Toilets and Nearest Disabled Toilets 

Toilets in the hotel and in Mawnan Smith.

Nearest Car parks and Nearest Car Parks with disabled provision 

For those having refreshments at the hotel park in their car park, otherwise towards Maenporth safely on the road or towards Mawnan Smith at Nansidwell just off road.

Nearest refreshments

Hotel Meudon or The Red Lion Pub in Mawnan Smith.

PLEASE NOTE: While Covid restrictions are still in place, and the safety of guests and day visitors continues to be paramount, it’s currently required that all food and drink orders need to be made 24 hours in advance, to avoid disappointment on your visit.