Far Southwest – Cornwall Cycling Holiday

Arrive in Penzance (Stay Overnight)

A: Circuit from Penzance (Full Route: 28 miles / 45 km | Short Route: 18 miles / 29 km) 

The circuit from Penzance takes you out to Newlyn - England’s busiest fishing port. The local scenery inspired the Newlyn School of artists and their legacy can be seen in museums and galleries around the town. Continue through narrow streets past little Mousehole harbour and over to the pretty, sheltered Lamorna Cove, which is a lovely spot for a swim. Pass the Merry Maidens, a Bronze Age stone circle that stands amidst a remarkable concentration of ancient Celtic standing stones to Lands’ End, where the road stops and you can enjoy a variety of entertainments and attractions. 

Overnight in Penzance. No luggage transfer required

B: Linear Route from Penzance to Truro (Full route: 32 miles / 52 km | No Short Route)

Leave Penzance and ride to the north coast where the mudflats of the River Hayle are a rich habitat for wading birds. Follow the coast road past miles of sand dunes then above rugged cliffs with spectacular views of the Atlantic. Explore a woodland cycle trail at the tranquil Tehidy Country Park, on the way to the popular surfing cove at Portreath. This was one of the main mining areas in Cornwall until the early 20th century and you can still visit Cornish Goldsmith workshops and exhibitions as well as the Tolgus Tin Streaming works nearby. The ride ends along beautiful wooded valleys back into Truro. 

Overnight in Truro. Luggage will be moved.  

C: Circuit from Truro (Full route: 29 miles / 47 km | Short Route: 19 miles / 31 km) 

Today’s route takes you from Truro via the Roseland Peninsula, taking in the best of the local landscape. It uses mostly country lanes and cycle paths once you have left Truro and is a peaceful day’s riding. This is the most challenging route of the trip with a lot of hills, but a shortcut will be provided if you need it. The full route is hillier than the shortcut, but worth it to see the truly spectacular scenery in the local area. Please note, the trip includes a transfer via King Harry’s Ferry, which costs £1.50 per person and is payable locally. 

Overnight in Truro. No luggage transfer required. 

D: Linear route from Truro to Helston (Full route: 30.5 miles / 49 km | Short Route: 23 miles / 37 km)  

Traversing between Truro and Helston for your next overnight stay, this route takes you past the old tin mine at Wheal Jane to Penryn, once the main port in this area, where you’ll find its heritage displayed in some fine architecture from Tudor to Georgian and in a small museum. Continue down the coast to Falmouth, a busy pleasant town where the atmosphere is flavoured by the salt sea air. Here you can visit several exotic gardens, a Maritime Museum and some pleasant beaches. Impressive fortifications of Henry VIII’s Pendennis Castle still dominate the headland. Continue past more subtropical gardens to Gweek on the Helford Creek, the home of the National Seal Sanctuary where they rescue injured seal pups from local beaches and also care for other abandoned sea mammals. The terrain is not as tough as the circuit from Truro, but there are still some steep climbs out of Truro and around Falmouth, Constantine and Gweek. 

Overnight in Helston. Luggage will be moved.  

E: Circuit from Helston (Full route: 35 miles / 56 km | Short Route: 24 miles / 38 km)  

Explore the west coast of Cornwall through the delightful Church Cove to Mullion from where you can continue all the way down to Lizard, the most southerly point of the British mainland. This also takes you to Kynance Cove where the combination of the rare serpentine rock and the powerful sea has produced amazing beaches with cliffs, caves and islands. Next, cross Goonhilly Downs where the underlying serpentine rock gives the area most of its special characteristics. The soil it produces is the ideal habitat for the Cornish Heath that is almost unique to this area. It supports rare wildlife including the hen harrier and short-eared owl and is also the home of a satellite tracking station.   

Overnight in Helston. No luggage transfer required. 

F: Linear route from Helston to Penzance (Full route: 18 miles / 29 km | No Short Route)  

Leaving Helston, continue to Porthleven which for many years was the local centre for boat building and is still a working fishing port. Then follow the coast west to Praa Sands, this mile-long sweep of sand is renowned as one of Cornwall’s finest family beaches and is very popular with surfers. Further on is one of Cornwall's most famous landmarks, St. Michael’s Mount, a little island community that can be reached by causeway at low tide - It is also the perfect photo opportunity! 

Overnight in Penzance. Luggage will be moved.

Optional Extension to Isles of Scilly from Penzance (2 nights / 3 days) 

Day 1: Leave your hotel in the morning and ride by bike to the ferry port to take the morning ferry. This is a short 5-10minute ride through Penzance to the Quay. Board the ferry with the bikes and travel to the Isles of Scilly. Disembark on St Mary’s Island and then explore at your leisure. The luggage will be transferred by taxi to the ferry port to be loaded by the you in Penzance (this is a mandatory security measure). The bags will then be tagged and offloaded in Isles of Scilly, with a direct transfer to the hotel.  

Day 2: Free exploration of the Island. 

Day 3: Explore the island at your leisure before returning to the port for the Ferry (usually afternoon). The luggage will be transported from the hotel to the ferry port and loaded onto the ferry. Clients will disembark the ferry, collect their luggage, give it to the taxi company and then return to their hotel by bike.  

Optional Extension to the Eden Project (2 nights, 3 days) 

Day 1: Cycle from Truro to Charlestown (or St Austell) via Mevagissey. Stay in Charlestown (or St Austell, depending on availability). Luggage will be transferred.  

Day 2: Cycle from Charlestown (or St Austell) to the Eden Project. A short 4-mile cycle from Charlestown takes you to The Eden Project, where you can spend the day exploring the gardens and tropical domes at your leisure. Return to Charlestown (or St Austell) via bike on the same 4-mile route and stay in Charlestown (or St Austell – subject to availability). Eden Project ticket included.  

Day 3: Cycle from Charlestown (or St Austell) to Truro via Pentowan and Heligan – another garden for your clients to explore (ticket not included). Stay overnight in Truro.  

Key Details:

• The 7 day, 6 night holiday, starting in Penzance will be routed F A B C D 

• The 8 day, 7 night holiday, starting in Penzance will be routed E F A B C D or F A B C D E 

• This tour is available 6 to 13 nights with Eden Project and Isle of Scilly extensions

• This tour will start and finish in Penzance

• The daily distance of this cycling tour in Cornwall is approximately Minimum: 18 29km to 35 miles / 56 km per day

There are lots of attractions and places to explore during your Cornwall cycling tour, including:

• Falmouth and Pendennis Castle
• Land’s End
• Lizard Lighthouse
• National Seal Sanctuary
• St Michael’s Mount
• Poldark Mine
• Trengwainton and other Gardens
• Trevarno Estate
• Boat Trips along the Coast
• Surfing Beaches
• Cornish Bakeries & Cafes
• Helston Museum

Getting to Cornwall

By Rail/Bus – The nearsest rail stations are Truro or Penzance depending on the start.

By Car – It usually takes less than five hours to get from London to the heart of Cornwall by car. Drive along the M4 motorway from London, or M6 from Manchester, and then the M5 to Exeter and finally either the A30, that is mostly dual carriageway, or the A38 through Plymouth and Saltash into South East Cornwall. Alternatively if you enter Cornwall from North Devon, there is the scenic Atlantic Highway A39 through Bude which you can join from Junction 27 on the M5. Due to the high volume of traffic on Cornwall's roads during the summer months the main A30 route before Bodmin can become congested especially at weekends. Travelling overnight or outside peak rush hours is recommended to avoid long delays.

 -   To plan your journey use the AA Route Planner for a tailor made travel plan with timings and mileage
 -   For information on possible delays or roadwork's throughout the UK or in Cornwall visit bbc.co.uk/travelnews/cornwall

By Air – You can fly to Cornwall from airports around the UK, Ireland, Germany and Spain. Cornwall Airport Newquay currently has year round daily flights from London Gatwick and Manchester with additional seasonal routes (between March and October) from Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Doncaster-Sheffield, Edinburgh, London Stansted, and Newcastle (Flybe); Dublin (Aer Lingus); Alicante and Frankfurt-Hahn (Ryanair); and Dusseldorf (Eurowings).

London Heathrow, Bristol and Birmingham are also options with a connecting train.

By Ferry –  There are many ferry companies that operate daily services to the UK and these terminals are within easy reach of the major motorways leading you down to Cornwall

 -   Stena Line operates daily ferry crossings from Ireland and Holland to Britain. You can travel from Belfast, Larne, Dublin Port, Dun Laoghaire, Rosslare and the Hook of Holland

 -   Irish Ferries also run services from Ireland (and France*) to the UK

 -   P&O Ferries have several services from Ireland, France, Spain, Holland and Belgium to UK destinations

 -   DFDS Seaways operate between Holland and Newcastle and from Denmark to Harwich

AFerry is a price comparison website with access to all ferry services in and out of the UK, including ferries to the Isles of Scilly. See website, http://www.aferry.co.uk/ for prices. timetables and special offers.

For more information on getting to Cornwall please the VisitCornwall website.