Sennen Cove to Lands End Walk: A Short but Scenic Route Along the South West Coast Path

The Sennen Cove to Lands End walk is a lovely short but scenic route along the South West Coast Path. Learn more about it in this handy guide.

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When Stu and I headed down to Cornwall to spend two days in Sennen for his birthday last January, one of the activities I was most excited about ticking off my list was the Sennen Cove to Lands End walk, along the South West Coast Path.  That excitement increased tenfold when we arrived to sunshine and blue skies.

The Sennen Cove to Lands End walk is a non-technical 1.2-mile route that hugs the coast the whole way.  You can either walk back the same way, catch the bus back to Sennen Cove, or make the route circular.  It’s a nice manageable distance for most people, without being a ‘hike.’

However, if you do fancy walking a bit further, you can also take in one of Cornwall’s most beautiful and lesser-visited beaches and then return to Sennen Cove via Sennen village.

This particular circular route is the one I chose, and the one I’ll be writing about in this post.  It’s 5.7 miles long, with a 242-metre elevation gain.

I map all my walking and running routes on the Footpath app.  You can find a link to this particular one here.

Sennen Cove to Lands End Walk | Where to Stay 

I bagged us an incredible Travelzoo weekend deal at the Saddle and Stable Rooms in Sennen for just £79 for two nights.  A lot of my UK stays have been purchased through Travelzoo, because their deals represent such amazing value for money, and often enable me to explore parts of the U.K. that I may not otherwise have considered.  A prime example is the weekend Stu and I spent in the picturesque village of Branscombe, down on the Jurassic Coast in Devon, back in 2019.  I’d never even heard of Branscombe before spotting the Travelzoo deal for two nights at the Mason’s Arms, but now I recommend it to everyone who’s heading down that way!

Update, July 2023: Travelzoo have currently re-launched this deal here. It’s a bit more than I paid, but still an absolute steal for Cornwall!

If you can’t find any suitable options on Travelzoo then my go-to accommodation booking site is booking.com.  They seem to have the widest range of accommodation available at the best prices, and their free cancellation options mean that you have the freedom to change your itinerary right up until 24 hours before your stay on some occasions.

Sennen to Lands End Walk | Where to Park

As we were staying in Sennen village and our accommodation came with free parking right outside our apartment, we didn’t need to make use of the nearby parking facilities.  However, if you do need to find parking in Sennen Cove, the map below shows the location of all three public car parks.

Sights of Interest Along the Sennen Cove to Lands End Walk

Sennen Cove

First up, take a little bit of time to familiarise yourself with Sennen Cove itself.  The main draw here is the long sandy beach, but there are a few other points of interest that are worth a quick look.

The first one is this round house pictured below.  It was originally a capstan house (used to wind up chains that were attached to the fishing boats) that was probably built in the 18th century and made taller in the 19th century.  The walls are granite rubble, with a tarred weather boarding above, and the conical roof is made of slate.  I’d read online that it now houses an art gallery inside, however, the door seemed to be padlocked shut when we arrived.  We assumed that the end of January was perhaps a little too early in the year for it to have officially re-opened its doors to visitors.

Over the road from the round house is a pretty little thatched cottage with blue-painted wooden shutters that perfectly match its window frames and front door.

Mayon Cliff and 19th Century Lookout Hut

As you leave Sennen Cove, the South West Coast Path climbs steadily along National Trust-owned Mayon Cliff towards the Lookout Hut.

Sennen Coastguard Station was established in 1812, and this granite lookout hut was built in 1891.  It was manned by coastguards living in a row of cottages at the foot of the hill, and was in active use until the end of the 1940s.

Following its closure in 1953, it lay derelict  for quite some time before The National Trust refurbished it in 1998.  It is now an information point and opens its doors to visitors during the summer months (weather permitting).

Wild Horses

I hadn’t expected to meet wild horses during my Sennen Cove to Lands End walk along the South West Coast Path, but I was so excited when I did!  Back home where I live, we have a number of wild horses that live up on the Long Mynd close to Church Stretton, and it makes my heart swell every time I catch glimpses of them whilst out walking or running in the Shropshire Hills.

The horses up on Mayon Cliff are clearly used to the presence of walkers, because this one below actually approached me and let me stroke him!

Ship Wreckage

A short distance past the lookout hut, you’ll spot a rusty ship wreckage lying abandoned close to the rocks.  It’s the remains of RMS Mulheim, a Germain cargo ship that was built in Romania and launched in May 1999.

On 22 March 2003, it was wrecked at Lands End after the chief officer fell unconscious while on watch.  In heavy seas later that year, the ship was torn in half.

Due to its location, it has not been feasible to access the wreck and make it safe, so the National Trust do not advise attempting to climb on to it.  That said, I saw two people doing just that when I was photographing the wreck.  I guess you do so at your own risk!

Lands End

I’ll be honest — there wasn’t much to see or do at Lands End when I did the Sennen Cove to Lands End walk at the end of January.  The First and Last House was closed, along with a small number of food kiosks and souvenir shops.

Of course, the famous Lands End signpost is the main attraction here.  It’s been ‘in post’ (excuse the pun!) since the 1950s, and having your photograph taken next to it was proof that you made it to the westernmost point in England.  A local photography company still owns and operates the signpost today.  And when I say ‘operates,’ what I mean is that for a fee (currently £12, January 2023), they can display your name or personalised message on one of the signpost boards, and take your photograph with it.

Unfortunately though, if you just want to take a photograph next to the signpost and aren’t bothered by the personalised lettering, you still have to pay the £12 fee to the marker staff, as the whole area around the sign has been barricaded off to the general non-fee-paying public.

The only way of avoiding this (rather expensive) fee is to arrive before the marker staff have clocked on at 8 a.m. or after they leave around 5 p.m.

Enys Dodman Rock Arch

Further along the South West Coast Path, you’ll arrive at the Enys Dodman rock arch.  This iconic natural stone arch appears on many photographs you’ll see of Lands End, and is one of the highlights on the Sennen Cove to Lands End walk.

Of course, there are countless other photo opportunities along this stretch of coastline, too.

Nanjizal Beach and the Song of the Sea

As one of Cornwall’s least accessible (and, therefore, most often deserted) beaches, Nanjizal can only be accessed from Land’s End in the south or Porthgwarra in the north.

What’s unusual about this beach is the fact that you’ll find Zawn Pyg (or, more romantically, ‘Song of the Sea’) here — a tall, narrow slit in the rocks through which the winter sun aligns perfectly as it sets into the sea.

Unfortunately, I arrived a little too early to witness this natural phenomenon, and seeing as though I had a date with Stu at the First and Last Inn, I didn’t have much time available to wait. The tide was also pretty high when I visited, so I couldn’t really get down on to the beach to be at the right angle to photograph it.   Let me know if you have better success!

Regardless of whether or not you’re lucky enough to capture the winter sun setting behind Zawn Pyg, Nanjizal Beach is still a beautiful (and, dare I say it, magical) spot at which to take a well-earned break on your Sennen Cove to Lands End walk.

The First and Last Inn

When you leave Nanjizal Beach, it’s a rather steep uphill climb to Sennen village.

As Stu and I were staying in Sennen itself, this is where I ended my Sennen Cove to Lands End walk.  But, the good news is that if you are continuing on to Sennen Cove, it’s all downhill from Sennen!  Just follow the road through the village and hang a left at Mayon.

Stu and I did have a drink at the Old Success Inn in Sennen Cove, but we much preferred the atmosphere, the food, and the friendliness of the staff at the First and Last Inn in Sennen.  So, if you do get the chance, pop in and sample a local Cornish ale here.

Sennen Cove to Lands End Walk | Useful Resources

• Buy a copy of Lonely Planet’s Cornwall guide here or Bradt’s offering here.
• If you fancy doing some more walks in Cornwall then this little book is fab!

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