This circular coastal walk finds us in fields, overlooking high waterfalls, traversing along high cliffs before heading back inland and up a (The) rocky valley as well as taking in carvings that date from 800 – 1400 Bc. All this with the bonus of the walk not being overly long and therefore giving us plenty of time to explore nearby Tintagel or Boscastle.

We start in a little layby at the far end of Bossiney (if coming from the direction of Tintagel), or in the field if during the summer, which also is conveniently next to toilets should you need them. From the car we are going to walk through the gate following the footpath into the field, which is common ground, and we are going to follow the left hedge down staying in the slight recessed path.

At the lower edge of the field the footpath bears right up some wooden steps. However, here I strongly recommend taking the time to carry straight on and down towards Bossiney Haven. Although this is a steep descent (and therefore a steep ascent, as we have to return to this point via the same path) it is well worth it. As we descend we see on our left a superb waterfall, the equal of many that you may find in the Faroe Isles or Iceland. With the cliffs and valleys in this area of Cornwall, we are blessed with these waterfalls, as you will also find St. Nectan`s Glen less than a mile from here. Once you have taken in the view of this waterfall and admired the cavern on the beach, we head back up the path to the wooden steps (now on our left).

Back on the coastal path, we weave our way through gorse bushes and alongside the sheer drops with rock formations on our right, until we come to a beautifully placed bench with a lovely view across Benoath Cove, Bossiney Haven and on towards Lye Rock.

After removing ourselves from this bench we now start to descend some very steep steps down into Rocky Valley. Yet another spectacular vista that proves that Cornwall is the equal of any destination, and again here I would like to see Iceland or Norway beat this valley.

We are not going to cross over the footbridge, rather, we are going to stay with the stream on our left and follow the narrow footpath up towards Trevillet Mill. We first see the little footbridge that helps us cross to the other bank, before the ruins of the old mill become visable. However, once over the footbridge, look left and to the rock face for here you will see the two maze carvings that date from 800 – 1400 Bc. I have long wanted to see these carvings, and this walk fulfilled a long held dream.

From here we are going to carry on following the footpath along the valley base until we come to the new mill, where we again cross a footbridge before walking up their drive to the road at the top. Once at the road, we cross to the far side, where there is a pavement which now (if we turn right) will lead us ½ mile back to our cars and the end of this walk.

The beauty of this walk comes in the surprising non Cornish, yet, typically Cornish views, that comes as both a surprise and a reassuring warmth at the same time.

I hope that you enjoy this short walk as much as I have, and I hope that you explore this area a little further (if you need a base to operate from, then I highly recommend Hendra Retreat at Camelford – for further details see my review section)