A Salt Path inspired hike: Whitsand Bay Fort Lodges to Rame Head & Cawsand

This walk begins at Whitsand Bay Fort Lodges, a sought-after collection of luxury lodges, tastefully arranged around a historic fortress with mesmerising views. Perched high on the cliffs, the fort offers panoramic vistas of the sea and countryside. There’s an onsite pub if you need to fuel up before you head off.

For a full day out, head down to the beach first. It’s not an easy walk, but it’s easier than flying to California, which is where you will feel you are. Huge expanses of soft sand, wide sea and the biggest sky you’ll ever hope for.

After your dip, paddle or poodle, take the walk back up and join the South West Coast Path, heading towards Rame Head, the steep hill with the historic chapel perched atop. Rame Head features in the trailer of The Salt Path, and is even more breathtaking in reality. It can be windy and exposed, so hold your hat and brace yourself for life-affirming views on top of the world.

Continue with the sea on your right, until you land into the quaint, quintessential Cornish village of Cawsand. Here you’ll find several eateries ranging from a fashionable beach side restaurant to a perfect place for takeaway tea, coffee, pasties and chips. This beach is perfect for sea swimming, rock polling and paddleboarding using the on-beach hire services.

When you finally convince yourself to walk on, you can choose several routes, one being turning back and enjoying the same coastal route in reverse or you can follow this route which offers a slight change of scenery as we circle back towards where we started, rejoining the cliffs towards the end of the hike for photo opportunities and bench viewpoint pitstops.

When back in Whitsand Bay, head to our friends at Whitsand Bay Fort’s Sales Office where, as a South West Coast Path Way Maker, they will happily stamp your SWCP passport and recommend some of the local cafes and viewpoints to while away the remainder of the day. They’ll also be happy to show you round some of the amazing luxury lodges if this walk has convinced you to buy a little slice of the Cornish coast for yourself…