Walk · Cornwall

Gunwalloe Coves from the Loe Bar

Porthleven
Chyanvounder Berepper N 880 YD © OpenStreetMap contributors
5.5MILES
2h 55mON FOOT
180mCLIMB
CircularSHAPE
The route A-road B-road Lane Track Path Water Woodland
Off-road 84% 16% shares tarmac with cars
Field & moor path 68%Lane & track 16%Road with traffic 16%

Our drawing of the route, over road and path data from OpenStreetMap. It shows where the walk goes and what it goes through. It is not a survey and not a navigation aid — carry OS Explorer on the hill.

Starts at
National Trust car park behind the Loe Bar, off the Porthleven to Helston road
Parking
Small National Trust car park at the Loe Bar, free to members and about 40 spaces; a second Trust car park serves Gunwalloe Church Cove at the far end
Directions to the start →

Five and a half miles south from the Loe Bar over Halzephron Cliff to the church in the sand at Gunwalloe, three hours with 180 metres of climbing and a rather bleak, wrecking coast in any weather. Start from the small National Trust car park behind the Loe Bar, off the Helston to Porthleven road, and return by field paths through Chyvarloe. Stiles are reported fine even for large dogs, and Loe Bar, Dollar Cove and Gunwalloe Fishing Cove all allow dogs all year; Church Cove is the exception in high summer, and the clifftop is unfenced with some sudden drops.

THE SMALL PRINTGunwalloe Church Cove bans dogs 10am to 6pm from 1 July to 31 August under the Cornwall Council order. Loe Bar, Dollar Cove and Gunwalloe Fishing Cove are open to dogs all year.

House rules, decoded

Off-lead OK
REGION · CORNWALL
GRID · 50.0730, -5.2830
SOURCE · HTTPS://WWW.IWALKCORNWALL.CO.UK/WALK/GUNWALLOE_COVES
Also in Porthleven
No photo yet
Restaurant SOME LIMITS

Amélie's

TR13 9JS
No reviews yet

Harbourside restaurant in a former net loft on Porthleven's quay, doing wood-fired pizza and Cornish seafood. It is a dog-friendly restaurant and asks you to say at the time of booking if a dog is coming so a dog-friendly table can be held. A sensible end to the coast path walk in from Loe Bar.

In the dining room
VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW ›
1 MILE © OpenStreetMap contributors
Walk DOGS WELCOME

Penrose and Porthleven by the Loe Bar

6 MI · 3H · 86% OFF-ROAD

Six miles from Porthleven harbour along the shingle bar that dams Cornwall’s largest natural lake and back through the Penrose estate woods, three hours and easy underfoot. Start at Porthleven, where the harbour car parks are central and pay-and-display, or use the National Trust car park at Highburrow on the Penrose side. This is about as dog-friendly as a walk gets here: no stiles at all, fences between the paths and the fields so livestock is unlikely, dogs allowed on Loe Bar beach all year, and dog ice cream at the Trust cafe at Penrose Stables.

Off-lead OK Water bowls Treats
VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW ›
No photo yet
Pub SOME LIMITS

The Harbour Inn

TR13 9JB
No reviews yet

Substantial St Austell inn at the head of Porthleven's harbour, which is the best seat in the house when the swell is coming over the wall. Your dog is allowed with you in all areas except the main restaurant, and dog-friendly rooms can be booked in advance. Porthleven Sands, west of the harbour, closes to dogs 10am to 6pm in July and August.

In the bar Water bowls Treats
VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW ›

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