Just a few miles up the coast from Britain’s most southerly point, lies an absolutely magical place. The sea is wondrous enough for me, but add a 19th century mill & factory ruin, river, woods and cliff views and you’ve got something pretty special.

We were staying near Kennack Sands and had wanted to walk along the coast to the fishing village of Cadgwith. Stunning views we expected, but to stumble across an old Victorian factory was a beautiful bonus. Reason number 432 to walk down the less travelled paths: finding things like the ruins of the Serpentine Works.

Lizard Peninsula has a rare rock known as serpentine. It has the swirls of marble, but the colour of light moss. And it polishes up beautifully. Even Queen Victoria found it stunning enough to have wee serpentine items placed in one of her homes. Enough demand was placed from the Victorians of old, that a factory was created on the shores of Carleon Cove to feed that desire of this rare stone. Unfortunately, the works closed in the 1890’s. Although if you fancy a wee Cornish serpentine bauble, you can find one in tourist shops in the village of Lizard.

But this coastal path has more than just this lovely factory ruin. It is everything marvellous: the beautiful dips and curves of the shoreline, walking through breathtaking woods, and then suddenly finding oneself on open grass land. Every moment, the mood and scenery change.

The Practicals:

To do this walk, you can really begin at any point and walk as long or as little as you’d like. But for, say, a 45 minute walk, you would park at Kennack Sands car park and walk south towards Cadgwith. You will arrive at the ruins in about half that time. (the walk is 45 minutes one way without stopping)

the fishing village of cadgwith

Regarding little ones, for babies and toddlers, I would recommend carriers. Although this isn’t pram friendly, we found this walk no problem for our two toddlers, who walked when they could and were carried on the steeper bits.

Clothing: Due to a lot of bramble and hedges, I would advise long trousers and most definitely sturdy shoes with good traction.

Bring some change and you can pick up a pastie or ice cream in the fishing village of Cadgwith; if you desire something more, you can eat at the Cadgwith Cove Inn (dog friendly).

And there are roaming Exmoor ponies! So you very well may be treated to spotting one. But keep in mind, due to the ponies, there will be signs to let you know when to have your dog on a lead.

For more information about the history, check out National Trust.

I wanted to share so many more photos, but didn’t want to give it all away! I want you to be able to go there yourself to discover your own delights. I look forward to hearing about your adventures on this amazing, treasure-filled path.

Happy Travels. :)