Description
West Kernow Way
The West Kernow Way is a 237km bikepacking loop through the far west of Cornwall, starting and finishing in Penzance. Developed by Cycling UK, it links bridleways, byways and quiet lanes into a figure-of-eight route taking in Land's End, the Lizard Peninsula and Cornwall's historic mining heartland, with more than 4,200m of climbing packed into three to four days of riding. Rated blue (moderate) by Cycling UK, it's nonetheless reckoned one of the toughest of the charity's long-distance routes given how much climbing is squeezed into a relatively short distance, and suits riders who already have some off-road and multi-day touring experience.
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The Route
The West Kernow Way is ridden as two connected loops radiating out from Penzance. The first, usually tackled clockwise, crosses the Penwith Peninsula towards Land's End, passing the Tin Coast World Heritage Site around Botallack and Levant, the Bronze Age standing stones at Men-an-Tol, and the clifftop village of Porthcurno. This half follows old miners' tracks and stretches of the Tinners Way across open moorland, and is generally reckoned the tougher of the two loops, with steep, loose-rock climbs and descents linking the coast to the high ground inland.
The second loop swings anti-clockwise around the Lizard Peninsula, passing Loe Bar and the fishing town of Porthleven before reaching Helston and continuing south to Lizard Point, the most southerly point of the British mainland. A steep grassy climb near Kennack Sands, within a protected site of special scientific interest, requires dismounting and pushing. From there the route continues through Coverack before turning north.
The final stretch crosses the peninsula through Cornwall's historic mining country around Redruth, then follows the north coast through Portreath and Hayle before turning south again to finish past St Michael's Mount and back into Penzance, closing the loop.
Terrain throughout is mixed: smooth gravel tracks and grassy doubletrack alternate with technical, rocky bridleways, quiet lanes and short sections of hike-a-bike. Wet weather turns the moorland sections sticky and considerably slower going, so spring and early autumn tend to offer the driest riding and the quietest lanes.
The West Kernow Way isn't signposted or waymarked, so download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off. The official GPX file and a printed guidebook with turn-by-turn notes are both available from Cycling UK's website.
Getting Here
Penzance is the start and finish point, and sits at the western end of the main rail line from London Paddington and Bristol via Plymouth and Truro, making it one of the more easily reached starting points for a route of this length. The town also has good road links via the A30, with parking available near the town centre and railway station.
Resupply and Accommodation
Food and accommodation are spread unevenly around the route, and several stretches of moorland and coast pass no shops at all, so it pays to eat when the chance arises rather than waiting for a planned stop. Villages and towns on or near the route, including Porthleven, Helston, Coverack, Portreath, Hayle and Redruth, offer shops, cafes and pubs, with pasties and cream teas a reliable staple throughout Cornwall. Accommodation is generally easier to find just off the route in these larger towns than directly on it: options include campsites such as Treen Farm near Land's End, YHA hostels at Land's End and Coverack, and pubs with rooms such as the Harbour Inn in Porthleven. Luggage transfer services also operate in the area for riders who would rather not carry full bikepacking kit.
Wild camping is not a general legal right in England as it is in Scotland, so camping away from an official site requires the landowner's permission. Riders planning to camp along the way should book campsites in advance, using Cycling UK's list of Cycle Friendly Places, rather than relying on informal pitches.
Gravel Riding
Cycling UK recommends a gravel bike with 35mm or wider all-terrain tyres and a wide-range gearset as the best match for the West Kernow Way's mix of quiet lanes, hardpack and loose, rocky bridleways. A mountain bike copes more comfortably with the roughest moorland and mining-track sections, while a hybrid or touring bike is possible with a minimum 35mm tyre but will find the loose, rocky stretches harder going.
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