Join #TeamStGiles for our Cornish Coastal Challenge

The Cornish Coastal Challenge is a truly wonderful adventure for any keen walker and we’re excited to be offering this trek for a second year! It’s a fantastic way to celebrate the stunning Cornish coastline and to support local people, and their families, living with a terminal illness.

This weekend trek follows the dramatic coastline of North Cornwall. The landscapes are spectacular, with rugged cliffs, hidden coves and old fishing villages forming a beautiful backdrop to the blue sea.

Starting at Harlyn Bay, west of Padstow, we walk for 24 hilly miles to St Agnes – a challenging distance considering the terrain. We pass the well-known beach stacks of Bedruthan Steps, as well as old reminders of Cornwall’s mining heritage, while Poldark fans will recognise some key filming locations, such as Holywell Bay, with the much-filmed Gull Rocks off-shore.

This is a tough weekend challenge, but a spectacular and inspiring experience, which will give you an unforgettable sense of achievement.

Itinerary 

Day 1: Meet at the hostel

We meet at our hostel in the early evening for a briefing and to get to know the rest of the group. We have plenty of choice for an evening meal nearby, before returning to the hostel for a good night’s sleep ready for the rest of the weekend.

Day 2: Harlyn Bay – Watergate Bay. Trek approximately 14 miles (22.5 km)

After breakfast we have a short transfer to Harlyn Bay, a wide and spacious beach of yellow sand with pleanty of rockpools backed by dunes. The rugged cliffs towards Trevos Head stretch for miles before us – and, on a windy day, the full might of the churning sea illustrates why this coastline was notorious for its shipwrecks. Our clifftop path undulates dramatically, with very few flat sections but fabulous views all the way – rolling grassy fields and wildflowers, sandy coves, sweeping bays and jagged islands jutting off the coast.

We pass Porthcothan Bay, a lovely cove with a wide sandy beach and grassy dunes; this was Poldark’s – Nampara Cove. Further south we stop to admire the views over Bedruthan Steps, a beauty spot well known for its dramatic slate stacks offshore, and continue over dramatic clifftop paths to Watergate Bay, a short distance from Newquay. Here we transfer back to our night accommodation.

Day 3: Holywell Bay – St Agnes Head. Trek approximately 10 miles (15 km)

After breakfast we transfer to Holywell Bay, south of Newquay – a fabulous place to resume our coastal challenge. The beautiful wide sandy beach with its distinctive Gull Rock offshore, will be instantly recognisable to Poldark viewers as the Warleggans’ Beach. We continue past the three mile long sweep of Perranporth beach, popular with surfers, and head out onto rugged St Agnes Head, known for its mining heritage. These heartland landscapes were used to film Nampara Valley, part of Poldark’s estate, including many of the iconic clifftop horse riding scenes.

This beautiful headland is a wonderful end to our trek – and, after transferring back to base, we say our farewells and head for home after an exhausting but exhilarating weekend!  

Difficulty

This trek is graded terrain factor 2 and is suitable people aged 18+.

Supporting you

Whether you sign up on your own or with friends, family or colleagues, you’ll become a special part of #TeamStGiles. Once you’ve registered, we’ll support you along every step of your challenge with information on effective training, fundraising and sponsorship tips, kit lists, local information and answer any questions you might have.

As part of #TeamStGiles we will provide you with:

• An exclusive St Giles T-shirt
• A bespoke St Giles fundraising pack
• A dedicated member of the St Giles team to assist you with your training and fundraising journey
• A supportive community to engage with ahead of the trek and during the trek itself

What’s included:

• All food and accommodation
• Transfers within the trek
• Discover Adventure leaders and drivers
• Full vehicle support

Please note, the minimum age to take part in this challenge is 18 years. This challenge is managed by our tour company partner, Discover Adventure. You will be transferred to their website to complete your booking. If you have any questions or need further support, please don’t hesitate to get in touch on 01543 432538 or fundraising@stgileshospice.com 

We’re here for you… because you’re here for us

Haley Stone, decided to join our Cornish Coastal Challenge, trekking from Harlyn Bay to St Agnes to thank the St Giles community nursing team for supporting her father after he was diagnosed with dementia.

Haley said: “Going on the trek was a way to pay St Giles back and say thank you for the fabulous care that they gave my dad. Years later I’m still friends with two of the nurses – they were lovely.

“I did the trek because I wanted to spread the message that St Giles is not just somewhere people go to die, it’s a place where everybody is focused upon improving the quality of life, however long you have left.

“I would urge anyone to have a go – it was a fabulous experience, absolutely brilliant. The coastal walk around Cornwall was just beautiful and I really enjoyed pushing myself to complete the challenge. I had such a wonderful time that I’m already thinking of doing it again, or maybe tackling Mount Snowdon.”

Haley managed to raise an impressive £815 from her trek to support the hospice’s work caring for local people, and their families, living with a terminal illness.