Walks And Walking – Cornwall Walks Liskeard To Looe Walking Route

Walks And Walking – Cornwall Walks Liskeard To Looe Walking Route

After several visits to Looe I was starting to run out of walks and there is only so many times you can walk along the South West Coastal Path (SWC Path) before walking it starts to get a little boring and you need a break. I haven’t been back to Looe for a while and now I’m more than ready to walk from Looe to Polperro, Polruan and Fowey, I’m really missing breathing in that clean, crisp and refreshing sea air.

I decided to look at my map and plotted my own walking route from Liskeard back to Looe taking in as many of the highlights of the area as I could and covering about 18 miles or so and a good 6 hours of walking.

You can get the train from Looe to Liskeard but I was fortunate to get a lift from the rest of the family who thought my walk was a little too ambitious for them. So I packed my rucksack, laced up my walking boots and wrapped up warm in my walking clothes to set off from the Post Office in Liskeard at the top of the main street running through the town.

Cornwall Walks Liskeard to Looe Walking Route at the start of the walk by The White Horse Inn, Liskeard

I continued up the road from the The White Horse Inn to turn left in to West Street until I passed Pendean Avenue to find a footpath on my right taking me through farm buildings and through gates in to farmland and continuing along the footpath to cross Ladye Park and on to Looe Down Farm to reach High Wood where I then cut through to join a T-junction where I turned left on to the pathway that followed the East Looe River.

This part of the walk was quite wild, in terms of the woodland and forestry, and it was a bit of a struggle to get through to reach the main road. After that short piece of adventure I turned left down the main road trying to find somewhere safe to cross. As I walked down passed Looe Mills Farm on my left hand side I could see, what I thought was a really odd looking animal by their lake. Straining with my binoculars, that aren’t very good, I then tried taking a photograph of this strange beast that looked like a small monkey with a light grey coat. Sadly the photo didn’t come out because the branches of the trees kept coming in to focus in the foreground. Anyway, a few moments later the animal stuck its head up and flew away and it was then I realised it was a heron!

After all of that excitement I continued walking down the A38 crossing just before the fly over underneath the road and then on to a small road passing some commercial buildings and continuing along this road to walk underneath some impressive railway arches with the railway line high above.

Cornwall Walks Liskeard to Looe Walking Route at the railway bridge near the A38

At the end of this road I kept left and left again and up a very steep hill at Lower Lamellion Farm to turn right to walk down to Coombe Junction Halt Rail Station. I then continued to walk down this road parallel to the railway line before crossing the line and continuing straight along until I reached where I kept left and then turned right to join Lodge Hill and the B3254. I then followed the road keeping the railway line close to my right hand side where I passed St Keyne Trussel hail and ride railway station keeping straight along, not crossing over just yet, until I reached the Landreast Bridge St Keyne Railway Station where I turned right following the bend of the road round to the left before taking the sharp right and up the steep road up and along until I reached the village of St Keyne where I turned right and followed the road up and then continuing along taking the left hand side of the road which took me through to East Trevillies and after a few short steps, West Trevellies.

At the farm just after the bend in the road I then reached the pathway on my right which took me through farmland buildings following the track to kept right and around Tappswell Plantation to reach the road where I then turned crossed straight over the road to join another track crossing straight over the field and subsequent fields to join the road and head steeply down to Millacombe Farm turning left in to the road shortly after Church Hill road. Upon entering the woodland area I followed this pathway turning right to follow the track until it reached more farmland which took me down to farm buildings at Carglonnon where I turned left to follow the track in to woodland and the West Looe River.

The rest of this walk is very simple; continue to follow the river down until I get back to Looe.

I crossed over the river to join the pathway on the other side of the banks and walked down to the mills to join a road at Church Bridge and on again back to the pathway and down to a ford where I crossed over to the other side walking through Tremadart Wood to continue following the tracks and paths down by the side of the river until I reached Sowden’s Bridge.

At this road I turned right and walked around the road bending now to the left, keeping left and then and turning left and then sharp left with the river now widening on my left hand side until I reached the pathway that took me to the Watergate picnic area.

Upon entering Kilminorth Wood I took the higher pathway on my right to take me up to the Giant’s Hedge continuing along this track until I left the wood and on to the road that took me back in to Looe Harbour.

Walks And Walking – Cornwall Walks Looe Walking Route

Walks And Walking – Cornwall Walks – Looe Walking Route

Looe is a delightful working port in Cornwall along the South West Coastal Path (SWC Path) and offers a break from the exhausting coastal walks of the area. This walking route takes you inland to discover the river Looe and the Giant’s Hedge which dates back to the 6th Century.

It was a cold day so we wrapped up warm in thick walking trousers and good quality windproof jacket, with extra hat and gloves in the rucksack and lacing up our walking boots tightly for the impending steep forest climbs.

Looe Harbour Working Port Cornwall Walks Looe Walking Route

Starting at Millpool Car Park we walked back down in to Looe to cross the bridge and then turn left to walk up the A387 to basically follow the railway line. At the first left hand turn we walked down this road getting closer to the side of the railway line to walk straight ahead when the road bends left to cross the river. We then followed this road until it went over the river and continued to follow the railway line and river but now being on the other side of the road.

Before Causeland Station we took the first left hand turn and then kept left as we climbed the very steep road until we found a pathway by a stone stile where we turned right through a gap to then around the field edge to go through a gap in the hedge at the opposite right hand corner. We then turned right and through a field gate and down the lane to the main road passing the public conveniences going left on the footway to reach the pub where we then continued along the main road to reach a signpost to Duloe Stone Circles.

Kilminorth Woods Nature Reserve and the Giant's Hedge Looe Walking Route Cornwall Walks

We had a quick look around before heading back to the road to the Church of St Cuby where we left the churchyard by the top gateway and then in to the lane by the Duloe village war memorial to then turn right following the lane passed the village green and school keeping ahead passed a junction on the right and then go down steeply in to the forest valley of the West Looe River.

We then turned left at the T-junction and as the trees became more dense to the river to then go left over a stile by the gate. Here we went right at a signpost to follow the grassy path that broadens and now walking above the river. Following the riverside way signposts we then reached Sowden’s Bridge where we turned right crossing the bridge and following the lane turning left at the end at the signpost for Kilminorth and Watergate.

We then turned left at the cottages in to the Kilminorth Woods Nature Reserve ancient forestry where we followed the Giant’s Hedge footpath that climbed steeply uphill to then take us back to Millpool Car Park, shattered after the last part of the walk and finishing up after about 10 miles taking just over 3 hours.