August | 2022 | Walks with welf

It’s a bit of a trek from my usual Midlands stomping ground but should you ever happen to be in the far south west of the country you could do a lot worse than this little beauty. Zennor Hill is just a few miles from Land’s End, high above the village of the same name with incredible views over a patchwork of fields down the coast to Pendeen.

Zennor church and pub.

I’ve parked by the old chapel in the village. Turn left for the church then right in front of the pub and left at the main road. Take the path on your right, opposite the phone box. Follow your nose to skirt the left side of a fine looking pair of houses at Rosemorran then go left through an open gate a good 200 yards after to head up to the summit.

Path to the summit.

Pretty soon you’ll be in a sea of spectacular granite boulders. Pick your spot then lap up the view. Zennor Head is immediately behind the village. Pan left for (in order) the gaudily painted Gurnard’s Head pub, Pendeen lighthouse and a fine rocky outcrop called Carn Galva. It’s almost exactly a mile from the middle of the village so you could quite easily sit up there all day looking at the view and watching the world go by very slowly before heading back but if you insist on a circular then go to the metal gate at the north end of the summit.

Zennor Head from the summit.

Turn right to head over the moors past an isolated house called The Carne, reputedly visited by the celebrated occultist Aleister Crowley. Look out for a path on your right to Zennor Quoit. Have a shufty then carry on to a T junction, aiming for a triangular obelisk called Knill’s Monument that stands high over St Ives and another landmark near Redruth another 10 miles further on the horizon in the same direction.

Zennor Quoit.

Swing right to head south, looking for another isolated house called Noon Veor about half a mile further on. A narrow path takes you past it and turns into a grassy track. Swing right at another of those ornate gates to head towards the sea and Zennor. The path will drop you down to a tarmac and turf track by Foage Farm. Turn left and you’ll eventually spill out on the coast road a stone’s throw from the start.