Start: Penzance
Distance: 143 miles (230km)
Terrain: Off road, traffic free
Bike Types: Mountain bikes, Hybrid, Gravel Bike
Grading: Moderate
The West Kernow Way (‘West Kernow’ is Cornish for ‘west Cornwall’) is a challenging 143 mile bikepacking cycle route around Cornwall. The route was developed by charity Cycling UK and it is a mainly offroad loop route starting in Penzance. and finishing in Marazion.
It includes many famous Cornish landmarks such as the World Heritage Site of the Tin Coast including the Botallack tin mines, Mên-an-Tol (Bronze Age monument), Land’s End, St Michael’s Mount and Lizard Point.
It winds its way around Cornwall in a figure of 8 utilising quiet roads, bridleways, byways and reclaimed lost ways. Thanks to Cycling UK some of these lost ways have been brought back in to use. One such trail is the Tinner’s Way which is a 18 mile trail from St Ives to Cape Cornwall. Historically this was used to transport ore during Cornwall’s tin-mining boom in the the 18th and 19th centuries.
The West Kernow Way can be done in 3 to 4 days by most competent cyclists and can be done anytime of year. A typical itinery is show below.
Day 1: Penzance to St. Ives – 45 miles/ 73 km). This is a challenging section with around 4068ft ( 1240m) of climbing. This section includes a detour to Land’s End although expect to pay to have your photo taken at the famous Land’s End sign.
Day 2: St. Ives to Coverack ( 43 miles / 7 km ). This section includes approximately 3313 ft (1010m) of climing which starts immediately on leaving St Ives.
Day 3: Coverack to Portreath ( 35 miles / 57 km). This section ends at Portreath on the North coast of Cornwall and involves 4025 ft (1230m).
Day 4: Portreath to Penzance (28 miles / 46 km). This is the shortest day with a distance of 28 miles to cycle and 203 ft (62m) of climbing. Highlights of this section include Carn Brea Castle and Saint Michael’s Mount. The West Kernow Way finishes on a cycle path to Penzance.
The West Kernow Way is a great bike packing routebike packing route with lots of campsites, youth hostels, B&B’s, pubs and hotels along the way. Its an ideal route for most e-bikes as the daily distances should be well within the scope of most e-bike batteries. As always if you are wanting to charge your battery along the way its best to check and plan ahead.
The route is best done on the mountain bike / hybrid / gravel bike as some of the sections can be rough/muddy. Ensure you carry spare for any roadside repairs along the way and you have the correct clothing to cope with all weathers.
