A Walk from St Ives to Marazion on St. Michael’s Way

Named after St. Michael, the patron saint of high places and a legendary dragon slayer, this route holds the distinction of being the only footpath in Britain included in the designated European Cultural Route.

It forms part of a larger network of pilgrim trails leading to St. James’ Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Spain—one of the three most important Christian pilgrimage sites in the world.

This route is believed to have been used since 10,000 BC by pilgrims and missionaries from Ireland and Wales.

They preferred the land route from Lelant to Marazion, avoiding the perilous and confusing waters around Land’s End. These early travellers played a crucial role in converting the Cornish people to Christianity and are now remembered as saints in place names throughout Cornwall.

The official St. Michael’s Way begins at St. Uny Church in Lelant, leading to St. Ives. For our hike, however, we began in St. Ives. We parked on Menhyr Drive in Carbis Bay (free on street parking) and took a short walk uphill to a footpath on the right, leading directly into Steeple Woodland Nature Reserve with its well-trodden and easy to follow paths.

The first way point on the route is Knills Steeple, housing a burial chamber under a 50ft obelisk, difficult to miss. It was intended to be a mausoleum for John Knill, the collector of Customs in St Ives who died in 1782 though it was never used as such.

There are several wooden signs and posts with the same symbol (pictured below) to follow. Keep to these rather than the blue and white public footpath signs.

From Knills Steeple, we came out onto a quiet country road and headed towards Trencrom Hill, passing Bowls Rock. We briefly strayed off the path onto a country lane and had to backtrack. Pay close attention after passing Crockers Stile cottage; the route continues onto a footpath directly ahead.

Trencrom Hill is a Neolithic hill fort, now owned by the National Trust, offering panoramic views if you are happy to take on the climb to the top. You can choose to walk around it if you want to save your legs! We encountered grazing cows here, so we kept the dogs on leads and it was fine. The paths were muddy due to recent rain and the cows’ movements.

We then passed through the beautifully manicured garden of a former Wesleyan Chapel at Ninnes Bridge, alongside a small river where the dogs drank. More free-roaming cattle and a steep grassy hill followed, leading us into farmland. To be honest the stiles and paths across some of the farmland were a little tricky to navigate as some of the stiles looked like they had been blocked off however once we got up to them, they were all passable.

The route continues onto Ludgvan, this latter part of the walk is hilly and more uneven underfoot. You also get your first glimpses of St Michael’s Mount on the horizon. There are a couple of short road sections and crossings. Agnes enjoyed splashing through a ford, while Toast preferred taking the bridge over it. Before you arrive in Ludgvan there is a wooded valley to drop down into and climb up before being rewarded for reaching the next way point of Ludgvan Church. Around the corner is an even better reward as there is a lovely country village pub called The White Hart where we stopped to refuel.

We sat outside on a picnic bench in the sunshine. Inside is traditional and cosy with a log burner. The pub is dog friendly and clearly popular. We chose sandwiches which were freshly made with lovely fillings and decent sized portions satisfied us after the walking we had done. There was a good choice of options which we felt were priced pretty fairly. Service was friendly and the waiting time was no more than 10 minutes.

From the pub, we headed downhill, turning right through fields and across roads, including the busy A30. Be cautious when crossing and stick to the well walked paths on the verges.

The route then took us through the wooded and wet Marazion Marshes, which hosts a RSPB nature reserve. Wooden boardwalks help in some areas, but others are muddy. A recently gated train line crossing makes it safer especially if walking with dogs or small children.

You will emerge from the marshes on the edge of Marazion town and you will see St Michael’s Mount ahead of you. If you are lucky, the tide will be out and you will be able to finish the walk by making your way across the causeway. If that doesn’t take your fancy you could head into the town which has some lovely places to eat, some interesting galleries and shops to browse. I personally recommend the Copper Spoon café which sells fantastic coffee as well as both savoury and sweet baked goods and Morva Gallery which has a beautiful range of handcrafted wares to suit all budgets.

What to Bring:

Difficulty:

Moderate to challenging terrain, a good level of fitness required for the hills.

Estimated Time:

St. Michael’s Way offers a rewarding blend of historical significance and stunning Cornish scenery. From ancient landmarks to charming hamlets with rugged unspoilt views, this hike is a memorable experience for any walker and one that will deliver a sense of accomplishment once complete. The dogs loved the varying terrain from rugged neolithic hilltops, vast green fields to babbling streams. Remember to always keep your dogs on the lead when near livestock and keep to the footpath.