YHA Treyarnon Bay Redux - June 2025

The view onto the beach from the top of the (inaccessible) steps of Bedruthan.

Eagle-eyed readers may notice the subtle clue in the title of this post that would indicate that this is a revisit. Many of the locations I mention here are indeed also accounted for in my post on my September 2023 trip.

Such readers might rightly, if unkindly, question the wisdom of retreading old ground while there are so many YHA hostels languishing, unvisited (by me - poor things), on my list.

To that, I say: it's YHA Treyarnon Bay. The location is lovely in itself, but it's what can be found nearby that makes this such a prize. And so, like a favoured piece in a collector's gallery, I return to it once again.

The view out to sea from the South West Coastal Path.

On this occasion, my partner and I were camping with a tent and airbeds - none of your fancy landpod business this time! The process, barring some worryingly strong winds on a couple of nights, was a heartening success, and much-needed proof that I haven't gone soft yet!

We did allow ourselves the luxury of travelling by car, which afforded more freedom once we had set up our base at the hostel. Even so, I must have worn my shoe leather to the tune of 80 miles or so in our coastal walks outside of the occasional jaunt by car.

The coastal path between Treyarnon and Mawgan Porth.

I have previously waxed lyrical of my love of the sea, but my fondness for it, almost as immense as the object of my affections, goes some way to explaining why Cornwall, and in particular the Padstow area, hold such a special place in my heart. I hope that you will indulge me at least once further.

I truly don't think I am ever happier than when I am sat on a cliff or rock, overlooking the sea. Bedruthan Steps, at Carnewas, instills a deep-seated tranquility in me, merely by existing near it. Whatever negligible worries the day brought, whatever grander concerns I bring with me, every and all emotion gives way to absolute serenity in that moment, the sussurus of the waves and the evening sun upon the water.

Bedruthan Steps, as viewed from the south on the coastal path.

And evening, and indeed morning, noon and afternoon views over Bedruthan were to be had aplenty this visit. One of the long walks we repeated was a trek to Carnewas along the scenic coastal paths southwards, passing the sands of Porthcothan and the shale of Porth Mear, alongside many little covelets, as I had done my previous visit.

Porthcothan Beach.

The continued walk to Mawgan Porth, there to purchase pasties and other Cornish delicacies (Saffron cake and Hevva Buns in particular are irresistible), before returning to revel in the views the opposite direction, became a favourite. The path branches and winds through fields of wild flowers (still in June bloom at the time), overlooking the variegated blue of the waves, the pale-dark rise of the cliffs, with sea birds swooping or soaring above and below.

The waves moving across the beach at Mawgan Porth, viewed from the coastal path.

But Bedruthan and the surrounding paths are far from the sole attraction of the area. Harbour Cove, at the mouth of the Camel Estuary, is around 15-20 minutes by car on the narrow roads from Trey Bay, as is nearby Padstow itself. The cove is also reachable via a more extensive (but lovely) coastal walk north from the hostel, around Trevose Head and onward past Mother Ivy's Bay, Harlyn, Trevone and the west enclosing headland of the bay in which the settlement rejoicing in the name Lellizzick sits.

Mother Ivey's Bay, with a view of the RNLI lifeboat station.

The combination of calm, clear water, a shallow shelf, and numerous rock pools make Harbour Cove ideal for family outings and fans of stately swimming. On the west side of the bay at least, you could wade out into the water for many minutes at high tide without stepping out of your depth. You might even find yourself re-entering shallower water thanks to the sand bars encircling that area, a little way out from Hawker's Cove. At low tide, the sea retreats around a mile and a half, allowing you to walk past the old lifeboat station there without dipping your feet.

The west side of Harbour Cove beach.

My preferred time to swim in Harbour Cove was close to low tide, when the sand bars - dangerous to ships but great for swimmers - create a kind of lagoon of (slightly) warmer waist-high water. There are plenty of sea creatures there too if you keep your eye out - we spotted crabs, flatfish and jellyfish, although I'm afraid my marine taxonomy stretches only as far as identifying those three broad categories in this case.

There are, of course, more delights yet to explore in Cornwall and to chronicle in this blog. More hostels, too! There are previous experiences I did not sample while camping on this trip - cycling the Camel Estuary, or visiting the manor houses Trerice or Prideaux Place, for instance - and felt had no place in my account of this visit. I look forward to more Cornwall hostelling, but until then, I bid it a fond adieu.

The view from the path down to Bedruthan Steps from The National Trust setup at Carnewas.