Cycling the West Kernow Way

The West Kernow Way starts in Penzance and links stunning coves, clifftop views, charming villages, mysterious moors, deserted back lanes and bewitching woods into an utterly unique and compelling story that stretches from the distant prehistoric to recent tales of tragic heroism.

Trengothal Barn is situated along the route with easy access right from your doorstep to discover this part of Cornwall by bike.

This is the back track from the farm that leads to the back of Sennen…

The West Kernow Way uses a mixture of quiet lanes, cycle paths and bridleways that vary from smooth grass to loose rock or narrow singletrack sheep trails over moors. Overall, we’d classify the route as a ‘Blue’ difficulty rating using the off-road grading system (‘moderate’, suitable for people with some experience of off-road cycling, with some loose surfaces, ruts, roots, rocks and steep sections).

However, there are some sections with a bit more technical difficulty, including some rutted singletrack on the eastern side of the Penwith Moors and a few loose rocky climbs which could have you off and pushing.

The rugged Cornish landscape inevitably means there are lots of steep climbs and descents along the way too, and we’d recommend attaining a good level of fitness (or some electric assistance) before starting if you want to enjoy it. The climbs are generally short, though, so you can always push rather than pushing the pace, and most of the steepest parts are packed into the first half of the route.

The granite base geology of the Cornish peninsula and predominantly rocky bed of most of the trails means most of the route isn’t massively affected by bad weather. That said, some of the moorland and heath sections of Penwith, the Lizard and south of Redruth will become sticky and slower when wet, and there are a few short sections that were very wet and boggy even in June.

You’re generally never far from an easier-rolling road alternative, however, particularly in the second half of the route where there’s a whole maze of lanes to escape onto.

Click here to view the recently published route guide