Look out St Agnes (Carn Gowla) walk
This walk takes in Carn Gowla (rock lookout in Cornish). On a clear day you can see a vast coastal landscape. From Mesolithic hunters to Second World War ammunition stores, St Agnes Head is steeped in history; it’s home to rare heathland and important seabird colonies.
Map
Start:
Car park at St Agnes Head, grid ref: SW702514
1
From the car park walk along the path, heading north-east and down to the coast path.
Training the troops
During Cameron Camp between 1939 and 1940, a light anti-aircraft training camp was built here within five fields, and named after a local landowner. The camp contained lots of buildings; the partial remains of a few can still be seen today. The area is also covered by slit trenches, which are likely to have been made by infantry men during field exercises as they prepared for the D-Day embarkation to Normandy. After the war, the camp was used as a housing estate. This was bulldozed by the early 1970s and the rubble was used to backfill several old mine shafts.
2
When you reach the coast path turn left and walk in a westerly direction.
The wind-pruned heath
The cliffs stretching from St Agnes Head to Porthtowan form one of the largest remaining tracts of heathland in Cornwall, most of the rest having been lost to agricultural use. The heath survives because the soils have been contaminated by the mining that previously took place here. The combination of soil conditions and salty winds blowing off the Atlantic means few plants other than heathers can survive. Even these grow very slowly in the most exposed areas, where they develop a distinctive wave like form. A suite of specially adapted invertebrates live within this patchy heath, including a remarkable diversity of spiders.
3
Continue along the coast path underneath the National Coastwatch Institution (NCI).
National Coastwatch Institution lookout
The first lookout here was probably established at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. The present building, rebuilt by us, opened in 2009 and is leased to the NCI. The NCI, which is a registered charity founded in Cornwall in 1994, now maintains over 40 stations and has more than 1,700 uniformed volunteer watchkeepers. They keep a visual watch, monitor maritime radio and radar signals and record sea and weather conditions. The watch here is kept from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week throughout the year.
4
After a slight incline you'll reach a network of paths linking to a car park. Take the path towards the car park.
5
Head in an easterly direction along the path above the NCI lookout. This path then joins a tarmac road.
6
Continue along the tarmac road with care to the car park you set out from.
7
We hope that you really enjoyed this one-mile walk. The National Trust looks after some of the most spectacular areas of countryside for the enjoyment of all. We need your support to help us continue our work to cherish the countryside and provide access to our beautiful and refreshing landscapes. To find out more about how you too can help our work as a volunteer, member or donor please visit our homepage.
End:
Car park at St Agnes Head, grid ref: SW702514
