The Boscastle Harbour Walk is a short, flat route around Boscastle’s harbour, maintained by the National Trust. It is a round trip starting and finishing at Boscastle car park, covering around 1.6km (1 mile) and taking roughly 30 to 40 minutes at an easy pace.
The path follows the river out from the car park, past a cluster of shops, and onto a private road managed by the National Trust that traces the course of the river towards the harbour. Along the way you get a good sense of why this stretch of coast has such a reputation; the breakwaters that shelter the harbour were built to withstand some genuinely fierce sea conditions.
The writer Walter White, visiting in 1861, described the water here as being in “tremendous fury.” The outer breakwater itself dates to 1820, was destroyed by a drifting mine in 1941, and was later rebuilt by the National Trust.
Beyond the bridge, stone steps lead up to the coast path, giving you the best vantage point on the whole route: a clear view down over the harbour, the blowhole at low tide, and the remains of an old Victorian pool and shellfish tanks built into the rocks below.
The blowhole is one of Boscastle’s best-known features; locally nicknamed the Devil’s Bellows and when the tide and swell line up, it sends a horizontal jet of seawater across the harbour mouth with an audible boom. It’s most dramatic on a rough day, so don’t be put off walking it in blustery weather.
Much of the route follows pavement, making it one of the more accessible walks in the area. The one exception is the rocks towards the end of the harbour, which can become slippery in wet weather, so it is worth taking care if you are visiting after rain.
If you are checking accessibility in advance, Accessable publish a dedicated access guide covering Boscastle’s National Trust sites, including this walk. The National Trust’s own trail page has a printable stage-by-stage route map if you’d like to follow it turn by turn.
Plan The Walk
Places along this walk
Places to stay
- Wellington Hotel
- The Riverside
- Riverside Hotel and Restaurant
- YHA Boscastle
Where to park
Pubs
Cafes
- The Pilchard Cellar Café (NT)
- Toby Jug Cafe
- The Wellington
- The Bridge House Hotel
- The Riverside Guest House
- The Rocket Store
- Rocket Stores
- The Harbour Light
Attractions
- Museum of Witchcraft and Magic
- Artists Chair
Shops
- Mini Book Shop
- National Trust
- Sea to Shore
- Boscastle Bakery
- The Otherworld
- Nisa Local
- Enchanted
- Boscastle Rocks
- Things
- Cornish Stores
- Second Hand bookshop
© OpenStreetMap contributors
See The Walk
Boscastle Guides
The best accessible places in Boscastle
The best places to park in Boscastle
The best things to do in Boscastle
The best places to stay in Boscastle
