Dog-Friendly Cornwall: A walk in St Nectan’s Glen

A WALK THROUGH ST NECTAN’S GLEN

Words by Victoria Carpenter

Distance: 1 mile each way. Allow 20 to 30 mins for each direction. Starting point: Trethevy (PL34 0BG) on the B3263 coast road from Tintagel to Boscastle. Parking: Car park situated just off the road in Trethevy. Find more information at www.st-nectansglen.co.uk Waterfall access: Tickets are required to visit the waterfall. Check opening times, prices and accessibility at www.st-nectansglen.co.uk

St Nectan’s Glen is a magical place, with a fascinating history and a beautiful waterfall, deep in the woods just off the north coast between Tintagel and Boscastle.

According to legend, St Nectan lived in the sixth century and is believed to have had his hermitage just above the waterfall. He was keen to help those imperrilled by storms on the rocky north coast, and would ring a bell when poor weather and rough seas put ships at risk of a brutal end on the treacherous rocks near the mouth of Rocky Valley.

Today, the site of the hermitage hosts a café and shop. The glen remains a very sacred place, popular with walkers and those wishing to pay their respects. This is a beautiful woodland walk by the river. Some claim the woods here are haunted by mysterious hooded figures. Our experience - it is definitely spooky!

Remember: tickets are required to visit the waterfall during opening hours.

Walk directions: • From the car park, cross the main road and continue up to the right past the inscribed Roman pillar on the roadside by St Piran’s Chapel, a former monastery. Continue past some houses.

• The path soon turns to woodland track, following the river through the ancient woodland leading to St Nectan’s Glen. It can be muddy here and there is slate on the path, so wear good footwear and allow 20 to 30 minutes for the walk in each direction. • Follow the track and you will come to St Nectan’s Glen Hermitage. It’s well worth paying to see the waterfall; entry fees help towards conservation. Dogs are allowed here, but need to be on leads around the waterfalls. The owners ask that dogs aren’t allowed to make too much noise, lest they disrupt the tranquility of this beautiful space.

• At the bottom, a magnificent 60ft waterfall cascades through a hole through the original kieve (basin). Following on from the shallow pool at the foot of the kieve, water flows down into the stream and leads on to another beautiful waterfall in the valley below. For the more adventurous, an eco-friendly walkway has been opened up to another, more secluded waterfall not previously accessible to the public – it's worth discovering if you’ve visited before and missed it.

• This is a there-and-back walk, but do leave plenty of time in winter months for the return journey. The woods get dark quickly and, ghostly companions aside, there are many treacherous tree roots and lots of mud to navigate. Go carefully, and take a towel for muddy paws! l For more dog friendly adventures around Cornwall visit www.dogfriendlycornwall.co.uk

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