Cotehele and Calstock Riverside Walk

The route

Numbers in circles match the points on the route map and the waypoint table below. Distances are approximate and measured between points.

Main walk – Cotehele Quay, Danescombe valley and the Prospect Tower (about 2 miles)

1. Quay to the Chapel in the Wood

   1 2 About 500 m (0.3 mile) North, beside the river

   From the Quay car park take the path that climbs just above the car park into the woods, signed towards Calstock. Keep the fields on your right and the woodland on your left, with the River Tamar below you on the right. After about 500 m you pass the tiny Chapel in the Wood on your right – built around 1490 by Sir Richard Edgcumbe, reputedly in thanks for his escape from pursuers here – with the Valley Garden of Cotehele up the slope on your left.

   Point 2: Chapel in the Wood (St George and St Thomas Becket) – 50.49555, -4.22163 (SX 42524 68552)

2. The viaduct viewpoint

   2 3 About 150 m North

   Continue along the path to the viewpoint high above the river. Upstream is Calstock, with its 12-arched railway viaduct (1904–08) carrying the Tamar Valley line into Devon on the far bank.

   Point 3: Viewpoint over Calstock Viaduct – 50.49644, -4.22217 (SX 42488 68652)

3. Up to the woodland junction

   3 4 About 150 m Uphill, steep

   From the viewpoint the path climbs steeply over rocky, uneven ground to a junction of paths. This section can be slippery when wet.

   Point 4: Path junction above the viewpoint – 50.49731, -4.22276 (SX 424 687 approx.)

4. Down into the Danescombe valley

   4 5 About 350 m (¼ mile) North, downhill

   Turn right at the junction, signed towards Calstock, onto a broad stony track that runs gently down through the woods to the foot of the Danescombe valley, beside the lane from Calstock. Danescombe Valley House, a mid-19th-century villa, stands here by the river.

   Point 5: Foot of the Danescombe valley, by Danescombe Valley House – 50.50003, -4.22147 (SX 425 690 approx.)

5. Up the valley to the footbridge

   5 6 About 300 m (0.2 mile) West, up the valley

   Turn left up the valley, past the ruins of the Danescombe sawmill (built in the 1870s) and towards a group of cottages, with the stream beside you. In spring the wooded slopes above are dotted with old daffodils and narcissi, left from the market gardens that once covered this valley. Look out for a wooden footbridge crossing the stream – it can be slippery after rain.

6. Climb back towards Cotehele

   6 7 About 450 m (0.3 mile) South, uphill, then east

   At the footbridge take the narrow path heading steeply up through the woods on the Cotehele side of the valley. At the top turn left onto a wider track along the edge of the woods, with views back over Calstock. Watch for a small stream crossing the track; about 20 yards beyond it, a short flight of steps leads up on your right to a kissing gate into the fields, near a pylon.

   Point 7: Steps up from the woodland track to the fields (near a pylon) – 50.50082, -4.22715 (SX 421 691 approx.)

7. Up to the Prospect Tower

   7 8 About 250 m South, uphill across fields

   Climb the field, bearing left, until the three-sided Prospect Tower appears on the skyline. This late-18th-century folly may mark the visit of King George III in 1789; when it is open you can climb inside for views over the Tamar Valley towards Dartmoor.

   Point 8: The Prospect Tower – 50.49882, -4.22638 (SX 42198 68926)

8. Past the gardens to Cotehele House

   8 9 About 450 m (0.3 mile) South, downhill

   Head to the right of the tower towards a clump of pine trees and a gate (often very muddy). Follow the line of trees down to a kissing gate; the wall in front is the boundary of Cotehele’s gardens. Turn left and follow the outside of the wall, through a gate, to the house (or enter the gardens here if you are visiting).

   Point 9: Cotehele House – 50.49607, -4.22569 (SX 42238 68618)

9. Back down to the Quay

   9 1 About 800 m (½ mile) South-east, steeply downhill

   From the courtyard by the house follow the drive steeply downhill, through a white gate at the bottom, then turn left past the Edgcumbe tea-room to the Quay and the car park.

   Point 1: Cotehele Quay car park (PL12 6TA) – 50.49192, -4.22250 (SX 424 681 approx.)

Option Longer walk via Calstock (about 5 miles)

Follow the main walk to the foot of the Danescombe valley (step 4), then:

1. Along Lower Kelly to Calstock

   5 A1 A2 About 1.1 km (¾ mile) East, along the riverside lane

   Turn right past a row of cottages and follow the path and then the quiet lane (Lower Kelly) towards Calstock, with the river on your right. You pass Danescombe Pottery, an old limekiln, Calstock Boatyard on the site of the former Kelly Quay, and a bridge that once carried the East Cornwall Mineral Railway down to the quays, then walk beneath the viaduct into the village. Lower Kelly has no pavement – watch for cars. Turn left down to the slipway, with toilets, the Tamar Inn and a riverside café close by.

   Point A2: Calstock waterfront (foot of Lower Kelly, by the quay) – 50.49670, -4.20722 (SX 435 686 approx.)

2. The riverside loop

   A2 A3 A2 About 2 km (1¼ miles), estimated Upstream along the river, then back by road

   From the slipway follow the path beside the football pitch along the river bank, a peaceful stretch past reed beds. At the end go through a kissing gate, turn left and follow the quiet road back into Calstock. Parts of the riverside path may flood at very high spring tides.

   Point A2: Calstock waterfront (foot of Lower Kelly, by the quay) – 50.49670, -4.20722 (SX 435 686 approx.)

3. Back to the boatyard and up through the woods

   A2 A4 About 900 m (½ mile) West, then uphill

   Retrace your steps along Lower Kelly towards Cotehele. Just past Calstock Boatyard take the second public footpath on the left, climbing through woodland. Where the path divides, go under the old railway bridge, passing a house on your left, to a tarmac track.

   Point A4: Under the old mineral railway incline bridge – 50.50006, -4.22006 (SX 426 690 approx.)

4. Over the daffodil slopes to the footbridge

   A4 6 About 500 m (0.3 mile), estimated West, then down into the valley

   Turn right along the tarmac track, which soon becomes a path across wooded slopes that are full of daffodils and narcissi in spring. At a wooden fence bear left and drop down into the Danescombe valley. Turn left beside the stream, then take the first right over the wooden footbridge and continue from step 6 of the main walk.

All information is given in good faith and for guidance only. Always carry the OS map and check the South West Coast Path website for diversions.

Highlights along the way

Nearby

Photos

Route map and waypoints

Latitude and longitude (WGS84, as used by phones and sat-navs) with OS grid references. The dotted line shows the route and the markers show key points – always follow the paths on the ground.

Frequently asked questions