Tehidy Woods, Portreath & the North Cliffs

From the gentle woodlands at Tehidy to the seaside at Portreath and the wild Atlantic coast at North Cliffs this walks really covers a range of environments. The squirrels at Tehidy have become so tame they will eat out your hand and, if you are lucky, so might a great tit or a robin. Regularly we get to see the rare and beautiful Jay in their natural habitat in these woods. A lovely walk through the woods and farmland takes us to the seaside village of Portreath for refreshments. Then the tour heads up onto the wild North Cliffs, exposed to the harsh Atlantic Ocean, with it’s rare heathland plants and butterflies.

A squirrel on the ground at Tehidy Woods near a tree with moss, alongside a cluster of brown mushrooms.

Gallery

In autumn Tehidy woods are full of many types of toadstool and the squirrels fatten-up for winter

A person in blue jeans letting a squirrel climb their leg to get fed at Tehidy Woods

Many of the squirrels have become quite bold and will climb your leg to get to a treat

Three geese being fed seed from a persons cupped hands at Tehidy Woods.

Young wild geese greedily eat from your hands while their parents watch cautiously

A great tit with black, white, and yellow feathers perched on a person's hand eating seeds, with a background of blurred leaves and ground.

Great tits and robins will also occasionally eat from your hand, though they are more timid

A Eurasian jay bird with brown, white, black and blue feathers perched behind a tree branch amidst green leaves at Tehidy Woods.

Jays were hunted for their feathers and became rare and allusive but can often be seen at Tehidy

The North Cliffs coastal landscape with green vegetation, rocky shoreline, and calm ocean under cloudy sky.

The North Cliffs are exposed to the large Atlantic waves, but can be quiet and calming on a good day

The North Cliffs heathland coastal landscape with purple and green vegetation in the foreground, rocky cliffs along the shoreline, and sunny skies.

The heathland on the North Cliffs supports rare plants and insects, including moths and butterflies

A coastal scene of Portreath Harbour, village and beach with houses on a hillside, a beach with people, and a harbor with boats and a dock. Sunny sky and rocky cliffs in the background.

Portreath was once a busy port exporting minerals & importing coal for Cornwall’s mining industry

Details

  • Up to 8 hour tour between 9am and 5pm as suits

  • Meet at Tehidy Woods, the car park is free

  • The standard route consists of woodland footpaths, open farmland and the coast path, with almost no walking along public roads

  • We will discuss your requirements in advance and make any suitable adjustments to ensure you have an enjoyable tour

  • See Tehidy Woods, Portreath village & beach and the North Cliffs

  • Feed squirrels by hand (and maybe great tits, robins or wild geese), try to see a rare jay, stroll along Portreath beach, see rare heathland plants and animals and much more

  • Option - Coffee at Tehidy Woods Café, lunch at Portreath (cost of food and drink not included in the tour price)

  • Options - A longer but not strenuous hike to include Godrevy and see Godrevy Lighthouse and maybe seals at Mutton Cove (seals might be seen at any time of year but are in large numbers from mid-September to January when they raise their pups)

  • Children welcome but must be supervised by an adult

  • Dogs are welcome but must be on a short lead at all times without exception and are not allowed in the nature reserve part of Tehidy Woods. If you wish to feed the squirrels and see jays dogs will have to be left with a responsible person outside the nature reserve.

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