Confirmed · Penwith: the mining coast · Landscape
Porthgwarra Cove and Gwennap Head
Ross's swimming cove, Mark Daniel's escape and coastal riding in Poldark. Open to visitors; allow 1–2 hours.
- On screen as
- Ross's swimming cove, Mark Daniel's escape and coastal riding
- Series and episodes
- Series 1
- Access
- Open to visitors
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Where
- Porthgwarra, near Land's End, Cornwall
On screen
How Porthgwarra Cove and Gwennap Head appears
Porthgwarra gave series 1 one of its most talked-about scenes: Ross swimming in a small rocky cove. The same cove, with its tunnel cut through the rock to the beach, is used when Mark Daniel escapes by boat. In the story these moments belong to the coast near Nampara; the real cove is close to Land's End. Above it, the open headland of Gwennap Head appears in scenes of horses crossing the far-west clifftops. Don't confuse Porthgwarra with Nampara Cove itself, which was filmed at Porthcurno a few miles east.
The real place
What you can visit
Porthgwarra is a handful of cottages, a slipway and a small beach reached through a tunnel cut by miners for the fishermen. A seasonal café sits by the car park. A short climb on the coast path brings you to Gwennap Head, with its coastwatch lookout and two daymarks, and views to the Runnelstone and, on clear days, the Isles of Scilly. The beach is small and covers at high tide, and the rocks are slippery, so check the tide before you go down. Gwennap Head is a sheer, exposed headland with no fencing.
Check tide times before going through the tunnel: the beach covers at high water. On Gwennap Head keep well back from the cliff edge, which drops straight to the sea.
Visit Cornwall: 15 Poldark film locations ↗Porthgwarra is reached by a narrow single-track lane signed from the B3283 near St Levan; there is a small privately run car park by the cove, which fills early in summer. The walk up to Gwennap Head takes about 15 minutes on rough path. Porthcurno is three miles east by road and makes an easy pairing.
Gallery
More views of Porthgwarra Cove and Gwennap Head
Common questions
Planning a responsible visit
Where did Ross Poldark swim?
Visit Cornwall identifies Porthgwarra Cove, near Land's End, as the cove where Ross swims in series 1.
Can you walk through the Porthgwarra tunnel?
Yes. The tunnel from the slipway to the beach is a public way down to the cove, but the beach is small and covers at high tide, so check tides first.
Is Gwennap Head safe to walk?
On the coast path, yes, in decent weather. The headland is exposed with unfenced drops, so keep to the path and stay well back from the edge, especially in wind.
Plan your visit
Build it into the day.
Porthcurno Beach and the Minack Theatre, ten minutes' drive east.
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Map
Days out including this place
Continue with a prepared day out
Nearby
Continue through Penwith: the mining coast
Botallack: Wheal Owles and the Crowns
Wheal Leisure, Grambler and Wheal Grace
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Levant Mine and Beam Engine
Tressiders Rolling Mill and mine landscape
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Porthcurno Beach
Nampara Cove
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Penberth Cove
Sawle fishing village
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