Discover two very different sides of Cornwall with Koru

Cornwall is incredible with it’s diverse environment and vegetation in such a small area. In mid Cornwall from St Agnes to the Helford it’s a 45 minute drive, yet the landscape, and sometimes even the weather can be completely different.

The St Agnes Coastline endures the Atlantic Ocean. The south west coast path is high up on the cliffs looking down on the seas, but underneath there’s a warren of caves and archways and colourful rocks carved out during the Cornish Mining Era.  It’s incredible how this once heavily industrial landscape is now one of the most picturesque in Cornwall.

Wheal Coates is nearby, now maintained by the National Trust. Just a hundred and fifty years ago was filled with miners working 6 days a week, but now a peaceful place with the disused mine buildings providing a stunning backdrop to a beautiful part of the South West Coast Path with stunning seas and the chance to spot passing marine life including seals, dolphins and basking sharks.  Meanwhile on our St Agnes Coastline Kayak Adventures we kayak along the coastline so you can enjoy the parts not visible from the South West Coast Path. Old addets have created mini waterfalls. One bleached orange from the rusted iron ore, another can spray you as you walk the coast path towards Perranporth if the wind’s on shore.

The Helford just a 45 minute drive away across the spine of Cornwall is like a different country. With rolling grassy hills, ancient oak woodlands and calm tidal river. This too was a haven of activity many years ago with traders travelling up the Helford to Gweek, with some saying it was as busy at the Thames. However today even on the busiest of summer days we often find we are the only people paddling on the Helford along Frenchman’s Creek.

With our knowledgeable guides and an abundance of wildlife and heritage to see it makes sense to book both adventures with Koru! Oh and there’s two routes you can enjoy on both coasts. On the St Agnes trips there’s a wonderful kayak towards St Agnes Head with the manificent Hall and Parlour caves, long cave and seal cave. Just look up as you paddle through long cave to see the chinks of bright green oxidised copper above you and take in the mineral smells in the Hall and Parlour. Meanwhile kayaking from St Agnes to Perraporth there’s the waterfalls, old addets, a wonderful archway called Gadger or the infamous walled cavern the Prison with an explosion of colourful rocks to enjoy too. That’s not even mentioning the Atlantic Grey seals that often pop up and say hello, cormorants, sunfish and occasional basking shark we encounter.

But you won’t want to miss out on the Helford trips either with one kayaking along the ancient oak wooded Helford River and Frenchman’s Creek, said to have inspired Daphne du Maurier’s novel of the same name.  It’s North Atlantic Rainforest with a shipwreck and trees to kayak under before stopping off for a wild swim. Or there’s our Durgan trip along the South West Coast Path from Budock Vean Hotel to the National’s Trust’s Glendurgan passing grand houses, stunning Cornish villages and secluded beaches. There’s some stunning rock formations and a small smugglers cave to explore too before a relaxing wild swim and paddle back. This coast has the Devonian Slate which was carved out, but not to the same extent as the iron ore from St Agnes. With a prevailing Westerly wind this stunning area of Cornwall is often quite protected too, allowing herons, little egrets, curlews and kingfishers to name a few of the wonderful birds that have made this stunning river their home. But don’t be fooled this isn’t a river it’s a ria, a flooded valley that floods with sea water with the incoming tides and can bring dolphins and seals in with it!

So if you have the time perhaps you might try all four of our kayak adventures with Koru.

All equipment is included and no previous experience is necessary.