Boscastle Harbour and Valency Valley Walk

4.2 miles (6.8 km)

This circular walk explores the village of Boscastle visiting Minster Wood, the Valency Valley and Boscastle Harbour.
The village of Boscastle features a distinctive natural harbour, which is one of the few sheltered ports along this rugged stretch of the North Cornwall coast. Lined with historic stone cottages and traditional slate-roofed fish cellars, the harbour layout includes a dramatic nineteenth-century pier built to withstand the heavy Atlantic swells.... Moving inland, the scenery transitions into the steep-sided Valency Valley, a tranquil landscape characterised by its ancient oak woodland and the fast-flowing Valency River. Within this peaceful valley lies Minster Wood, a secluded and legally protected woodland area managed by the National Trust, which contains the historic, partially hidden church of St Merteriana at Minster, famed for its ancient holy well.
The damp, sheltered microclimate of the valley and the surrounding oak canopies support a rich variety of regional wildlife and native flora. The woodland floors are thickly carpeted with wild bluebells, wood anemones, and ramsons during the spring, which create a vital habitat for rare woodland butterflies and bumblebees. Walkers can regularly spot grey wagtails and dippers darting along the fast-flowing river stones, while the ancient trees provide secure nesting sites for tawny owls, green woodpeckers, and several species of roosting bats that hunt over the water meadows at dusk.
You can continue your walking in the village on the Boscastle to Crackington Haven Walk and the Boscastle to Tintagel Walk.