West Kernow Way
Supported Bikepacking Trip
30 June - 5th July
Start/End: Penzance YHA
6 days/5 nights - £495
Want to join us for a special small group, supported bikepacking adventure on the West Kernow Way?
With average daily distances of around 55km and most gear available to loan, this a great one for newer bikepackers, or those who enjoy a friendly pace and soaking up the sights.
Meeting in Penzance, we'll start with a night of glamping and packing, before spending 5 days exploring this gorgeous 230km off-road loop around coastal Cornwall. We'll be bringing the SITW vibe, with friendly guides, buckets of support, and lots of tips and local recommendations to share. This is about more than riding bikes, but a chance to share and adventure with a good gang of folks.
We've done all the research to sort out great camping and glamping spots along the way, and we can sort you out with any bikepacking bags, camping equipment and navigation device you need to borrow.
With some bumpy off-road riding, and some significant climbing (4000m) of elevation over the 5 days, it's definitely not a stroll in the park! But with the longest days of the year as our backdrop there'll be plenty of time to go your own pace.
Bring your own bike, or hire locally. Most other gear loan included.
Book your spot by placing a £150 deposit through Eventbrite. Balance due 45 days before.
What’s included?
Support, Sisters in the Wild style
This bikepacking trip will be hosted by a Sisters in the Wild guide, who are all British Cycling qualified MTB leaders, trained first aiders and come with a tonne of local bikepacking experience and local knowledge. They’re pros at creating a supportive space for people to build community, skills and confidence in a fun and friendly atmosphere (and are pretty handy with mechanicals too!). This trip will also have a vehicle based support person, who’ll be there to help us make the magic happen, and to help riders out in case of incidents.
You’ll be equipped with the routes, and are welcome to ride them at your own pace, or with the group.
We’ll have one guide or host to every max 8 attendees.
Accommodation
5 nights camping and glamping (including tent and mat loan if needed)
2 nights shared bell tent at a
3 nights tent camping
Food
Breakfast: Breakfast included 4 of the 5 days. On day 5, we’ll share some of our face local breakfast spots for you to choose.
Dinners: Three dinners included. The other two will be on nights in villages where there’s some great spots to eat.
Lunch/snacks: Not included. We’ll make sure you know where you can pick up food on the ride.
Access to our gear library
Ortlieb bikepacking bag loan if you need it
Hammerhead navigation device loan if you need it
Camping gear loan (tent, sleeping mat, cooking stuff) if you need it
Ride Routes
Each participant will be provided with a specially curated collection of routes and route briefings via Komoot, and a free map bundle to access/navigate them.
Key things not included:
A bike, helmet, and tools to fix it
Lunches and snacks
Transport to and from our start hostel in Penzance, and ferry ticket on day 4.
Travel/personal liability insurance (mandatory)
Itinerary
Day 1 - Friday 30th June
Meet at our hostel in Penzance from 6pm (no worries if you arrive late, we’ll catch you in the morning!) for a night together in bell tents and dinner around the campfire.
Breakfast: Not included
Ride stats: No riding today
Accommodation: Shared bell tents
Dinner: Included at hostel.
Day 2 - Saturday 1st July
Today we load up our bikes to take on the trail! Over a relaxed breakfast outside, we’ll loan out bikepacking bags and camping gear and get everyone loaded up for our trip. We can talk you through how to pack and load your bike, and help you get ruthless with your packing list!
Today we head out west towards the most South Westerly point of the UK - the iconic Lands End. First we’ll be stopping by the incredible Minack Theatre, perched on the cliffss above the ocean. Past Land’ End we can take a little detour into Sennen Cove for an afternoon dip, before continuing on to the lovely Cornish village of St Just. We’ll stock up on anything needed for the evening’s camp before continuing on to our campsite a few miles on from the village, where dinner and a sunset await.
Breakfast: Included, full breakfast at hostel.
Ride stats: 47km/650m elevation
Accommodation: Camping
Dinner: Included (dinner at camp)
Day 3 - Sunday 2nd July
We’ll have a leisurely camp breakfast today, with the option for a morning ride to the coast for a paddle before we head inland. We’ll be cutting across this narrow part of Cornwall, heading towards the Lizard Penninsuala to our coastal destination of the night in Porthleven. We’ll be camping in easy riding distance of the ocean today, so weather permitting, it’ll be a great chance for a picnic dinner on the beach! There’s a fair few climbs to get over first, as we head into moorland and via the megalithic formation of Mên-an-Tol. Godolphin Hill will be our last climb of the day, a fun mix of road and gravel, and a little walking detour to the top for those who want the mega views that make it all worth it! From here, it’s a gentle ride into Porthleven and our cvampsite for the evening. With plenty of pubs, shops and a lovely beach in town just a mile away, it’s a lovely place to spend a summer’s evening.
Breakfast: Included, camp style breakfast.
Route stats: 50km/650m
Accommodation: Campsite
Dinner: Not included. We recommend a pub or picnic by the sea! Or one of the friendly local pubs :)
Day 4 - Monday 3rd July
Today is probably our favourite day of riding on the West Kernow Way! We start with breakfast at camp, and the usual option for a morning beach visit before we start the day! It’s a mean little climb out of Porthleven, but soon we’ll be riding high on the cliffs on a lovely bridleway with incredible coastal views all around. It really is a day of everything, as we hop between lush gravel tracks, short hike a bike sections (rewarded by great pubs and secret coastal spots!), beach rides, crazy steep country lanes and beautiful bridleways. Along the way we’ll visit Lizard Point, the most southerly point of Britain.
There’s no need to pitch a tent tonight (unless you want to!)! We’ll be staying in the YHA at Caverack, with shared Bell Tents and Dorm rooms to keep us cosy, and electricity for charging up all those devices! Dinner is at the hostel tonight, but the village is a short walk away for a pint or an evening stroll by the coast.
Breakfast: Included, camp style breakfast
Route stats: 55km, 530m
Accommodation: Shared dorm and bell tents.
Dinner: Included at hostel.
Day 5 - Tuesday 4th July
It’s a chance for a full English Breakfast at the hostel this morning, good fuel for our biggest day of riding!
Today we once again cut across the Cornish peninsular, towards our final nights camp at Portreath on the Northern coast. But firs (tides permitting) we’ll be hopping aboard for a ferry crossing of Helford Passage! All good bikepacking routes need a boat trip in there somewhere (but there’s a ride around option if your not a fan!).
As we head inland, we’ll come up close with a very different side of Cornwall and it’s once thriving mining industry, with a stretch on the traffic-free Carn Marth Mining Trail. We’ll join up with the Coast to Coast cycle path to finish our day, and drop into the seaside village of Portreath and our campsite for the evening. We’ll pitch up for one final time, and then head into the village for dinner - we recommend grabbing fish and chips to eat by the sea, and then settling into a pub for a pint or two for our final night together!
Breakfast: Hot breakfast at the hostel.
Route stats: 62km, 900m climbing.
Accommodation: Campsite
Dinner: Not included. We recommend Fish & Chips by the sea!
Day 6 - Wednesday 5th July
We’ll pack up and head into the village for a final breakfast by the sea, with a few cafes and shops to choose from. We’ll begin our final day of climbing back inland, and weaving through more of Cornwall’s historic mining legacy, sticking to a network of tracks, singletrack and lanes to avoid the busier roads. Eventually we’ll rejoin the coast, dropping into the lovely village of Marazion, jumping off point for a detour to the incredible island of St Michaels Mount - with history dating back thousands of years. If tides permit, it’s possible to walk out to this amazing place along a causeway that only appears at low tide.
From Marazion, it’s a short hop along a beautiful FLAT coastal cycle path across Mount’s Bay and back to the start in Penzance. We’ll aim to be back for around 3pm, unpack and unload, and say our goodbyes!
Breakfast: Not inlcuded - breakfast options in Porthleven.
Route stats: 48km/480m
Accommodation/Dinner: No accommodation tonight. We’ll say goodbye at the end of our ride in Penzance.
FAQ
There is an incredible amount of detailed information about the West Kernow Way route, logistics and detail about the ride on the Cycling UK website. We recommend taking a look in particular at their detailed guide which will not only get you excited about the trip, but also give you lots of insight that will help you prepare and plan.
Payment & Cancellation Terms
You can secure your spot by paying a non-refundable £150 deposit via eventbrite. We’ll then ask for the remaining balance to be paid 45 days before the event by bank transfer. Cancellation between 45 days and 28 days, you’ll get 50% back. Cancellation within 28 days is non-refundable, but you can transfer your booking to another person should you find one. View the full booking terms and conditions here.
This trip has a minimum number to run of 6 (this has now been reached!). We’ll confirm 45 days before the event if that number has not been reached, and refund your deposit.
View full booking T&C’s here.
What’s the riding like
This is a mixed terrain route that overall is about 45% off-road.
Expect everything from super smooth tarmac roads, separated cycleways, smooth gravel tracks, singletrack and some short parts of steeper/more technical riding. We fully embrace walking parts of the route that feel a little out of your comfort zone! We can be straight with you about which route we think might suite you better.
There’s no escaping the hills that make this part of this world so beautiful! There’s a pretty significant amount of climbing on the route, but we keep the days a bit shorter too give us plenty of time to tackle them slowly.
Ride support approach
There will be 1 or 2 SITW guides out on the ride (depending on group size) , who will be moving back and forth amongst the group, and a support vehicle. Our guides are qualified first aiders and experienced mechanics and can help troubleshoot issues on the trail. However, riders should be self sufficient on the rides equipped with their own navigation.
The support vehicle and support host is primarily around to support logistics and will not be able to access large parts of the route. The support vehicle is not intended to be used for shuttling people unless in case of emergency. Our team will help troubleshoot any bike and body issues you encounter on the trail, and help make sure you and your bike get to where you need to be. This might involve public transport or taxis, which will be at your own cost.
Experience/fitness required:
In order to make the most of the riding on offer, we’d suggest that you are comfortable riding 40 miles in a day in reasonably hilly terrain. Most days we will cover less miles than this, but throw in the lugagge you’ll be carrying and it’s a good gauge to aim for. Days are wonderfully long at this time of year and you can start/finish as early as you’d like - so take the miles at your own pace. A little bit of prior experience of riding off road is recommended.
Feel free to drop us an email if you have any questions on this.
Bikes/Bike Hire
A suitable off-road bike is required for this trip, and is not included. We recommend wither a gravel bike with 38mm+ tyres or hardtail MTB which must be in a good state of repair (a pre-trip basic service is highly recommended to avoid encountering any surprises on the ride!).
You may prefer to hire a bike in Penzance. There are a few bike shops, including Lands End Bikes. Bikes can be booked directly with them.
Bikepacking Bags
You’ll need to carry everything you need for the week on your bike. We’ll send a full kit list out a couple of months before, but the key things are:
Bikepacking bags (available to loan - included in price)
Navigation device (available to loan - included in price)
Tent, sleeping mat (available to loan - included in price)
A sleeping bag
Headtorch
Bike lights
Waterproof jacket
Waterproof trousers (optional)
Clothes to cycle in
Clothes for evening
Swimming stuff
Lightweight towel
Bike
Helmet
Spares and tools for your bike
Cup/spork/bowl.
Battery pack for charging at campsites
Travel to penzance/parking
Our starting point in Penzance has a train station, we recommend booking tickets in advance and checking there’ll be space for your bike. These usually require additional reservations. We plan to be back in Penzance by around 3/4pm, but would recommend booking as late a train as possible to allow for delay.
There is limited parking avaiklable at the YHA Penzance for our stay there on Friday, though you will need to move the car before we set off. The pay-and-display long stay car park at the Harbour in Penzance permits overnight long stay parking (except for motorhomes or campervans)..
Can I stay at our start hostel at the end of our trip?
Yes, you can book directly with the hostel. We’ve been told that they only release mid week beds 60 days in advance, so we recommend setting an alarm as they book up fast!
Dietary Requirements
We will try our best to accommodate dietary restrictions for meals that we prepare. Please discuss your dietary restrictions with the venues directly where we are eating at other places, though we try to choose places that can be accomodating. Unfortunately it may not always be possible for them to accommodate due to their limited ingredients and menus. We’ll try to work with you to find solutions.
Insurance
It is mandatory personal liability cycling insurance for this trip. E.g. with Yellow Jersey.
Can I arrive late?
Yes! Let us know if you’ll be arriving late and we’ll let you know where to head when you arrive at the hostel on Friday night. We’ll meet you on Saturday morning.
Lunch and snacks
Whilst these are not included, we’ll make sure we point out where you can pick up lunch and snacks each day.