Cornwall wasn’t somewhere that instantly sprung to mind when thinking about impressive waterfalls. So when we stumbled across the enchanting St. Nectan’s Glen; home to a magical 60 foot waterfall, hidden deep inside a magical ancient wooded valley near Tintagel in Cornwall we were thrilled.
St Nectan’s Glen is nestled within an Area of Outstanding Natural beauty and a Site of Special Scientific Interest which offers a tranquil oasis of water, moss-covered woodland and peaceful birdsong. Supposedly it’s one of the most spiritual sites in the UK, and It certainly lives up to that with a strong, spiritual and mystical vibe that surrounds it. This fairytale land has endless rainbows of colourful ribbons strung from the trees, stacked fairy stones with etched in messages and a strong aroma of incense that fills the air.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to St Nectan’s Glen. I couldn’t believe that we’d never seen, or even heard of this magical place before. It was such a fun discovery and one that I recommend doing if you’re in this stretch of Cornwall. Here’s what you can expect to see at St Nectan’s Glen!
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Where to park for visiting St Nectan’s Glen?
Because this waterfall is deep in the heart of a Cornish valley, the carpark is about a mile away from the entrance of the site. It’s a gorgeous walk though, with the majority of it running right beside the tumbling river Trevillet.
We parked at Trethevy car park just off the main road (B3263) in the village of Trethevy. The small gravelled carpark was full, so we parked in the overflow which is located in the field directly behind with amazing costal views! Parking cost £3 for the entire day and the ticket machine accepted cash or contactless payment. Bigger vehicles like motorhomes and coaches cost £5 for the day, and they don’t allow overnight parking.
I’d recommend coming early, as we arrived around 10:30am in March and the main carpark was already full. Peak season could be even busier, so I’d try and get here early to avoid disappointment. Failing that, there is a small lay-by approximately 0.5 miles away with enough space for around 5 cars. Although you would need to walk along a main road, which is twisty and not the safest option.
As a heads up, it’s around a 25-30 minute walk from Trethevy carpark to St Nectan’s Glen.
How long is the circular walk at St Nectan’s Glen?
Starting from Trethevy carpark, this circular waterfall walk is approximately 3 miles/5 kilometres long. From the car park, cross the main road and follow the signs for St Nectan’s Glen. You’ll head through some quiet country lanes, before dropping down beside the river Trevillet into the shaded wooded valley.
It’s relatively gentle for the first mile, until eventually the route turns a bit more rugged – to the point where people were abandoning pushchairs and leaving them in the woods. If you’re bringing little ones, a baby-carrier would be the best choice for visiting St Nectan’s Glen.
As you get closer you’ll notice the roar of St Nectan’s Kieve getting louder. You’ll cross a few foot bridges and the path then turns into a wooden boardwalk. After that the route becomes potentially a little more challenging for some, with natural steps created from a mixture of protruding rocks and tree roots as you begin making your way up to the entrance at the top of the valley.
I would allow a good 2 hours to complete the circular route, but longer if you want to stop and soak in the atmosphere or enjoy a drink in the cafe. In total, we spent 3 hours here which included the walk to and from the carpark.
Visit St Nectan’s Kieve for a beautiful waterfall walk
The waterfall at St Nectars Glen is the only bit you need to pay to gain access to. If you want to get up close and personal with St Nectan’s Kieve, then you will need to buy a ticket – Its worth it! Once you have bought your ticket from inside the gift shop, you’ll be shown through to begin your circular waterfall walk.
The route involves many steep steps, but the handrail helps you navigate your way around – plus the views along the way are gorgeous. You’ll also visit a couple different view points as you head down closer to the waterfall.
Eventually you’ll make it down to the bottom of the valley, where you’ll need to head through a turn style (much like you’d see at a football stadium) As this is a spiritual site, you’ll see signs asking you to switch your phones off before you head inside, so we put ours on silent and aeroplane mode.
Unless you’re wearing wellies or walking boots you’ll need to take your shoes and socks off to cross the icy cold water. People were sat the other side drying their feet off with little towels they had brought with them. Had we of known about this place, we would have packed our quick drying microfibre towels and enjoyed the refreshing cold water ourselves.
Thankfully I had my walking boots on and they were just about high enough to keep my feet dry whilst crossing the almost fully submerged stepping-stones. The same can’t be said for James who stepped right in a deep spot! I also managed to venture in towards the base of St Nectan’s Kieve which is tucked around the corner.
Over the years the power of the crashing water from the river Trevillet has managed to punch out a hole in the rock, so now the waterfall flows through the carved out window. It really is a beautiful waterfall.
There were colourful ribbons strung from all the tree branches and almost every nook and cranny was stuffed with carefully balanced fairy stacks and crystals. If you want to hang your own wish ribbon, just search for a gap and knot it on – be sure not to remove or move anyone else’s though. We often see similar wish ribbons hung up at Burrow Mump and Glastonbury in Somerset too.
Once you’ve spent enough time down here, you can continue up the other side of the gorge and make your way back up to the top. Ready to reward yourself with a refreshing drink from the cafe.
Tuck into something tasty at the Tree of Life Café
St Nectan’s Glen has a lovely café at the top of the valley, and you don’t need an entrance ticket to be able to access it which is great!
The cafe had plenty of indoor seating with a blend of bench tables and comfy sofas. Or you could soak up the sunshine and dine alfresco in the large garden area or even grab a small table out on the sunny veranda.
They had a delicious selection of homemade sweet treats, like Cornish cream teas and fresh out the oven warm chocolate chip cookies. We went for a tasty bacon bap each which was loaded with 4 rashers of thick-cut bacon! They also had options like Beef Chilli Nachos, Ploughman’s and Southern Fried Chicken wraps. Take a look at the menu below.
If you’re into bird watching (there’s so many to find here) they have a long window bench which stretches the length of the café with a selection of bird books and binoculars to help yourself to. It’s the perfect spot to birdwatch with a hot coffee in hand.
Leave a note inside the meditation room
Theres a small meditation room inside the hermitage, where visitors leave tokens or notes to loved ones. I poked my head inside and it reminded me of places you see along Glastonbury High Street. Head inside to say a prayer or just to be respectful and admire what others have done.
Visit the unusual gift shop
The gift shop sits right beside the meditation room, and it’s where you need to go if you want to purchase a ticket to visit St Nectan’s Glen waterfall.
Displayed inside the gift shop was an array of crystals, scented candles, and hand-crafted jewellery. Along with pretty wooden trinket boxes, incense burners and mystical creatures like fairy’s and dragons. It’s a little more quirky than your typical gift shop – but that’s what makes it special.
Enjoy a stroll along the river Trevillet
The best section of the Trevillet river walk is down the bottom in the woodland area before you even make it up to the entrance of St Nectan’s Glen. That part is beautiful.
It continues at the top of the valley too, although it’s nothing amazing and just takes you across a couple fields. I’m not sure how long this would have gone on for, but we needed to save our legs for our next nearby adventure that we had planned to do
Let the kids explore the Wild Trail
The Wild Trail is fun addition for younger kids to enjoy. Even better. It’s free!
Along the way they’ll have animal facts to learn, different types of artwork to admire, colourful cloud chairs to lounge on and a small balance beam course to challenge themselves on. Its relatively short and wouldn’t take long to complete, but it’s a nice addition and something fun for children to engage with.
Where is St Nectan’s Glen Waterfall?
This magical place is located in Trethevy, just 2 miles from the better known village of Tintagel. As you don’t drive close by to St Nectan’s Glen, you wouldn’t even know this unspoilt area of Cornwall exists – It really is a hidden gem.
Do you need tickets to visit St Nectan’s Glen?
You don’t need tickets for the woodland walk, river walk, cafe or gift shop. But if you want to see the waterfall (which I recommend you do) then you will need to buy a ticket from the gift shop.
St Nectan’s Kieve waterfall prices
We paid £10 each of our adult tickets, which is quite a lot seeing as you’re only paying for the waterfall element of St Nectan’s Glen. However, I think it’s worth the price as it is rather special.
Children’s tickets (5-15 years old) are £5, under 5’s are free. You can’t prebook, and there’s not currently an option to buy tickets online.
Opening times
St Nectan’s Glen is open all year round – with the only exception being Christmas Day. Opening times change depending on the time of year, with the longest opening times being in the summer.
- 1st February – 30th June: 9am – 5pm
- 1st July – 8th September: 9am – 6:30pm
- 9th September – 30th November: 9am – 5pm
- 1st December – 31st January: 9am – 4pm
All of which have last entry to the waterfall 30 minutes before closing time.
Where does the name St Nectan’s Glen come from?
Legend says a holy man from the 6th-century lived right above the waterfall in a hermitage. It’s believed that when stormy weather rolled in, he would ring a silver bell to warn passing ships of the dangerous rocks across the way at Rocky Valley. This mans name was Saint Nectan, and they have a statue of him, along with his silver bell on The Wild Trail.
When is the best time to visit St Nectan’s Glen?
As with all waterfalls, they are their most powerful and impressive following heavy rain fall. We lucked out with our trip as the sun was shining (which made our walk extra enjoyable) but the waterfall was roaring away after a good dose of rain a few days prior to our visit.
This is England though – we aren’t usually short of dark grey rain clouds. So I expect St Nectan’s Kieve pours pretty well for the majority of the year.
Are there any toilets?
Right up the top you’ll find 3 unisex toilet cubicles which are inside a wooden type cabin. They are located near to the café, and it’s worth noting that these are the only loo’s on site.
Things to note about visiting St Nectan’s Glen
- Uneven paths – not suitable for pushchairs, prams, wheelchairs or people struggling with mobility issues
- An entry ticket is only needed for visiting the waterfall – you can do the cafe, gift shop, wild trail and riverwalk for free
- There are only toilets at the top near the cafe
- Bring a small towel to dry your feet!
- Dogs are welcome, but must remain on a lead at all times
- Wear sensible footwear – the route is uneven and can be slippy in certain weather conditions
- Pack a waterproof jacket if you want to walk near the mouth of the waterfall! The spray will get you pretty soggy -although nothing like we experienced at some of the waterfalls in Iceland!
- Allow 2-3 hours to really soak up everything St Nectan’s Glen has to offer.
- You can elope or have a hand-fastning inside the enchanting Arbour
Other things to do
We discovered another gorgeous walk right after visiting St Nectan’s Glen (which I will be writing about soon!) Theres also the nearby Tintagel Castle and Merlins Cave which is only a 10 minute drive away.
Places to stay nearby
We stayed at The Dutchy Barn in Tregoose during this Cornwall trip, which is a lovely spacious converted barn thats perfect for couples. But we have also stayed in Bodmin Jail Hotel which is only around 35 minutes away from here.
The closest option would be to stay in Tintagel. Click here to see whats available.
Conclusion
St Nectan’s Glen should certainly be scribbled onto your list of places to visit. We had a lovely day exploring this beautiful hidden spot of Cornwall, the magical waterfall here really is impressive. Remember to take a little towel with you, and wear sensible shoes to you can fully embrace and enjoy the experience of this ancient woodland. Even if you don’t want to buy a ticket for the waterfall, you can still have a brilliant day out here regardless. Although I do think it’s worth spending the pennies!
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