St Michael’s Way () is a waymarked long-distance footpath in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
. It runs for from
Lelant
Lelant ( kw, Lannanta) is a village in west Cornwall, England, UK. It is on the west side of the Hayle Estuary, about southeast of St Ives and one mile (1.6 km) west of Hayle.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 ''Land's End'' The vi ...
on Cornwall’s north coast to
St Michael’s Mount on the south coast.
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History
Established in 1994, the route follows a path likely taken by early Christian pilgrims, missionaries and travellers from Ireland and Wales that would have enabled them to travel southwards towards Continental European sites of pilgrimage whilst avoiding the perilous journey by sea around the southwestern tip of Britain.
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Description of route
St Michael's Way has been signposted and
waymarked
Trail blazing or way marking is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with signs or markings that follow each other at certain, though not necessarily exactly defined, distances and mark the direction of the trail.
A blaz ...
in both directions using a stylistic shell based on the
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...
's sign for pilgrim routes. The directional arrows are coloured yellow for
footpaths
A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as motorized vehicles, bicycles and horses. They can be found in a wide va ...
, blue for
bridleways
A bridle path, also bridleway, equestrian trail, horse riding path, ride, bridle road, or horse trail, is a trail or a thoroughfare that is used by people riding on horses. Trails originally created for use by horses often now serve a wider r ...
and red for
byways;
Cornwall Council
Cornwall Council ( kw, Konsel Kernow) is the unitary authority for Cornwall in the United Kingdom, not including the Isles of Scilly, which has its own unitary council. The council, and its predecessor Cornwall County Council, has a tradition o ...
has chosen to use black arrows on public roads.
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Pilgrims arriving at the Pilgrim's Office at
Santiago de Compostela Cathedral
The Santiago de Compostela Archcathedral Basilica (Spanish and Galician: ) is part of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela and is an integral component of the Santiago de Compostela World Heritage Site in Galicia, Spain. The c ...
who have walked St Michael's Way as well as the
Camino Inglés from La Coruña may be awarded the
Compostela certificate of accomplishment on production of a suitably stamped ''Credencial''.
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Approximately a third of the route coincides with the
South West Coast Path
The South West Coast Path is England's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Because it rises a ...
National Trail
National Trails are long distance footpaths and bridleways in England and Wales. They are administered by Natural England, a statutory agency of the UK government, and Natural Resources Wales (successor body to the Countryside Council for Wa ...
: specifically, the initial segment from Lelant to the western end of Carbis Bay, and the final segment from Eastern Green to Marazion and St Michael's Mount. St Michael’s Way is named and shown as a series of green diamonds on the
Ordnance Survey
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1:25000 scale map,
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] although it is not indicated on the 1:50000 scale map.
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The full route involves a significant westward excursion from Ludgvan church to Gulval church, then returning eastwards from Eastern Green (near Penzance) to Marazion along the Long Rock beach segment of the coast path. There is a shorter alternative route (also waymarked) southwards between Ludgvan church and Marazion that reduces the trail length by approximately ; however, the shorter route is riskier as it involves crossing the
A30 and A394 roads without the assistance of designated pedestrian crossings, as well as crossing the
Penzance
Penzance ( ; kw, Pennsans) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated ...
-to-
St Erth
St Erth ( kw, Lannudhno) is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England.
St Erth takes its name from Saint Erc, one of the many Irish saints who brought Christianity to Cornwall during the Dark Ages, and is at the old crossing point of th ...
railway line at a pedestrian
level crossing
A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, overpass ...
.
References
Further reading
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External links
Friends of St Michael’s WayCornwall County Council - St Michael’s WayThe British Pilgrimage Trust - St Michael’s Way
{{DEFAULTSORT:St Michael's Way
Footpaths in Cornwall