№ 02Waterfall · Cornwall, England
St Nectan's Glen
A sixty-foot waterfall that has drilled clean through a rock basin, in a ravine held sacred for centuries.
Photographs Charlie Marshall (CC BY 2.0) · Brian Deegan (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons
A mile inland from Tintagel's crowds, the Trevillet River drops sixty feet into St Nectan's Kieve — a hollowed stone bowl the waterfall has punched straight through, leaving a natural arch above the plunge pool.
Legend ties the glen to the sixth-century hermit St Nectan, and it still feels like a pilgrimage site: visitors leave ribbons in the trees, stacked stones and coins pressed into logs. The wooded ravine walk in along the river is worth the trip on its own.
The knowledge
- Getting there
- Park at Trethevy, between Tintagel and Boscastle; it's a one-mile woodland walk to the falls, with a small entry charge at the top.
- Best time
- After autumn or winter rain, when the kieve thunders. In summer, weekday mornings beat the crowds.
- Local tip
- Wear proper shoes — the final stretch is steps and wet stone. Hardy swimmers do brave the plunge pool.
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