Pendennis and St Mawes castles – visit by train & ferry

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Pendennis and St Mawes castles – visit by train & ferry

21st July, 2022

Pendennis and St Mawes castles – visit by train & ferry

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St Mawes Castle

Hop on the train to Falmouth (just 25 minutes from Truro) and explore the Tudor castles guarding both sides of the Fal estuary.

Pendennis Castle is a simple 10-minute walk from Falmouth Docks station (directions below). Then, for some fantastic views from the water, visit St Mawes Castle via the foot ferry from Falmouth's Prince of Wales Pier (regular service taking just 20 minutes).

Pendennis Castle

One of King Henry VIII’s finest coastal fortresses, Pendennis sits high on a rocky headland overlooking the river, beaches and town of Falmouth below.

The castle has plenty to see during a visit, from the Tudor keep to the historic collection of guns and canons.

Getting here

Take a train to Falmouth Docks on the Maritime Line. On leaving Falmouth Docks, turn left, go under the railway bridge and straight over at the roundabout but stay on the left-hand side.

The road starts to go uphill and after about 10 minutes you will pass by Ships and Castle Leisure Centre, and not far after this on the right, you will see the castle. See walking route on Google Maps.

Look up train times

St Mawes Castle

St Mawes is the sister castle to Pendennis and is one of the best preserved and most elaborately decorated of all the coastal forts.

The best way to visit the castle is to arrive by ferry from Falmouth as you can enjoy some stunning views as you travel over the river and approach the castle.

Getting here