E-Bike Adventure from St Ives: Moorland Meander & the Scenic B3306 🚴‍♀️

🌊 St Ives sea views & Zennor moors on eBikes

Within minutes, the route offers breathtaking glimpses of the Atlantic and the rugged charm of Zennor moorland. The road winds away from  St Ives and quickly rewards you with sweeping vistas, granite hedgerows, and a real sense of space. It’s quiet out here – just the buzz of your bike and the sound of the local wildlife.

The stretch of the B3306 between St Ives and Zennor is, in our opinion, one of the most breathtaking coastal roads in the UK. Travelling it by e-bike gives you the chance to pause for photos, breathe in the sea air, and enjoy the winding route at your own pace.
Its been picked as one of the top ten scenic roads in the UK by National Geographic, and has even inspired poetry….

🍻 Well-Earned Pit Stops

Halfway round, we stopped for lunch at The Gurnard’s Head, a cosy spot with great food and an even better view – and with its ‘striking’ yellow paintwork, you can’t miss it along your route!!
If you fancy a shorter pause earlier in the ride, The Tinners Arms in Zennor is a favourite — full of character and perfectly placed for a pint in the sunshine.

🪨 Men-an-Tol Detour

Just over 12 miles in, you’ll see a spur off your route to Men-an-Tol – a mystical trio of ancient stones nestled in the heather.
The stones themselves are fairly modest in size, so don’t expect Stonehenge – but they’ve long been linked to folklore, fertility, and healing rituals.

This part of the route is better suited to walking (not cycling), so lock your bikes together by the granite stile and take this short detour out and back on foot unless you’re feeling hardy – our map suggested an alternative option was to cycle, but with the weight of eBikes, a rugged path and a stream to cross before you can rejoin the Moorland Meander route, we’d only recommend it if you’re feeling strong and adventurous!

🏔️ A Glimpse of Cornwall’s Mining Heritage

Before things got a little wild on Zennor Moor, we passed the atmospheric remains of Ding Dong Mine — one of Cornwall’s oldest tin mines, perched high on the moor. The chimney stack and engine house are a striking reminder of the area’s rich mining history, and the views from up there are pretty special too. It’s a lovely point to pause, catch your breath, and take in the rugged beauty of West Penwith.

🧭 A Rugged Surprise…

We meant to stick to the tarmac roads on the Komoot route… but around 20miles in we followed a gravel lane rather than continue along Trewey Hill, and ended up crossing Zennor Moor on footpaths better suited to hiking boots than bike tyres! It made for an adventurous detour, but if you’d rather keep things smooth, we recommend following the mapped roads a little more closely than we did.

Stick to the route, and you’ll be rewarded with another glorious stretch along the stunning B3306 coastal road – and another opportunity to visit the Tinners Arms or its charming church as you pass back past the village of Zennor.

🌄 Fancy Giving It a Go?

The Polmanter Moorland Meander is around 27 miles and manageable for most cyclists with the extra boost of an e-bike. It’s a great introduction to Cornish riding, mixing wild landscapes, ancient history, and proper Cornish hospitality – all in one loop.

Starting and finishing at Polmanter Touring Park, this is a day out we’d highly recommend to anyone wanting to see a different side of West Cornwall.

Take a look at our Cycling around West Cornwall page for more cycling and e-bike ideas.

🚲 Don’t Have an E-Bike? No Problem!

We hired ours through St Ives eBikes – our brilliant local hire partner. They offer high-quality electric bikes with delivery direct to Polmanter Touring Park if you’d prefer to start your ride from the site.

Polmanter guests get 10% off using the discount code POLMANTER10 when booking online.

It’s a super convenient way to explore the area on two wheels without needing to bring your own bike.