Atlantic Highway A39: North Cornwall
Cornish surf beaches, smuggler's coves, and the Westcountry pasty trail
- Distance
- 86 mi
- 139 km
- Driving
- 2 hr 30 min
- excl. stops
- Suggested
- 4 days
- balanced split
- Stops
- 7
- curated
Distance and driving time are measured along the mapped route through the 7 stops listed below. Officially signed versions of famous routes often quote a longer figure, since they include promoted detours this line doesn't take.
Opens the planner with every stop loaded. Free, no card needed.
Day by day
Distances are measured along the actual road geometry, not straight-line. Drive times exclude stops, traffic and ferry waits.
Before you go
Best time to drive it
April to June, or September to October
Shoulder season. Warm enough to enjoy, and you avoid both the August heat and the worst of the coastal traffic.
Indicative costs
- Fuel (40 mpg petrol)£14
- TollsFree
Tolls assume ~65% of the distance on tolled road. Fuel prices move constantly: treat these as a range, not a quote.
Driving rules
Emission zones, mandatory equipment and licence requirements change country by country, and in 2026 several of them changed mid-year.
Driving in United KingdomEvery stop on the Atlantic Highway A39: North Cornwall
- 1Newquay
- 2Padstow
- 3Bedruthan Steps
- 4Tintagel
- 5Boscastle
- 6Bude
- 7Hartland Quay
Worth a detour
Curated places within 25 km of the road.
Eden Project
landmarkSpectacular complex of enormous biome domes nestled in a former clay pit, housing the world's largest indoor rainforest.
Clovelly
landmarkImpossibly steep cobbled fishing village cascading down to a tiny harbour, where donkeys once carried goods and no cars are permitted.
Tintagel Castle
castleDramatic clifftop ruins steeped in Arthurian legend, connected to the mainland by a striking modern footbridge above the Atlantic.
Atlantic Highway (A39)
famous roadSpectacular coastal road running through north Devon and Cornwall past dramatic cliffs, surfing beaches and picturesque harbour villages.
St Nectan's Glen
waterfallA mystical 60-foot waterfall that bores through a holed rock in a fern-draped wooded glen near Tintagel.
Bedruthan Steps
scenic viewpointGiant rock stacks marching across a wild sandy beach below towering cliffs on the rugged north Cornwall coast.
Hartland Quay
scenic viewpointSavage stretch of North Devon coast where contorted rock strata zigzag into the Atlantic, reached by a dead-end road down the cliffs to a 16th-century harbour site and pub. Shipwreck country with a small museum.
Common questions about the Atlantic Highway A39: North Cornwall
How long does the Atlantic Highway A39: North Cornwall take?
The driving itself is about 2 hr 30 min across 86 miles (139 km). Most people spread it over 4 days: the day-by-day breakdown on this page splits it into balanced stretches rather than equal ones, so no single day is all driving.
How many miles is the Atlantic Highway A39: North Cornwall?
86 miles, or 139 km, measured along the actual road rather than straight-line between towns.
When is the best time to drive the Atlantic Highway A39: North Cornwall?
April to June, or September to October. Shoulder season. Warm enough to enjoy, and you avoid both the August heat and the worst of the coastal traffic.
What does the Atlantic Highway A39: North Cornwall cost in fuel?
Roughly £14 in fuel for a petrol car averaging 40 mpg. Motorways on this route are toll-free. Indicative only: fuel prices move.
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