Truro River and Waterfront

The Truro River runs through the south of the city, and the tidal estuary below town is a quiet and often overlooked attraction. At high tide the water comes up close to the city centre; at low tide the mudflats are alive with wading birds. The walk along the riverside below the city, toward the village of Malpas, is one of the best short walks in the area — about 3 km each way, mostly flat, with views across the estuary.

Kayaks can be hired from the waterfront in summer, and the river connects to the Carrick Roads and the wider Fal estuary. The passenger ferry from Truro to Falmouth (seasonal, summer only) is one of the more pleasant ways to arrive at or leave either city.

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A story
The Carrick Roads, into which the Truro River eventually opens, is one of the three largest natural harbours in the world by area. Its depth and shelter made Truro an important medieval port, and the city's prosperity in the 18th century was built on tin and copper exports shipped down the estuary. Today the river is largely used for leisure, but the tidal mudflats are an important habitat for wading birds — curlew, redshank, and dunlin are common in autumn and winter.