St. Michael's Way is a 12 mile route between Lelant, near St. Ives, and St. Michael's Mount at Marazion. It was part of a network of pilgrim routes that led to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain, one of the three most important Christian pilgrim sites, and as such it has been designated a "European Cultural Route". The route was used by missionaries and pilgrims arriving from Wales and Ireland who chose to avoid the treacherous waters around Land's End by walking across the peninsular from Lelant to Marazion. The trail was largely forgotten until 1987 when the Council of Europe decided to promote the pilgrim route to Santiago as a European Cultural symbol, and the trail was officially opened in 2004.

The walk starts at the Church of St. Uny in Lelant, on a sandy headland overlooking Lelant harbour and Hayle. The church is thought to date back to the arrival of St. Uny in the 6th century. The walk follows the coast to Carbis Bay, where it turns inland to Steeple Hill and the Knill monument. John Knill was the collector of customs in St. Ives and died in 1782, and he built the monument as a mausoleum for himself. It consists of a 50 foot high pointed obelisk with a burial chamber below, but the burial chamber was never used as it was not built on consecrated ground. The path heads off inland towards Trencom Hill, passing Bowl Rock, a huge piece of granite said to have been put in place by a giant. Trencom Hill stands alone at 550 feet elevation, and is thought to have been a Neolithic fort, yet unexcavated. Neolithic axe heads found on the lower slopes of the hill date back to 3500 BC.

The path continues to Ninnes Bridge, where it passes through the front garden of a former Wesleyan Chapel dating from 1783. It is significant for its association with John Wesley's landmark visit to Cornwall. An early cross and a line of standing stones seem to mark the site as a religious centre from a much earlier time.

The final section takes you to Ludgvan from where there is a choice of two authentic medieval routes to Marazion. The first crosses the swampy marshes of Marazion, now managed by the RSBP as an important habitat for birds. The second goes along the country lanes to Gulval. In medieval times the Gulval route was used as an alternative path when wet ground and tides make the Marazion marshes unpassable.