Meet The South West Coast Path
“One of the world’s most awe-inspiring walks.”
—Lonely Planet
There’s a reason the South West Coast Path is included in National Geographic’s 100 Hikes of a Lifetime and listed as one of Lonely Planet’s World’s Greatest Walks.
The wild coastal scenery and breathtaking views, combined with dramatic clifftops, charming picture-postcard English villages, endless beaches, and epic widescreen skies that go on forever, create nothing less than a sense of awe. Awe. And I don't use that word often.
The wild coastal scenery and breathtaking views, combined with dramatic clifftops, charming picture-postcard English villages, endless beaches, and epic widescreen skies that go on forever, create nothing less than a sense of awe. Awe. And I don't use that word often.
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There are calm, easy parts and fierce, rough parts.The calm parts roam peacefully across grassy headlands, through tranquil woods, and into quaint English villages where a cup of tea or pint of cider awaits and all is right with the world.
The rough parts stumble over rollercoaster-like terrain with 115,000 feet of ascents and descents — equal to scaling Mount Everest four times!
The rough parts stumble over rollercoaster-like terrain with 115,000 feet of ascents and descents — equal to scaling Mount Everest four times!
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There is a whole lot of climbing: Long sections that head steeply up followed by careening drops down plunging cliffs. There are thousands of rough stairs to trudge, beaches to cross, ferries to catch, boulders to scramble, rocky precipices to maneuver and often, fierce gales and driving rain trying their darndest to sweep you off the path.
Glorious, no?
Glorious, no?
Included in National Geographic’s
100 Hikes of a Lifetime
Where is the path?
The SWCP takes you around the entire southwest peninsula of the UK, going from Minehead in the north to Poole in the south. It goes from Poole to Minehead as well of course, but the guidebooks have you starting at Minehead and walking counter-clockwise. No idea why. All I know is it's hugely confusing trying to follow the guidebook while walking clockwise.
We know this from experience. And yet, we continue, quite often, to do just that.
We know this from experience. And yet, we continue, quite often, to do just that.
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The SWCP carves around a particularly rugged section of the UK—stone buildings and hardy people that have battled storms and rough living for centuries—and offers everything: history, geology, wildlife, art, glorious weather and wild storms, pubs and villages, tea and scones, and some of the most spectacular scenery you will ever see.
You will be exhilarated. You will be sore. Your knees will hurt.
But if you make it through the entire path you will have bragging rights forever. And that, my friend, is something nobody can take away. I use mine every chance I get.
But if you make it through the entire path you will have bragging rights forever. And that, my friend, is something nobody can take away. I use mine every chance I get.
We started walking the path in 2012. What we've walked by 11/23:
How long does it take?
Some people walk the whole trail in one fell swoop, camping along the way. Most people do bits and pieces here and there. If you’re a fast walker and don’t mind long days on the trail, you can complete the 630 miles in about 30 days. We move slower than that, and only want to walk 4-6 hours a day because after that we want a meal and a cider or three.
The guidebooks say that the pace that allows time to stop and see the sights is between 7-8 weeks. Our original plan was to walk the whole path, section by section, over a five-year period.
As of the end of our 2023 trip we've hiked about 377 miles, meaning the aforementioned goal clearly won't be happening.
So our new plan is to Just Finish. Goals are overrated anyway.
The guidebooks say that the pace that allows time to stop and see the sights is between 7-8 weeks. Our original plan was to walk the whole path, section by section, over a five-year period.
As of the end of our 2023 trip we've hiked about 377 miles, meaning the aforementioned goal clearly won't be happening.
So our new plan is to Just Finish. Goals are overrated anyway.
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What about luggage?
We had a few decisions to make while planning this really long walk. Mostly: our stuff. We do pack as lightly as possible but still it’s a hefty load.
As the paths are linear, not circular, we will end up far away from our cottage. Eventually, we'll be far, far away. The thought passes through my mind—oh so fleetingly—that we would simply backpack our stuff around. Hahaha.
As the paths are linear, not circular, we will end up far away from our cottage. Eventually, we'll be far, far away. The thought passes through my mind—oh so fleetingly—that we would simply backpack our stuff around. Hahaha.
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There are services that will move your luggage from one accommodation to the next. Some will even select and line up your nightly stays for you, meaning all you have to do is show up, sleep, and pack your bag before you take off the next day.
In the end, we settled on a "homebase” plan: we choose a town to stay in for each week—making sure the town has good bus service and proximity to food and drink—preferably a Marks & Spencer—and use buses to get back and forth.
It works for us because we like exploring the towns and villages, though we have had to call an occasional taxi and politely beg rides from complete strangers, which is always a pleasant adventure.
In the end, we settled on a "homebase” plan: we choose a town to stay in for each week—making sure the town has good bus service and proximity to food and drink—preferably a Marks & Spencer—and use buses to get back and forth.
It works for us because we like exploring the towns and villages, though we have had to call an occasional taxi and politely beg rides from complete strangers, which is always a pleasant adventure.
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