Glittering seas, spectacular cliffs, tranquil farmland and vast skies – whether you stroll, walk or hike the South West Coast Path, the scenery is some of the most beautiful in the UK. The country’s longest trail stretches for 630 miles from Minehead in Somerset, along the Devon and Cornwall coast to Poole Harbour in Dorset. This year is the 50th anniversary of the creation of the South West Coast Path Association, when a group of walkers, having tackled the Pennine Way, decided to create something similar in the West Country.
“It was quite a task,” says Althea Mays of the SWCPA, “and it took five years: linking paths, talking to landowners about rights of way, getting the trail designated – almost like putting a giant jigsaw together.” The trail remains one of the UK’s most popular routes, with more than 600 different walks to choose from. “We suggest a 52-day itinerary if you want to do the whole thing,” says Mays. “But many people come and do a section each year, making it an annual weekend with friends or family. Walking is such a companionable thing, and the pandemic really reinforced the importance of immersing ourselves in nature and taking time to enjoy the outdoors.”
Much of the trail – 185 miles – runs through National Trust land, with more than 1,000 volunteers working beside rangers to help maintain the diversity of habitats, from sand dunes and mudflats to moorland and heathland, each home to a broad range of wildlife. From Dorset’s spectacular Jurassic coast to North Devon’s surfing beaches and Cornwall’s sweeping cliffs, there are walks for every level, and for families, groups of friends or solo walking adventurers. Here are five of the most glorious sections, with incredible sea views and gorgeous West Country scenery at every turn.
1. Marazion to Lizard Point, Cornwall, 21 miles
The tiny village of Gunwalloe, famed for smuggling and shipwrecks in westerly gales, is a spectacular base from which to explore the path from St Michael’s Mount to the bottom of the Lizard. The recently restored Winnianton Farmhouse, itself on the coastal path, set amid 90 acres of farmland, is a great place to stay (sleeps six, from £1,499 per week, nationaltrust.org.uk). Nearby Dollar Cove was named after a 17th-century Spanish shipwreck that scattered its silver treasure onshore. To the north is the National Trust’s stunning Penrose Estate, featuring the sandy stretch of Loe Bar that divides the sea on one side from the Loe, Cornwall’s largest freshwater lake. Stop for a drink or a meal (or spend the night, from £75 per night) at the Halzephron Inn (Cornish for Cliffs of Hell). To the south, the beach at Poldhu Cove has an excellent surf school, nestled beneath the Poldhu Marconi Centre, from where the Italian inventor sent his first wireless signals to Newfoundland. Press on, through clifftops dotted with wild carrot, and you’ll get to the harbour of Mullion Cove, Mullion Cliff and eventually the Lizard National Nature Reserve.
2. Abbotsbury to Lulworth, Dorset – Jurassic Coast, 25 miles plus the 13-mile Isle of Portland circuit
This spectacular stretch of the Dorset coastline combines jagged cliffs and the wildly beautiful Isle of Portland, a four-mile-long wedge of land joined to the coast by Chesil Beach. Following the path from the historic village of Abbotsbury gives amazing views of the extraordinary 18-mile spit of sand, with a pleasingly flat stretch along the tranquil Fleet lagoon, before the landscape urbanises into Weymouth and Ferrybridge.
To be at the heart of this stretch, book one of the cosy rooms at Turnstones (doubles from £70, B&B, turnstones.net), a couple of minutes’ walk from Chesil’s stunning beach – ideal if you are planning to do to the circular route around the Isle of Portland. If you’re travelling with family, Moonfleet Manor makes a great base and offers a busy programme of activities to combine with walking, and children’s teas and clubs to give parents a little time off (doubles from £220, B&B, moonfleetmanor.co.uk). Dogs are welcome here, too.
The stretch from Ferrybridge to Lulworth is more taxing, but the views as you approach Lulworth – back to the extraordinary Durdle Door – make the steep ascents and descents worth it. Reward yourself with a hearty lunch at the 16th-century Castle Inn in Lulworth (butcombe.com) – but do book ahead if you’re planning to visit at the weekend, as it gets busy.
3. Perranporth to St Ives, Cornwall Atlantic Coast, 30 miles
This 30-mile stretch of the trail, taking in rugged clifftops, historic mining landscapes as well as the picturesque town of St Ives, is a great choice for wildlife-lovers, with the chance to see seals, sunfish and basking sharks, along with razorbills and guillemots in the skies overhead.
The first section of the walk, from the seaside resort of Perranporth to Portreath, is reasonably strenuous, but the Portreath Arms (doubles from £120, B&B, theportreatharms.co.uk) is a cosy, restorative place to stay, with local fish and seafood given an Asian twist in the establishment’s charming restaurant. Portreath beach is a lovely place on which to stop and watch the surfers, who come at high tide for the reliable rollers.
From Portreath, the path leads deep into smuggling country; look out for the wonderfully named Ralph’s Cupboard, a rocky cove favoured by smugglers as a place to hide their loot. Stop for a picnic in the rolling sand dunes at Gwithian, spot seals at Navax Point and enter Hayle via the town’s 100-year-old swing bridge.
If the budget stretches, a night or two at the lovely Carbis Bay (doubles from £345, B&B, carbisbayhotel.co.uk) is a great way to soothe walk-weary limbs.
St Ives is an easy walk across the sands, where the Porthminster Café, set right on the sands of Porthminster beach, does the best fish curry in town (porthminstercafe.co.uk).
4. Combe Martin to Braunton, North Devon, 28 miles
The spectacular beaches of the North Devon coast have recently been designated the UK’s first National Surf Reserve and there’s no better way to discover the gorgeous sandy shoreline of Putsborough, Croyde Bay and Saunton Sands than on foot, with widescreen views out across the Bristol Channel. There are plenty of other high points, from the extraordinary rock formations around Morte Point to the Braunton Burrows nature reserve, home to a huge variety of flowering plants, butterflies and small mammals.
The stretch from Woolacombe to Braunton has some lovely and easy clifftop walking, including around Baggy Point, which offers the best views of Croyde’s wide strand, protected from development by the dunes that separate the village from the beach. Croyde is a lovely place to stay. For accommodation, try the Cider Barn, a spacious family house with a separate annex, right in the heart of the village (sleeps eight, from £1,175 a week, holidaycottages.co.uk), while the Thatch (thethatchcroyde.co.uk), offers excellent pub food and a laid-back surfing atmosphere.
If you fancy something more remote, Gordon’s Cabin, in the tiny village of Mortehoe, is just a stone’s throw from Woolacombe and the SWCP, and makes a tranquil, comfortable base (sleeps two, three-night breaks from £599, nationaltrust.org.uk).
From Croyde, the route climbs up and over towards Saunton, and the wide Taw estuary that runs up to Braunton. Heanton Court pub (vintageinn.co.uk), with a terrace and gardens right on the banks of the estuary, is a great spot for lunch to fuel the final push.
5. Torcross to Brixham, South Devon, 21 miles
Combine walks through lush open fields, over rugged headlands and shady woodland with time dipping into Dartmouth’s art galleries and boutiques, and tucking into fresh fish suppers in Brixham, a colourful small port set around a picturesque harbour. The first stretch begins relatively gently, along the long shingle beach at Slapton Sands, before becoming increasingly rugged as the cliffs rise up to form dramatic headlands.
Dartmouth makes an ideal base if you want to mix walking with more urban pleasures. Check into Browns, a stylish boutique hotel with a buzzy brasserie (doubles from £160, B&B, brownshoteldartmouth.co.uk), or round up family or friends and stay at the Spinners House (sleeps eight, from £838 per week, sykescottages.co.uk).
The stretch from Dartmouth to Brixham is one of the trail’s most challenging, but there are plenty of rewards: the 15th-century castle at Kingswear, the limestone meadows around Berry Head that blaze with wildflowers from May to August, and the linnets, skylarks and rare cirl buntings, swooping in the skies above Froward Point.
Brixham itself is a fantastic place in which to end a walk, with excellent fish restaurants dotted through the town; arguably the best is Rockfish (therockfish.co.uk), situated in the famous fish market, overlooking the boats as they land their catch.
For more information, downloadable maps and route planners, visit southwestcoastpath.org.uk