South West Coast Path

Description

Name South West Coast Path (SWCP)
Length of trail 1,014 km, 630 miles
Length in days 52 days
Start of trail Minehead
End of trail Poole
Traildino grading MW, Moderate walk, backpacking trail
Hut tour grading T1, Walk

630 miles, 1014 km, 52 days

National Trail

The South West Coast Path is Britain's longest National Trail. The path includes two UNESCO World Heritage sites; The Jurassic Coast plus the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape.

With it's 598 miles / 962 kilometers along the South Western edge of England, this National Trail is the classic English coast walk. The trail starts in Minehead, Exmoor, runs south without loosing the sea out of sight, and ends in Poole, Dorset. As long as your legs can bear it, this means endless enjoyment of sea, high cliffs, bizarre beach resorts, huge caravan parks. And do not forget to have a chat with the people on the track, or do practise a little in some crowded pub. If you bring your own tent, you are independent.

Prepare for an abundant encounter with the sea. Old and new villages living from all the sea's has to offer.

The cliffs pose some real danger, so keep an eye on the signs. The endless climbing and descending can make even an hardy walker desperate. And again, and again you will have to cross streams, climb down all the way and climb back on the next hilltop. Keep an eye on the weather too, and cater for warm clothing and good rain gear.

The walk is possible all year round. The storms in autumn and winter hit hard on the coast, however, and will have you forget all your previous bad-weather experiences. Spring is a wonderful time, with many birds and bluebells, not many tourists, and only an occasional storm.

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Select some tracks

☐▽South West Coast Path

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 1: Minehead to Porlock Weir), 20km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 2: Porlock Weir to Lynmouth / Lynton), 22km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 3: Lynmouth to Combe Martin), 22km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 4: Combe Martin to Woolacombe), 23km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 5: Woolacombe to Braunton), 24km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 6: Braunton to Instow), 17km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 7: Instow to Westward Ho! ), 20km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 8: Westward Ho! to Clovelly), 18km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 9: Clovelly to Hartland Quay), 16km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 10: Hartland Quay to Bude), 24km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 11: Bude to Crackington Haven), 16km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 12: Crackington Haven to Tintagel), 18km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 13: Tintagel to Port Isaac), 15km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 14: Port Isaac to Padstow), 20km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 15: Padstow to Porthcothan), 21km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 16: Porthcothan to Newquay), 17km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 17: Newquay to Perranporth), 23km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 18: Perranporth to Portreath), 19km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 19: Portreath to Hayle), 19km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 20: Hayle to St Ives), 11km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 21: St Ives to Pendeen), 20km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 22: Pendeen to Sennen Cove), 15km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 23: Sennen Cove to Lamorna), 19km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 24: Lamorna to Marazion), 16km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 25: Marazion to Porthleven), 16km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 26: Porthleven to The Lizard), 22km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 27: The Lizard to Coverack), 17km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 28: Coverack to Helford), 21km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 29: Helford to Falmouth), 16km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 30: Falmouth to Portloe), 27km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 31: Portloe to Mevagissey), 20km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 32: Mevagissey to Par), 18km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 33: Par to Polperro), 22km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 34: Polperro to Portwrinkle), 21km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 35: Portwrinkle to Plymouth), 22km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 36: Plymouth to Wembury Point), 24km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 37: Wembury Point to Bigbury on Sea), 22km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 38: Bigbury on Sea to Salcombe), 21km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 39: Salcombe to Torcross), 20km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 40: Torcross to Dartmouth), 16km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 41: Dartmouth to Brixham), 17km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 42: Brixham to Babbacombe), 22km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 43: Babbacombe to Exmouth), 24km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 44: Exmouth to Sidmouth), 21km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 45: Sidmouth to Seaton), 18km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 46: Seaton to Seatown), 24km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 47: Seatown to Abbotsbury), 19km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 48: Abbotsbury to Ferrybridge), 17km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 49: Isle of Portland Circuit), 20km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 50: Ferrybridge to Lulworth Cove), 22km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 51: Lulworth Cove to Worth Matravers), 20km

☐.South West Coast Path (Section 52: Worth Matravers to South Haven Point), 28km

Opinions

Rate 9.0 | 2 votes | No 3. in United Kingdom

Oranginas, long distance hiking trails Europe May 2010
Rate 9
Positive Well marked paths, with continuously great views at the cliffs, the rocks, the beaches and the highlands. And, at the end of some hikes, arriving at an old port town with the relics of former times…….. The B&B system.
Negative The food.

Henk Nouws May 1998
Rate 9
Positive Everything. Even these enormous caravan holiday camps were fun. The coast is very rugged in places. Some days it was quiet. Other days storms blew one from the cliffs. Pretty villages and funny resorts.

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Map

Books

The Book Depository
United Kingdom
2018

South West Coast Path: Falmouth to Exmouth
From St Mawes Castle to the Exe Estuary - 179 miles of dramatic and historic coastline Read more

Also available from:
De Zwerver, Netherlands

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SWCP von Weymouth nach Land's End