Traveller's Tales: Walking the South West Coast Path

Walkers' Britain & Europe traveller Peter G. Wells has walked some of Britain's finest long-distance trails. Over two separate springs, he set out to tackle almost the whole of England's South West Coast Path, starting with the northern stretch from Minehead to St Ives, then returning the following year to complete the southern stretch from Porthleven to Poole Harbour. Here is his account.

A path for smugglers, fishermen and senior hikers

Exploring distant lands on foot is a wonderful pastime, and the South West Coast Path is one of the finest examples anywhere. Running 631 miles (1,016 km) along England's southern and south-western coastline, it is an official National Trail, one of the country's longest, officially starting at Minehead, Somerset, on the Bristol Channel, and ending at South Haven Point, Poole Harbour, Dorset, on the English Channel.

Some parts of the path date back hundreds, if not thousands, of years, trodden by local villagers, fishermen, farmers, smugglers and coastal watchers. In the Second World War, defensive positions such as bunkers and pillboxes were built along the coast, many still intact today.

Afterwards, as the path's many sections were connected, upgraded and clearly waymarked with the acorn symbol, it gained a reputation for easy accessibility, abundant accommodation in the towns and villages it passes through, and the outstanding natural beauty of its coves, cliffs, headlands and beaches. Though it never climbs higher than around 300 metres above the shore, walking its full length end to end is apparently equivalent to climbing Mount Everest four times over.

Setting off from Porthleven

In mid-April, after a winter of planning and fitness walking, I embarked on the path's southern stretch along the English Channel. I backpacked for 27 days, starting on a beautiful sunny day at Porthleven, Cornwall, close to Land's End, and completed 285 miles (460 km) of the path, ending at Poole Harbour.

As nights were spent in small hotels, pubs and B&Bs, I carried only essential clothing, water and food, a few key items and my trusty compact camera. Cousins living near the route provided logistical support and considerable encouragement along the way, and a mid-way rest stop in Devon, with fresh clothes and home-cooked meals, was very welcome.

On the path each day I rose early, had a nutritious breakfast, bought lunch locally, and set out for six to eight hours of walking, covering 10 to 12 miles on average. I started out with too much weight and too much ambition for distance, and quickly cut back, given the hilly and often rugged terrain.

It took a few days to adapt physically and mentally to the routine of walking alone, each day, with no other agenda, but meeting people along the way, even briefly, kept my spirits high.

Salt air, wildflowers and watchful steps

Along the English Channel in spring, the ocean air is salty and fresh, the bluebells, wild garlic and daffodils and yellow gorse are in bloom, and the sea is a continuously changing pattern of blues and greys. Going from cove to cove and village to village, crossing estuaries by boat and climbing over headland after headland, there was a real sense of calm discovery.

My primary concerns, as on any long walk, were my feet, which stayed in good shape thanks to a well-worn pair of boots; the weather, which was mostly sunny and warm; and staying alert where the path veered close to cliff edges and dramatic drops to the rocky shore below. Towards the end of the walk there was a stretch of heavy rain, and in east Dorset the path turned indescribably muddy and slippery, but I was lucky to have only three wet days out of the whole trip.

A fellow walker on the Jurassic Coast

I met only one other thru-walker the whole way, a lanky and somewhat mysterious fellow from Eastern Europe who seemed to lurk in the background for days on end. Most days I crossed paths with a few day trippers, friendly and curious about why a Canadian would choose to walk in Britain.

Especially welcome was meeting and chatting with an experienced walker from Norfolk on two separate occasions, then running into him and his wife again on the waterfront at Weymouth, Dorset, near the end of the walk. We joined up for two days to continue along the geologically fascinating Jurassic Coast, 100 miles of East Devon and Dorset coastline running from Exmouth to Old Harry Rocks, known internationally for its fossil-rich rock formations and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Reaching Poole Harbour

Just beyond Old Harry Rocks lies Poole Harbour and the southern end of the Coast Path, or the beginning, depending on which way you walk it. That is where my four-week walk ended, greeted by a cousin's family and very glad of a proper bed.

Returning north: Minehead to St Ives

The following spring I returned to England to walk the northern, less populated stretch of the Coast Path, along the coastlines of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. I started from the small fishing town of Minehead, the official starting point of the path, marked by a striking metal sculpture at Mile 0.

The walk of 216 miles (400 km) took three weeks, ending at the artists' enclave of St Ives, Cornwall, on the open Atlantic.

Exmoor's cliffs and an early spring battering

The early spring brought wet, windy weather and undulating terrain that made the first week quite challenging. There had been recent snow, and few people were out walking. The hills of Exmoor National Park meet the Bristol Channel with headlands and rocky cliffs among the highest in Britain, demanding many steep ascents and descents between shoreline and clifftop.

With the prevailing south-westerly wind in my face and the path often deep in mud, some rainy early days felt like an endless trudge, while others brought clearer skies and superb long views of the coastline still to come. I again carried only the essentials and pre-booked nineteen nights in small inns, hotels and farmhouses, including one magnificent 19th century manor house, which kept me fed and rested along the way.

Villages, ponies and permissive paths

This part of the path is remarkable for its varied geology, long sandy beaches, huge sand dune systems, two large estuaries and countless headlands and streams. I passed through quaint villages such as Combe Martin, the longest village in England, Clovelly, famous for its extreme steepness, and Port Isaac, on a picturesque fishing cove and better known these days as the setting for the television series Doc Martin.

Where the path runs alongside farmland there are permissive paths and plenty of stiles and gates, and I often had to manoeuvre around sheep, cattle and, on this northern stretch, free-roaming ponies that were always happy to welcome a greeting and a pat. In northern Cornwall there are also more desolate stretches where the clifftops still show the scars of old tin and lead mining.

Being an early, cool spring, few flowers were yet in bloom, but nature made up for it in other ways. There were grey seals, miles of heathland, big wild seas, views across to the mysterious Lundy Island with its seabird colonies, and numerous conservation areas protecting breeding birds. The long surf beaches along this stretch, fully exposed to the Atlantic, were also popular with surfers braving the cold water.

Old friends, new friends and the muddiest miles

In England I am always struck by the friendliness of strangers, on the path and in the pubs. Day walkers, often seniors themselves, would offer me coffee, top up my water flasks and ask about my mission. This year I made new friends along the way, two of them fellow Canadians, and walked with them over several days, grateful for the company and the extra reassurance on the extremely muddy and steep sections of North Devon.

My good friends from Norfolk, whom I had met the previous year, kindly came south and joined me for three days, one of them in truly atrocious weather, between the fishing towns of Bude and Padstow. It was wonderful to see them again, and a good example of how quickly people with the same passion for hiking seem to bond on the trail and look out for one another.

A rest at Padstow, then on to St Ives

After two weeks on the northern stretch, a special treat awaited: staying with cousins on a farm near Padstow for a weekend of rest, good food and laundry. From there, I was ready for the final five days along a coastline of farmland, clifftop combes, beaches and sand dunes, reaching St Ives at last, where more friends and relatives were waiting to greet me.

Lessons from the path

Exploring the South West Coast Path on foot is highly recommended, with countless options for walks of varying length along the way. A few lessons from two long springs on the trail: break in your boots well before you go, pack lighter than you think you need to, use two trekking poles on the steeper and muddier sections, take a rest day when you need one, and recognise the early signs of fatigue brought on by tough weather and long climbs. More than anything, enjoy the people you meet along the way. The kindness of strangers, and the company of fellow walkers on the harder days, is as much a part of this path as the cliffs and the coves.

>> View South West Coast Path walking holidays

>> View all self-guided walking holidays in the UK