South West Coast Path: visitor guide

The path runs around the whole south-west peninsula: Minehead in Somerset, along the Exmoor coast into Devon, around Cornwall and Land's End, back east through south Devon, Dorset and the Jurassic Coast to Poole Harbour. It is waymarked with the acorn symbol and split into short official sections, most 8–20 km, so you can walk a day, a week or the lot.

Distances below are approximate and rounded; treat times as walking-only, without stops. Headlands, coves and cliff-top detours mean the real day is often longer than the map suggests.

Late spring and early autumn give the best mix: drier ground, long daylight, fewer people and easier B&B availability. May and June also catch the coastal flowers and seabird colonies. September keeps the sea warm and the crowds thinner.

July and August are the busiest weeks, with UK school holidays pushing prices up and small villages filling. Book beds weeks ahead. Winter walking is possible but daylight is short, some seasonal ferries, cafés and campsites shut, and cliff paths get muddy and slippery. Storms can close sections at short notice.

The trail passes through villages and small towns roughly every 8–20 km, so you can walk inn-to-inn without camping. Expect B&Bs, pubs with rooms, guesthouses and self-catering cottages; larger stops such as Minehead, Ilfracombe, Padstow, St Ives, Penzance, Falmouth, Plymouth, Dartmouth, Exmouth and Lyme Regis have the widest choice.

Book direct where you can, and tell the owner you are walking — many will dry boots, store bags or arrange a packed lunch. Luggage transfer between overnight stops is a common paid service on the popular sections (check locally). Campsites cluster near the coast in summer; wild camping is not a legal right in England, so ask landowners or use official sites.

There is no single gateway. Minehead, the northern start, is reached by bus from Taunton, which has rail links from London Paddington. Poole, the southern end, has a direct train from London Waterloo. Most walkers fly or train into Bristol, Exeter or Newquay and connect by bus or hire car.

Once on the trail, buses and trains link many of the larger stops, but rural services are thin, especially on Sundays and in winter. Ferries cross several estuaries — Appledore, Padstow, Helford, St Mawes, Cawsand, Dartmouth, Teignmouth and Studland among them — and some are seasonal or tide-dependent. Check times the day before; a missed ferry can add hours.

This is a low-level but relentless trail: expect repeated climbs of 100–200 m, stone stiles, mud after rain and exposed cliff tops with no shelter. Good waterproof boots, a waterproof jacket and trekking poles make a real difference. Carry water and food for the day — some sections have no shop or café for 10 km or more.

Mobile signal is patchy in coves and on remote cliffs. Download offline maps and the official section guides before you go. Tide and weather matter: some beach and estuary crossings are only safe at low tide, and cliff paths can be diverted after landslips. Check the trail association's current route notices and local ferry status each morning.

A self-guided day on the trail is cheap: transport, a pub lunch and a bed. The main costs are accommodation and food, which rise sharply in July and August and in honeypot villages such as St Ives and Padstow. Walking the full route over 7–8 weeks is a significant budget; most visitors do a short section instead.

Figures below are 2026 estimates for one person, per day, and vary by season and location.