Five of the best walks on England’s South West Coast Path
18.08.2023 - 12:31
/ theguardian.com
/ West Coast
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.
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