Almost every town and village offers some refreshment (Cadgwith on Stage 23)

      While some might be daunted at the prospect of walking for weeks on end, staying somewhere different every night, while keeping themselves fed and watered, it is simply a matter of careful planning. Almost every town and village along the way offers some kind of accommodation and refreshment, but it’s always useful to know what’s available in advance.

      This guidebook describes the whole trail from Minehead to Poole Harbour, indicating the level of services along the way. The route is well marked with ‘Coast Path’ signposts and standard National Trail ‘acorn’ symbols. Read each section before setting out. You might, for example, need to ensure that ferries are running across awkward tidal rivers, or secure accommodation in advance in summer, or you might like to know if the next sandy cove has a beach café. Break the route into manageable sections to suit your own ability. There’s no need to stick slavishly to the daily breakdown given in this book, as there are usually plenty of intermediate places where you can halt.

      The suggested itinerary covers 45 days, and while the author has comfortably completed the Coast Path by following this plan, he first covered the distance in only 28 days. The South West Coast Path Association, however, present a 70-day itinerary. If three achievable itineraries were offered for tough, average and easy-going walkers, they might cover 35, 45 and 65 days. It’s unlikely that any walker would follow a set schedule, and almost everyone will choose a comfortable distance each day, taking into account whether the next stretch is easy or difficult, bearing in mind a good or bad weather forecast, coupled with an assessment of how well they feel.

      You can allow more days by splitting some of the longer stages into two days, or you can double up a couple of stages, albeit at the risk of fatigue. The daily average in this guidebook is 22.5km (14 miles), generally in the range from 18–28km (11½–17½ miles). The longest day is 37.5km (23¼ miles) but this is mostly easy and level, and it can be shortened or split into two if desired. The shortest day is 12.5km (7¾ miles), which happens to be the last one. Alter and adapt the schedule to suit your own needs and preferences, aiming for something that doesn’t leave you wrecked!

      The daily stages are not only of uneven length, but some days are fairly easy and others are quite difficult. Read each day’s description carefully before committing yourself, taking note of steep ascents or descents, seasonal ferries, absence of food, drink and accommodation, or anything else that might affect your rate of progress. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and tide tables (see Appendix A for useful websites). Sometimes you might be walking into driving rain, which can be debilitating. Strong winds on clifftops can be very dangerous. Prolonged wet weather makes paths muddy and slippery. Long vegetation might be a problem in a few places in late spring, but it is usually cut back through the summer.

      The beach at Swanage, looking towards the final chalk headland on the Coast Path (Stage 45)

      Despite all your planning, you may find yourself running out of time towards the end. If you’re only short of one or two days, you could skip the one-day circuit round the Isle of Portland (regrettably, because it’s an excellent walk) but still feel that you were staying faithful to the coast. There’s also the South Dorset Ridgeway, inland across the downs, enabling you to keep an eye on the sea while omitting Weymouth and the Isle of Portland altogether. It might give you the time you need to reach the end of the Coast Path on time. Other shortcuts may smack of ‘cheating’, but at the end of the day it’s your walk and your walk alone!

When to go

      For many, the biggest hurdle is finding the time to complete the whole of the South West Coast Path in a single trek. You need to be able to put your home life on hold for several weeks, maybe taking leave of absence from work, or waiting until you retire! Are you serious about completing the whole trail, and are you equal to the task? It might be better to spread the journey over three or four trips of a fortnight or so, judiciously planned to give a taste of all four seasons on the Coast Path. At the end of the day it’s your walk to be completed however you see fit.

      All services along the South West Coast Path are in full swing during July and August, but that can be a stressful time to walk. Days can be hot and humid; crowds of people mill around the towns and villages; while accommodation for one night can prove difficult to obtain. Walking in May and June or September and October can be cooler without being too cold and wet. Crowds will be much reduced, although some areas will be busy. Accommodation is easier to obtain, while most places offering food and drink remain open. However, not everything will be open, and some beach cafés may be closed early or late in the season. Check that the smaller seasonal ferries are going to be operating.

      Parasols at the Life’s a Beach café at Maenporth, on the way to Falmouth (Stage 24)

      Walkers who attempt the South West Coast Path from late October to early April must expect many places to be closed, and some ferries to be absent. Winter weather can be milder than in other parts of Britain, with snowfall rare, but it can still be cold and wet. Winter gales can be ferocious! Some places may flare into life over the Easter period, but close immediately afterwards. Winter walkers need their wits about them to be able to complete the trail successfully. The Coast Path was damaged at several points during the winters of 2011, 2012 and 2013, with more damage early in 2014. Funding had to be secured for a programme of repair works to take place in 2015.

Travel to the South West

      By air

      The main regional airports are Bristol, www.bristolairport.co.uk, and Exeter, www.exeter-airport.co.uk. Although these are a fair distance from the start of the Coast Path, they may suit those who have to travel from the furthest reaches of Britain, or who are coming from overseas. Other useful small airports are located at Newquay, www.cornwallairportnewquay.com, Land’s End, www.landsendairport.co.uk and Bournemouth, www.bournemouthairport.com.

      By train

      CrossCountry Trains, www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk, run from Scotland, through Northern England and the Midlands to feed into the South West of England. Trains can be used to reach Taunton, from where there are regular buses to Minehead. If walking the Coast Path in stages, the same train runs all the way to Penzance. CrossCountry Trains also run from Poole and Bournemouth to Scotland. Great Western Railway trains, www.gwr.com, run from London Paddington to Penzance via Taunton, and the company also serves branch lines to Barnstaple, Newquay, St Ives, Falmouth, Looe, Torquay, Exmouth and Weymouth. Other main line services include South Western Railway, www.southwesternrailway.com, from London Waterloo to Exeter, Bournemouth and Weymouth.

      By bus

      Most towns have National Express offices or agents, and most tourist information centres have details of services. National Express buses

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