The South West Coast Path. Paddy Dillon
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Keep to the path and stay away from cliff edges – follow advisory signs and waymarks
Keep back from cliff edges – a slip or trip could be fatal.
Remember that some cliffs overhang or are unstable.
Take special care of children and dogs – look after them at all times
Keep your dog under close control.
Children and dogs may not see potential dangers – such as cliff edges – especially if they’re excited.
Do not disturb farm animals or wildlife – walk around cattle and not between them, especially if they have calves.
Cattle may react aggressively to dogs – if this happens, let your dog off the lead.
Dress sensibly for the terrain and weather – wear suitable clothing and footwear and be ready for possible changes in the weather
Check the weather forecast before you set out.
On the coast, mist, fog and high winds are more likely and can be especially dangerous.
Wear suitable footwear.
Take waterproofs and extra clothing, especially in cold weather.
Stay within your fitness level – some sections of the Coast Path can be strenuous and/or remote
Plan a walk that suits your fitness level.
Find out about the section you plan to walk.
Turn back if the walk is too strenuous for anyone in your group.
Be aware that the surface of the Coast Path varies and will generally be more natural and more uneven away from car parks, towns and villages.
Remember that in remote areas or at quiet times you may not see another person for some time if you are in difficulties.
In an emergency, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard
Learn to read a map to be able to accurately report your position – visit www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk
The ‘Rugged Alternative Coast Path’ runs closer to the sea than the main route (Stage 1)
South West Coast Path Challenge
A major fundraising event is organised each October along the Coast Path. The aim is to get as many walkers as possible, of all ages and ability, to choose and walk a stretch of the route. Funds raised are used to maintain the Coast Path, which is estimated to cost £1000 per mile per year. Full details of the challenge are available at www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk
ALL ABOUT THE REGION
Geography
Looking back towards the headland of Cambeak on the way towards Beeny Cliff (Stage 10)
The South West Coast Path is confined to the extreme south-western peninsula of Britain. The coastal scenery ranges from high cliffs and rugged slopes to long, sandy beaches and hummocky dunes, with some areas of marshland, as well as small settlements and larger urban areas. Inland, there might be anything from green fields and woodlands to rugged heather moorlands and masses of gorse bushes. However, the most elevated parts of the south-west lie much further inland, including Exmoor, Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor. The high ground interrupts winds carrying moist air from the Atlantic Ocean, resulting in more mist and rain at altitude than is experienced around the coastline.
Geology
The Coast Path passes through a notch in the crumbling granite of Cligga Head (Stage 16)
The south-west of England is a huge area, and its geology is not easily condensed into a few words. The oldest rocks are of late Cambrian age, from 490 million years ago, found on the Lizard peninsula in South Cornwall. They derive not from the earth’s crust, but from the deep-seated mantle beneath. They’ve undergone a process of metamorphosis – altered by immense temperature and pressure – and one of the most important rock-types resulting from this is serpentine, which is locally worked into delightful ornamental forms.
The bulk of rock types in Exmoor, Devon and Cornwall are of Devonian and Carboniferous age, stretching from 420 to 300 million years ago. Vast thicknesses of sediments were laid beneath the sea, becoming gritstone, sandstone, shale and limestone. Towards the end of this period, the rock beds were being squeezed into mountain ranges, becoming crushed and folded. A huge batholith of molten rock, deep in the Earth’s crust, pushed them upwards, solidifying to become the granite that is now exposed around Dartmoor, Bodmin Moor, St Austell, Carnmenellis and West Penwith. Coastal cliff faces often display intensely contorted beds of rock, best seen around Hartland and Crackington Haven in North Cornwall.
The heat and pressure associated with mountain-building also squeezed mineral-rich fluids into cracks in the rock, which solidified into metal-bearing veins containing tin, lead and copper, giving rise to an important mining industry. Some shales and mudstones were changed to slates, which were quarried as roofing material. Granite has been used extensively for building, as it is generally hardwearing. In places where it rots and crumbles, it provided the basic ingredient for the china-clay industry around St Austell.
The Permian, ranging from 300 to 250 million years ago, saw extensive desert landscapes, but this was followed by the Triassic, when the land sank back under the sea. The geology of east Devon and Dorset is remarkably different. The Triassic gave way to the Jurassic, from 200 to 145 million years ago, and the abundant marine life is preserved in fossil-rich locations along the coast. Further east, the Cretaceous, from 145 to 65 million years ago, is characterised by immense thicknesses of chalk, giving rise to sheer white cliffs. The ‘Jurassic Coast’ is a World Heritage Site on account of its geological significance.
During the last Ice Age the south-west was free of glaciers and the landscape was bleak tundra with permafrost conditions. Britain wasn’t an island, but was joined to mainland Europe. With the melting of the northern ice sheets, sea levels rose, but the whole of Britain tilted, with Scotland rising slightly, as evidenced by numerous raised beaches. The south-west of England, by contrast, sank so that river valleys were flooded by the sea. Along some parts of the coast the land is steadily being eroded, while on other parts of the coast the same eroded material is being piled up into beaches of sand and shingle.
Plants and wildlife
Sea pinks above Mill Bay, or Nanjizal, on the way from Land’s End to Gwennap Head (Stage 19)
Woodlands are uncommon along the Coast Path, with the greatest concentration occurring during the first week, through Exmoor and north Devon. Semi-natural woodland is rare, and most woods are actually plantations. There are plenty of trees in hedgerows, while in places exposed to wind and salt-burn, trees are often stunted and lean dramatically inland in formations known as ‘krumholz ’. The woody shrub called gorse generally blazes with yellow flowers in the summer. Non-native trees and bushes may be spotted along the coast, including ornamental palm trees in some resorts and gardens.
In many uncultivated places, there may be a rich coastal heath, comprising of stunted gorse scrub and heather, through which an abundance of wild flowers grow, well protected against grazing animals. More specialist plants cling to rocky cliffs, safe from grazing, or are able to flourish on dry storm beaches or perpetually wet mudflats. Attempting