South West Coastal Path

Looking back on my first attempt to walk the South West Coastal Path

It wasn’t really so much of an interruption, more really a chance to slow down a bit and have a decent conversation with someone. For the whole of this coastal path walk I’ve met lots of people, and had loads of different conversations, but I’d never actually walked…

The hardest thing about a hiking trip, probably obvious if you think about it, isn’t actually the walking. The walking is certainly a fundamental part. If you can’t walk the distance then you’re definitely going to struggle. But I find something else…

I always ask the same question when I pack for each of my trekking holidays. Shall I pack my umbrella. It always ends up coming on the trip but it does tend to get added and removed from the kit list a few times before a decision is made.  Most back packers probably…

I’d been looking at this part of the route a long time before even arriving on the coastal path. Most times, when there is a bit estuary or river, there is a way to get across. Normally that’s a ferry or sometimes it’s a case of walking across at low tide….

This has been a very challenging but really positive day. There have been really difficult sections of path, followed by more relaxing parts, and then finishing with a proper test of my fitness and resolve. So I’m really happy. The icing on the cake was that a couple…

There are lots of snails and slugs on the path. Especially when it’s raining. I do wonder how many get crushed by walkers boots as people make their way around the coastline. I also got to wondering if this was ok because a bird would then eat it, so nothing was…

Something changes in your life once you get to a certain age where your interest in the weather focuses on how good or bad it’ll be for drying your washing. Well today was definitely a good day for putting the washing out and I took full advantage. My socks and boots…

I think today will be one of those days that I look back upon with fond memories but actually at the time was a bit of a slog. The weather has been pretty unpleasant with rain and fairly strong winds plus the path from my camping spot, near Port Isaac, to here has…

I’d been thinking about strawberries ever since Jenny sent me a picture of some of the ones we’d grown at home. When I’m walking I often feel really thirsty and no matter how much water I drink I never feel refreshed. Especially when it’s hot. But I also really crave…

Well a bit of it has fallen – into the sea. The whole coast from Newquay to where I am now looks like it’s suffering from coastal erosion in one way or another. I guess it all depends what rock the cliffs are made of and that some are more susceptible to it than…

I noticed this when I was walking the coastal path last year as well. Then, I didn’t have the whole route programmed into my watch, so at the end of each day I’d add the miles walked that day onto a running total of miles walked throughout the trip. I’d then minus…

I need to be clear, today’s post is not about my sister’s bottom. It’s not about how, when we used to go swimming, her bottom would be the first thing to surface when she was trying to swim under water. No, it’s not about that. Sally’s bottom is actually the name of…

In a surprise, even to me, it’s going to be a wild camp tonight. I did originally think that I’d definitely use a campsite on my first night of walking because it would help to settle me into the walk and take some pressure off. There were a couple of campsites quite…

When I left Cape Cornwall last October it was pouring with rain and wasn’t particularly pleasant. I was really pleased to have just got into the car with the heating and the heated seats switched on. I was really cold and just wanted to get to our hotel, have a decent…

When I finished the Great Glen Way, despite part of me feeling that I wasn’t sure I had another walk in me, I started plotting my next move

Approaching this walk I wasn’t really thinking about the actual journey, about getting from point A to point B and back again. I was thinking more about ticking off a small part of the coastal path that had been a minor inconvenience, a small nemesis. I’d somehow…

The problem was that the gap was a bit of a nuisance. It’d annoyed me at the time when I couldn’t get from Kimmeridge Bay to Lulworth Cove on the South West Coastal Path. It had only been my first day of proper walking and I’d already failed and had to get a taxi to…

The path from Lamorna carried on in the same vane as it’d arrived. Really slippy, lots of polished rocks to climb, and complex parts to navigate. It was a really fun path but not one you could rush. The rocks are so smooth and worn that they seem almost metallic. Unfo…

What a great start to the day After packing up a very wet tent we drove down to Porthleven where I’d finished my previous day. Jenny and I have holidayed here before and we found a cafe near a pub called The Ship and had breakfast. The Ship has happy memories for us…

The most southerly point of the path I finally made it to Lizard Point. I’d been looking forward to this as, along with getting into each county, Lizard point seemed a significant milestone. I don’t feel especially impressed with myself at the moment but I hope when I…

Wet night in camp Jenny wasn’t too happy with her first campsite booking. It was quite a strange setup and didn’t really have proper facilities like a decent shower block. When she picked me up from Porthallow she said that some of my wild camps had probably had…

The weather stopped After a great night in camp I woke up to just the sound of the sea. We were in a very sheltered spot but had been able to hear the wind all night in the trees and that noise had now stopped. All was calm. I checked the ferry service and it was on…

Back where I started I was still disappointed but not surprised when I woke up in the morning to pretty high winds with a forecast for them to get worst through the day and into the night. A few people I was camping near were packing up a day earlier than they’d…

A different perspective For much of the walk today I found myself looking out to sea more. It might have been the direction the path was heading and now was angled away from the mainland or just what I was focused on. Previously it felt I was looking at the upcoming…

I’ve had a brilliant day I wasn’t expecting much from the coastal path from Carlyon Bay as it looked on the map that it went through the outskirts of St Austell and I know it’s often a more urban affair walking through these places. I couldn’t have been more wrong…

What amazing people you meet I love how sometimes a chance encounter can make your day, and today I was very lucky. I’d decided to use a hotel tonight for reasons I’ll cover later. The hotel was a bit inland but I’d seen on my maps that you could cut across a golf…

I’d just made it to the campsite as it was starting to rain and the wind was really picking up. I was wondering if I should just wait in one of the sheltered areas for the rain to calm down, as I figured it wouldn’t last long, or if I should just put the tent up…

It might just be my age Today has had so many different parts, that when I think back to this morning, it feels like a different day. So I’m not sure I’m going to have remembered things in much detail but I will try my best. I’ve gone from waking up on Hilsea point,…

Last night I realised that the River Erme stood in my way on the path. Unlike the other estuaries this one has no ferry so you either walk around it for 7 miles on roads or, as Dora would say, you walk through it. Well I’ve now arrived at the crossing point and I’m…

I was just walking between Salcombe and Bantham and the wind has really hit. The forecast was saying gusts of 50mph and I’m was struggling to stay on my feet. The forecast is for Salcombe but I was on top of the cliff so it might be more for me. They’re stronger than…

Now new boots, replacement tent, and some different gear and it’s a whole new world and I’m happy to be back on the trail. Kingswear It was still quite dark when I started the walk towards Kingswear. I kept on forgetting the name and calling it Kings Landing in my…

I had a terrible night in camp. I will detail what happened in my next post, but in summary my tent broke and my boots were broken, and if I’m honest my spirit was as well. But I decided to make my way to Beesands and then along came rescue.

Camping in the forest I knew it wasn’t the ideal spot but I’d put myself in the situation by being indecisive. Also not reading the map properly and realising that there were quite a few houses near where I decided to try after already finding a perfectly good camp. I…

I woke up at around 4am to the sound of pouring rain. A bit confused initially as to where I was and then a little disappointed that I’d used a hotel. At least though I wouldn’t have to pack up in the rain be walking in it at 6am. Down to breakfast for 7:30am and then…

A slight change of plan So I’ve ended up at a hotel. There are reasons for this. Some are probably pretty valid and others I think I’m making up to justify the decision. However, the decision was made and I’m now in a hotel room charging my internal battery and, as an…

Another wild camp I woke up at 6am and had not been moved on. I didn’t really relax for much of the night but I guess I’ll just get used to it in time. I was rewarded by the most spectacular views.  After packing up my kit I just sat on my chair and watching the sea…

The wild camp I didn’t pick the best spot but it was getting late and I was getting nervous. Half the tent was down a slope so the pitch was pretty poor. I didn’t sleep well either but that was mainly because it was too hot. The quilt I use is really good in cooler…

Lazy start I really took my time this morning. Lazy Ben had decided that he had all the time in the world. He woke up naturally, got dressed, strolled up the field to pay for camping and whatever was sold in the shop. Chatted to a fellow hiker for 20 minutes. Got…

I was thinking it was because you might fall to your death off the edge of a cliff, with your final thoughts being that you should have got that earlier train, shortly followed by knowing Jenny’s going to kill me. I was wrong, it’s because you miss views like these….

The plan I’m not sure why I thought my plan for how to start the walk was going to be so easy. I think I knew when I made the plan that it’d be quite tight on time scales, but as this was a while ago I think I forgot. So, roughly it was as follows – Walk to…