South West Coast Path
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
At 630 miles (1014 km) long, the South West Coast Path is Britain's longest national trail, running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole in Dorset. Since it rises and falls with every river mouth, it is also one of the more challenging trails.
The path has been a complete National Trail since 1978.
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[edit] History of the Path
The path originated as a route for the Coast guard to walk from lighthouse to lighthouse patrolling for smugglers. As a result, the path closely hugs the coast providing excellent views but rarely the most direct path between two points. Britain has unique right-of-way laws that keep historic foot paths open to the public even when they pass through private property. The South West Coast Path is no longer used by the Coast guard but it has been transformed from a practical defence system into a resource for recreation walkers. Sections of the path are maintained by the National Trust.
[edit] Special landscapes
Many of the landscapes which the South West Coast Path crosses have special status, either as a National Park or one of the Heritage Coasts:
- Somerset & North Devon
- Exmoor Heritage Coast and Exmoor National Park.
- North Devon Heritage Coast
- Braunton Burrows — World Heritage Site and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
- Taw and Torridge Estuary
- Hartland Heritage Coast
- North Cornwall
- Pentire Point — Widemouth Heritage Coast
- Trevose Head Heritage Coast
- Godrevy — Portreath Heritage Coast
- Penwith Heritage Coast
- South Cornwall
- South Devon and Dorset
- South Devon Heritage Coast
- East Devon Heritage Coast
- The Jurassic Coast, a 95 mile (155km) long World Heritage Site
- Dorset Heritage Coast
[edit] Places of interest
In order from Minehead to Poole Harbour
[edit] Somerset and North Devon
- St Culbone's Church, Culbone, Somerset: Smallest parish church in England
- Exmoor National Park
- Valley of the Rocks near Lynton
- River Heddon
- Woody Bay
- Lee Bay
- Braunton Burrows
- Ilfracombe Branch Line – path follows trackbed of disused railway between Braunton and Barnstaple.
- Royal Marines Base Chivenor
- Bideford Extension Railway – path follows trackbed of disused railway between Barnstaple and Bideford.
- Bideford and Instow Railway
- Westward Ho! pebble ridge
- Hartland Point
[edit] North Cornwall
From Bude to Land's End
- Widemouth Bay
- Crackington Haven
- Tintagel — legendary birth place of King Arthur
- Trevose Head
- Watergate Bay
- Pentire Point
- St Agnes Head
- Godrevy Island and lighthouse
- Hayle Towans — extensive sand dunes
- Carbis Bay
- Botallack Mine — disused tin mine
- Cape Cornwall
- Whitesand Bay
- Land's End
[edit] South Cornwall
- Minack Theatre — an open air theatre
- St Michael's Mount
- Loe Bar and Loe Pool
- Mullion Cove
- Lizard Point
- Cadgwith
- Helford River
- Gweek — seal sanctuary
- Carrick Roads, overlooked by Pendennis Castle and St Mawes Castle
- St Anthony Head
- Zone Point
- Dodman Point
- Pentewan — silted up dock
- Black Head
- Gribbin Head
- Estuary of the River Fowey
- Rame Head
- Hamoaze — the combined estuary of the River Tamar and other rivers
[edit] South Devon
- Plymouth Sound and The Hoe
- Bolt Tail
- Salcombe Castle
- Kingsbridge Estuary
- Slapton Ley
- South Devon Railway sea wall
- Dawlish Warren — sand spit and estuary of the River Exe
- River Otter
- Ladram Bay
- Jacob's Ladder at Sidmouth
- Beer Caves
[edit] Dorset
- The Cobb breakwater and fossils at Lyme Regis
- Golden Cap
- Chesil Beach and The Fleet — a tombolo and lagoon
- Portland Bill
- Isle of Portland and Portland Harbour
- Nothe Fort
- Wey Estuary
- Ringstead Bay
- White Nothe
- Bat's Head
- Swyre Head
- Durdle Door — a natural arch
- Lulworth Cove
- Tyneham — a ghost village
- Kimmeridge — a wave cut platform and rocky shore
- St Albans Head
- Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks
- Durlston Country Park
- Studland Bay, Beach and psammosere
- Poole Harbour
[edit] Towns and villages
In order from Minehead to Poole Harbour
[edit] Somerset and North Devon
- Minehead
- Porlock Weir
- Lynmouth
- Lynton
- Combe Martin
- Ilfracombe
- Mortehoe
- Woolacombe
- Croyde
- Saunton
- Braunton
- Barnstaple
- Fremington
- Instow
- Bideford
- Appledore
- Northam, Devon
- Westward Ho!
- Clovelly
- Hartland
- Welcombe
[edit] North Cornwall
- Morwenstow
- Bude
- Boscastle
- Port Isaac
- Polzeath
- Padstow
- Newquay and Fistral Beach
- Perranporth
- St Agnes
- Portreath
- Hayle
- St Ives
- St Just
- Sennen
[edit] South Cornwall
- Mousehole
- Newlyn
- Penzance
- Marazion
- Porthleven
- Falmouth
- St Mawes
- Mevagissey
- St Austell
- Charlestown
- Par
- Fowey
- Polperro
- Looe
[edit] South Devon
- Plymouth
- Wembury
- Salcombe
- Dartmouth
- Kingswear
- Brixham
- Paignton
- Torquay
- Teignmouth
- Dawlish
- Exmouth
- Budleigh Salterton
- Sidmouth
- Branscombe
- Beer
- Seaton
[edit] Dorset
- Lyme Regis
- Charmouth
- Bridport
- Abbotsbury
- Fortuneswell
- Weymouth
- Osmington Mills
- Worth Matravers
- Swanage
[edit] Intersecting paths
A route covering such a wide area inevitably intersects with other, more local, routes.
[edit] Tarka Trail
Between Ilfracombe and Bideford, the path mostly follows a coastal section of the Tarka Trail. For part of this route, the paths follow the course of disused railway lines: the Ilfracombe Branch Line, between Braunton and Barnstaple, and the Bideford Branch Line, between Barnstaple and Bideford.
[edit] Public transport
Using public transport for at least part of their journey means that walkers can plan walks which start and finish at different places, rather than have to circle back to their start point to collect their cars.
[edit] Railways
More than twenty railway stations give options for both short walks — such as Dawlish to Paignton — or for longer walks over several days.
[edit] Bus services
Most towns and villages along the South West Coast Path have bus services, although some of these may not be very frequent.
Long distance bus services connect some coastal towns with railway stations:
- Bude to Exeter St Davids railway station
- Ilfracombe to Taunton railway station
- Minehead to Taunton railway station
- Padstow to Bodmin Parkway railway station
- Westward Ho! and Bideford to Barnstaple railway station
[edit] External links
- Official site
- South West Coast Path Association (SWCPA) – News, guidance for walkers, publications (maps and guides)
- SWCPA – Photo Tour
- Walk the Cornwall Coast
- Photos and Information
