If you’ve never heard of it, the SWCP is the UK’s longest national trail. It stretches all the way from Minehead in Somerset, around the rugged cliffs of North Devon, through Cornwall’s wild Atlantic edge, along the Jurassic Coast of Dorset, and finally ends in Poole Harbour. In other words: it’s a big one.
🥾 630 miles from start to finish
🗺️ It involves 115,000 feet of ascent and descent – that’s four times the height of Everest
⛱️ You pass through 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
🦭 You might spot dolphins, seals, and the occasional puffin
🚶♀️ Around 9 million steps, give or take, depending on leg length and snack breaks
Our last day on the South West Coast Path began with a now-familiar ritual—another fantastic breakfast at Renato’s, who’d looked after us brilliantly during our short stay. As we stepped outside to put our walking shoes on for the final time, we heard the unmistakable sound of party blowers and looked up to see Soph and Caz appearing like a burst of confetti—wearing T-shirts with our actual faces …
Day 56 – Weymouth (Day Off) Today was a welcome change of pace – a proper day off in the seaside town of Weymouth, with Tracey’s mum and dad, Pat and Tony, joining us for some well-earned downtime. The day began with an absolutely enormous breakfast, made by Pat – enough to fuel us for a day of relaxing, wandering, and catching up on a few tasks …
Day 51 – Exmouth to Sidmouth (14.3 miles) The calm before the climb… After another restless, hot night of tossing and turning, we kicked off the day with a final breakfast with the folks. Bless them—they met us at 7:50am so we could squeeze in one last visit to our favourite spot in Exmouth, Sundowners. As always, it didn’t disappoint—great food, great coffee, and great company to send …
Day 46 – Dartmouth (Day Off) As has become tradition, our rest day was spent recovering, doing some much-needed laundry, and—unfortunately for me—spending a tedious three hours on a Speed Awareness Course… joy! Still, once it was done, it was done. Tracey whipped up some lovely food, and we spent a relaxed afternoon catching up on work and recharging at the apartment. Later on, we …
Day 41 – Plymouth Waterfront Walkway (4.3 miles) Today was supposed to be a rest day… but after a leisurely morning and a quick glance at tomorrow’s route, we realised we’d accidentally skipped the Plymouth Waterfront Walkway – a scenic stretch of the South West Coast Path we should’ve tackled yesterday after the ferry. Honestly, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise; if …
Day 36 – Mevagissey to Par (13.5 miles) Today marked our final walking day before a much-anticipated day off – and mentally, that made a difference. We set off knowing we could handle anything the path threw at us. Or so we thought… What we didn’t expect was just how relentlessly up and down the route would be! By the time we’d reached our halfway lunch spot, …
Day 31 – Lizard Point to Coverack (11.7 miles) We started the day with storm warnings on the radio, hail predicted, and the eerie blast of the Lizard Point Lighthouse foghorn cutting through the thick morning mist every 30 seconds. A grim forecast, but we geared up and headed out anyway. Despite the drizzle, it never developed into the monster weather we were warned about. …
Day 26 – Sennen Cove to Paul (15.4 miles) Storms were predicted, rain was on the radar, and high winds were expected… and yet, somehow, we escaped it all! Aside from two very fleeting 30-second drizzles, we managed to walk in dry (if occasionally brooding) weather. Very lucky indeed. We kicked off with a hearty breakfast at Old Success Inn in Sennen Cove, a charming 17th-century pub …
Day 21 – Portreath to Hayle (13.3 miles) Today brought picture-perfect walking conditions—blue skies, gentle temperatures and a calm breeze. The early miles passed quickly, powered by decent energy levels and a relatively forgiving path. But before long, the fatigue of nearly three weeks on the trail crept back in. No particular aches, just a general weariness that’s becoming all too familiar. We stopped mid-route …
Day 16 – Rest Day – Padstow The sun was shining, Padstow was looking beautiful… and I was full of cold. Still, we made the most of it. We had a lovely wander around town and treated ourselves to breakfast at Cherry Trees Coffee House – a proper gem of a spot. The food was excellent and much-needed. Laundry, however, was another matter. A mild panic set …
