Take A Hike: England's Spectacular Southwest Coast Path

All photos by Worldwide Scott

No matter where you may find yourself in England, you can bet you aren’t far away from a walking path. Yes, the country is completely crisscrossed with trails, many of them having been in use since ancient times. Others are modern-day products, created from scratch for public initiatives or clever recreational reinventions of things like disused train lines.

While some of these tracks can be tackled in time to be home for afternoon tea, still others are serious long-distance slogs, taking anything from a day or two to a couple of months to complete. Fifteen of these long-distance trails in England and Wales are called National Trails, and arguably the most spectacular of them all is the Southwest Coast Path.

A Little History

All who enjoy the splendor of the Southwest Coast Path today have the defenders of the British coast from yesterday to thank. Since the southwest stretch of England was a hotbed of smuggling activity, coast guardsman had no choice but to patrol every single cove and cliff along the coast. Their well-trodden tracks became the foundation of the Southwest Coast Path when it was formally launched as a National Trail in 1978. 

Going the Distance

Stretching for 630 miles, the Southwest Coast Path is the longest of all the National Trails, and arguably the most scenic. The trail starts in Minehead, Somerset, then snakes its way across the entirety of both Cornwall and Devon to finish up at Poole Harbour in Dorset.

Don’t feel any pressure to walk the whole path on your next trip though, as most people enjoy it a few hours or a few days at a time before coming back and attempting another stretch.

What You’ll See on the SCP

The trail hugs the coast nearly the entire time (remember, those patrols had to be on the edge of the rocks to see those smugglers), so it treats walkers to absolutely stunning sights of rocky cliffs, windswept beaches, foamy sea, fascinating flora & fauna, and everything in between. The views are constantly changing along the way, making each stretch of the path slightly different from the last.

I mean, just look at these pictures.

In addition, there is plenty of sights to be taken in along the way in the form of ruins, lighthouses, hidden churches, lost-in-time seaside villages, and wartime relics - including many having to do with the Allied preparation for D-Day.

The geology on display may just be the most fascinating sight of them all though, and the path includes a spell along the UNESCO World Heritage Jurassic Coast - where over 180 million years of geological history is on show. 

Come On Get Higher

In addition to the gorgeous geology and astounding landscapes, a signature of the Southwest Coast Path is the up-and-down nature of it. In fact, it is said that the elevation climbed on the entirety of the path is the equivalent to climbing Mount Everest … four times.

READ MORE: Discovering England’s Natural Side

How to Find the Trail

Finding the SCP is pretty simple. Just make your way to the coast somewhere between Minehead and Poole Harbour, look to your left or right, and you are bound to see the path. If for some reason you miss it, look for a sign post adorned with an acorn, as there are over 30,000 of these on the path pointing walkers in the right direction.

Resources:

The end-all-be-all site for everything Southwest Coast Path is: southwestcoastpath.org.uk, they provide everything from maps to suggested walks, and all kinds of advice. 

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