The South West Coast Path. Paddy Dillon
it should be possible to book two or three days ahead, then book another night or two later, based around your performance on the trail. If assistance is needed, it’s always possible to deal with Luggage Transfers, www.luggagetransfers.co.uk, and let them make the arrangements. Walkers recommend many of these addresses, so there’s a good chance you’ll be very well looked after.
Book a bed ahead
A few tourist information centres can make bookings for you, and they usually have a good knowledge of what’s available in their localities. They may also be able to book places two or three days ahead along the trail. Let them have your requirements, then retire for a cream tea and pop back after half an hour to see how they’ve fared. They typically make a small charge for these services, and they may also charge a deposit, which will be discounted from the bill you pay at your accommodation.
Facilities en route
Looking back to Portloe and its tiny harbour from the cliff path (Stage 26)
Food and drink
In the peak summer season there’s no shortage of food and drink along the South West Coast Path. In fact, backpackers often regret carrying cooking equipment as they walk past frequent offers of pasties, chips and cream teas. All the towns have an abundance of pubs and restaurants, and many small villages may have a couple of pubs and cafés. However, it’s always good to know which villages don’t have these services, as well as which beaches are likely to have a café.
Throughout this guidebook, pubs, restaurants, cafés and shops are noted in passing, and Appendix B provides an at-a-glance breakdown of what’s available on and near the route. Bear in mind that in the winter months many places close. Refreshments can seem grossly overpriced at some places, but remember that you’re paying for the convenience, and taking your custom elsewhere could result in half a day’s walk!
Money
Being away from home for weeks, you either need to carry lots of money, or need access to funds along the way. Many upmarket accommodation providers and restaurants will accept credit cards, but most other places want cash. There are banks at irregular intervals, and most have ATMs (see Appendix B). Banks in towns along the way are noted in this guidebook. Post offices are also mentioned, which could be useful as they offer banking services. Some supermarkets may have a cash dispenser in-store, or they may offer a ‘cashback’ service.
A seven-week backpacking tour might just be completed on a budget of a few hundred pounds, while seven weeks of staying in hotels and eating splendid meals might easily run to several thousand pounds!
A homeless couple walked the path on an extremely tight budget. Read The Salt Path by Raynor Winn, published by Michael Joseph.
Tourist information centres
There are about 40 tourist information centres either on the Coast Path or a short distance from it. They contain a wealth of local information and the staff are usually very knowledgeable. Most of them will be able to assist with local accommodation bookings. Details are given for tourist information centres on the Coast Path, both as they occur along the route and in Appendix A.
Baggage transfer services
More and more long-distance walkers take advantage of luggage transfer services these days, and one company covers the whole of the South West Coast Path. Luggage Transfers (tel 0800 043 7927, www.luggagetransfers.co.uk) will collect and transfer luggage between overnight stops, leaving you free to carry only a day sack along the Coast Path. In some instances they will also transport people. Transfers need to be arranged at least a day in advance, so check their terms and conditions, bearing in mind that accommodation and campsite bookings may need to be confirmed before they will undertake to deliver.
One man and his dog
Maybe you were inspired by 500 Mile Walkies, by Mark Wallington, who took his dog Boogie around the South West Coast Path, or maybe your dog always goes with you on long walks. Note that many beaches have a ‘dog ban’ during the summer months, and there are many fields near cliff edges where sheep and cattle graze, where a dog might cause a stampede. If cattle react aggressively to your dog, let it off the lead and ensure your own safety. Your dog will usually manage fine on its own and will rejoin you later. People have been killed while trying to protect their dogs.
Local people walk their dogs along daily beats, and some local dogs resent the approach of a strange dog. Walkers with dogs will find that some accommodation providers won’t accept them, and some pubs and restaurants won’t allow dogs on the premises. Think carefully before committing yourself to such a long walk with man’s best friend.
What to take
Walkers heading towards Damehole Point between Hartland Point and Hartland Quay (Stage 8)
Kit choice depends largely on choice of accommodation and whether or not luggage transfers are to be used. However, no special kit is required for walking along the South West Coast Path, apart from decent footwear, waterproofs for wet and windy days, and a sunhat and sunscreen for hot and sunny days.
Completely self-sufficient backpackers should travel lightweight, and will not need particularly robust tents or bulky sleeping bags in summer. Food and drink can be bought at regular intervals, so there is no need to carry heavy loads.
Those who plan to sleep indoors could manage with nothing more than their usual day-sack contents, plus a change of clothes and possibly a lightweight change of footwear. However, this assumes that clothes will be washed and dried every couple of days, and walking with such a lightweight pack will of course mean sacrificing many luxuries.
Plenty of extra clothing and footwear, along with a variety of luxury items, can be packed if you’re using a luggage transfer service. Always ensure that the people at each accommodation stop are aware that your luggage will be left with them, and be realistic about the distance you intend to cover each day – or you may find yourself falling short of where your luggage has been delivered!
Whatever is being carried, be sure to check footwear, clothing and kit from time to time to ensure that nothing is failing or in need of replacement. A basic repair kit can take care of minor tears and stitch-work. Items of kit and clothing can be replaced in most large towns, but suddenly changing into new and unfamiliar footwear could be asking for trouble. In case of sudden need when far from a decent range of shops, it might be necessary to catch a bus or train off-route in search of particular items.
PLANNING DAY BY DAY
Godrevy Island and its lighthouse off the end of Godrevy Point (Stage 17)
Using this guide
An information box at the beginning of each stage provides the essential statistics for the day’s walk: start and finish points (including grid refs), distance covered, height gain, the length of time it’s likely to take to complete the stage, an overview of the types of terrain you’ll encounter, the appropriate OS Landranger and Explorer sheets along with the relevant A–Z atlas and Harvey map, and places en route (as well as slightly off-route) where you can buy refreshments.
Stage maps, extracted from the Ordnance Survey mapping, are provided at a scale of 1:50,000. They run from page to page, covering the whole of the South West Coast Path. In the route description, significant places or features along the way that also appear on the map extracts are highlighted in bold to aid navigation. As well as the route being described in detail, background information about places of interest is provided in brief. For help in decoding some of the local place names, see Appendix C.
Both Appendix A (Useful contacts) and