South West Coast Path National Trail

Minehead to Poole 1014km/630 miles

An awesome continuous path around the whole of Devon and Cornwall, and much of Dorset and Somerset. Although not challenging in the sense that it is remote, there are many steep climbs and descents.

The excellent official website below contains suggestions for short and easy walks as well as information about the whole trail.

The route between Plymouth and Poole forms a section of European path E9.

Update. The South West Coast Path website below has details of current temporary diversions.

For details of easy access sections contact the South West Coast Path team or see the official path website. Some easy access walks are also included in the shorter walks leaflets listed below.

Connects with Camel Trail, Channel to Channel, Coleridge Way, Dart Valley Trail, Bournemouth Coast Path E9 (see Solent Way), East Devon Way, Erme-Plym Trail/Erme Valley Trail (for Two Moors Way), Exe Valley Way, GR24 (E9, via ferry Poole-St Malo), GR223 (via ferry Poole-Cherbourg), GR34 (E9, via ferries Plymouth-Roscoff and Weymouth-St Malo), Hardy Way, Jubilee Trail (Dorset), Liberty Trail, Macmillan Way, Plymouth Link, Monarch's Way, Saints' Way, Samaritans Way South West , Tarka Trail, Templer Way, Two Moors Way, Wessex Ridgeway

Highway Authorities Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Plymouth, Somerset, Torbay

Accommodation

Search our B&B database using the link below, ask at Tourist Information Centres, or see the South West Coast Path Guide (details below) for a comprehensive list of facilities.

Click here to find bed & breakfast accommodation on this path.

Tourist Information Centres

Booking and luggage transfer Let's Go Walking

Holiday providers include Avalon, Bobs, Celtic Trails, Contours, Encounter Cornwall, Explore Britain, Footpath, Footscape, Hidden Cornwall, Kernow Trek, Let's Go Walking, Lightfoot, Sherpa, Walking Holidays Britain, Way2go4, West Country Walks, Westcountry

Public Transport

Below we give an outline of available services. See our Public transport for walkers page to find out how to obtain more details of service times and fares.

• Hourly buses (less frequent on Sundays) connect Minehead to the Great Western main line at Taunton for services to Penzance, Bristol, Reading and London and by Virgin Cross Country to Birmingham, northern England and Scotland. Minehead is also served by a preserved railway, the West Somerset Railway, linking the town with Bishops Lydeard: see www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk. It can also be reached directly by National Express coach services.
• Wessex Trains local services connect the main line at Exeter with Barnstaple, from where a variety of buses serve the north Devon coast at Lynton, Ilfracombe, Georgeham, Woolacombe (summer), Bideford, Westward Ho!, Appledore, Bude and Minehead. Bideford also has freqent bus services to the coast.
• Regular buses (less frequent on Sundays) link Bude to Exeter, and Padstow to Bodmin Parkway, both on the Great Western main line.
• Along the Cornish coast, Wessex Trains local services connect Newquay, St Ives, Looe and Falmouth Docks with the Great Western main line. Local buses serve many points on the coast including Boscastle, Tingtagel, Perranport, St Ives, The Lizard and Polperro.
• Plymouth and Exeter, on the Great Western main line, are the principle railheads for the South Devon coast, with buses serving Kingsbridge, Salcombe, Totnes and other points on the coast. Direct trains connect Exeter with Dawlish, Teignmouth, Newton Abbot, Torquay and Paignton, and with Exmouth.
• The East Devon and Dorset coast between Exeter and Weymouth is accessible by bus from main line stations at Exeter, Honiton and Axminster, with services to Budleigh Salterton, Sidmouth, Seaton, Lyme Regis and Bridport and a service along the coast between Weymouth and Bridport from Exeter.
• Weymouth has trains to Dorchester, Bristol, South Wales, Bournemouth, Southampton and London and local services. From Weymouth there are buses to Lyme Regis, and from Weymouth, Wool and Wareham there are buses to Lulworth, Durdle Door and other points on the Isle of Purbeck.
• The Swanage Railway is a preserved steam railway connecting Swanage with Corfe Castle and Norden: for details see www.swanagerailway.co.uk 
• Poole has regular SWT rail services to London, and some cross country services to Reading, Birmingham, northern England and Scotland. Buses connect Sandbanks ferry, on the path, with Poole station, and with Swanage and the east of Purbeck.
• A number of ferry services must be used to complete the route: details are in the South West Coast Path Guide (see below) and available from Tourist Information Centres and the Path Association (see above/below). International ferry services also connect with the path at various points: see the E9 page.

• South West Coast Path Walks, £2.75 each from South West Coast Path Association (see below).
  Booklets of shorter walks on north Devon stretch, each outlining a section of the Coast Path plus two linking circular walks. Use with OS Explorer maps. Current titles are:
  Minehead to Porlock Weir (15km/9.5 miles) with Selworthy via Bossington (8km/5 miles) and Selworthy Beacon (4.5km/2.5 miles, easy access) circular walks.
  Porlock Weir to Lynmouth (19km/12 miles) with County Gate via Oare Church (9.5km/6 miles) and County Gate via Countisbury (15km/9.5 miles) circular walks.
  Lynmouth to Combe Martin (22km/13.5 miles) with Trentishoe via Heddon Valley (10.5km/6 miles) and Woody Bay via Valley of Rocks (12.5km/8 miles) circular walks [02/05].
• The South West Coast Path through Torbay. Booklet £2.50 from Torbay Coast & Countryside Enterprises, Cockington Court, Cockington, Torquay TQ2 6XA.
  Guide to the 35km/22 miles through Torbay.
• Walks for Everyone. Around 35 walks using the path, including short (3km/2 miles or less) and easy access options, are listed on the South West Coast Path website below. [02/05]
• Path Descriptions. Detailed descriptions of around fifty shortish sections of the path, available at £1 each from South West Coast Path Association (see below).