For those who don't know the long distance trail we are going to be hiking, here's a short summary.
The longest hike in England, the SWCP starts in Minehead, Somerset, goes all the way around the Devon and Cornwall coasts, and finishes, over a thousand kilometers and 35,000m of ascent and descent later, near Poole, Dorset… just a few miles from where I used to spend my childhood summer holidays at my grandparents' house.
Along the way, it passes through five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, seventeen Heritage Coasts, a National Park, two World Heritage Sites, a UNESCO Geopark and Britain's first UNESCO Biosphere reserve. We'll only be doing the northern half of it in 2011… but both coasts are equally stunning.
The SWCP is, first and always, a coast walk… only very rarely out of sight of the sea… and what a varied and beautiful coast it is! From rocky headlands to sheltered coves, from towering cliffs (the tallest in England – almost 250m – are found along the path) to deep-cut river valleys and wide estuaries (17 large ones with ferries, and innumerable smaller ones crossed by bridge or waded), from long sandy beaches and extensive sand-dune systems to shimmering rock-pools, from moors to woods to marshes to farmlands, from bustling towns such as Padstow and St. Ives to tiny fishing villages such as Clovelly and Boscastle, the coast is astoundingly varied and continually changing.
And then there's the history and culture. Southwest Britain has been inhabited since the Stone Age and every people and culture seems to have left remains. There are Neolithic standing stones; Bronze and Iron Age hill-forts; Roman roads; Celtic and Saxon and Norman and Tudor and later castles and manors and churches; farmhouses, inns, and town-halls from the early Middle Ages onwards; harbours and lighthouses and other structures dedicated to shipping and fishing; mines and mining relics from pre-history to the present day; steam trains, water-powered funiculars, canals and locks, and other creations of the Victorian Industrial Age; and many beautiful gardens and arboretums. Yes, there's plenty to see along the way.
And let us not forget the pleasures of daily life. From ancient inns with log fires, to friendly B&B's with full English breakfasts, to cream teas with home-made scones, strawberry jam, and local clotted cream, to Cornish pasties and fish and chip shops, and the many fine restaurants that have made the British gastronomic wasteland an unlamented thing of the past, the needs of the flesh will not be ignored!
However, since I've only been to the area once, and that in 1992, perhaps you might like to read a few independent assessments? Here's what some other people have said about hiking the SWCP (copied from the official website of the path -- www.southwestcoastpath.com -- which is very well-done and which I strongly recommend you browse through):
o When the readers of Country Walking magazine, Britain's biggest-selling walking magazine, were invited to vote for Britain's Greatest Walk, the South West Coast Path was a clear winner, with their reporter, Jenny Walters describing the path as "630 miles of unparalleled gorgeousness".
o Travel writers and photographers Clare Jones and Steve Watkins picked just 30 classic walking routes for their book, Unforgettable Walks to Take Before You Die published by the BBC. They spent nine months traveling to 24 countries on 5 continents to find the world's most inspiring, spectacular and beautiful trails (but despite this inexplicably left out the H2H). Their book ranks the South West Coast Path alongside experiences such as New Zealand's Routeburn Track, and hiking the Inca Trail in Peru. When asked why they had included the Coast Path, Steve enthused: "Throughout a whole year of walking around the world, I was hard pressed to find anywhere that matched the natural drama and stunningly beautiful light along the South West Coast Path. You can't beat it for the sheer diversity of landscapes and the chance to experience some truly wild and beautiful coastal scenery."
o Drawing on the knowledge, passion and miles traveled by Lonely Planet's staff and authors, Best in Travel 2009 highlights the best places to go and things to do around the world and includes the South West Coast Path as one of their world's best walks. "Along its route, you'll find Mediterranean-turquoise bays, historic ruined tin mines, a rock-hewn abbey on its own island, surf beaches, deserted beaches, grey seals and basking sharks, and the best Cornish pasties in the land." Sarah Baxter who wrote the chapter has spent the past six year's writing, trekking and travelling the world for Wanderlust magazine, where she is currently deputy editor. She's fond of water in all its forms, having snorkeled with killer whales in Arctic Norway, floated among glow worms in New Zealand's caves and touched the snows of Kilimanjaro. But, she reckons, "nothing beats standing on a cliff, pasty in hand after hiking a chunk of the South West Coast Path."
Can it really be that good? Stay tuned....
