About the Path

The South West Coast Path is England's longest long distance path at 630 miles. It is usually described as running from Minehead in Somerset to Poole in Dorset and this seems to be the direction in which most people walk it. It has been designated as a National Trail since 1978. It originated as a path for anti-smuggling activity.

The path is divided by the South West Coast Path Association into seven sections. These are mainly based on county boundaries, but since the Cornish coast alone accounts for 45% of the total distance, Cornwall has been divided into three sections. The lengths of each section are:

Dorset 86
South Devon 133
South Cornwall 76
West Cornwall 120
North Cornwall 91
North Devon 89
Somerset 35