Trailblazer Guide Books

Worth watching out for.
 — John Cleare

How difficult is the path?

The South-West Coast Path is just a (very, very) long walk, so there’s no need for crampons, ropes, ice axes, oxygen bottles or any other climbing paraphernalia, because there’s no climbing involved. All you need to complete the walk is some suitable clothing, a bit of money, a rucksack full of determination and a half-decent pair of calf muscles.

 
    The part of the SWCP that is covered by this book is perhaps the one with the most variety. Topographically speaking, there are plenty of steep ups-and-downs as well as large flat areas of walking on seaside promenades. While the Riviera  (see box p153) provides walkers with an unbroken swathe of civilisation, this book is bookended by two remote sections where settlements are scarce and amenities are few and far between. These two sections, from Mount Batten Point to Salcombe and from Lulworth Cove to Swanage, require a little advanced planning to ensure you have something to eat and somewhere to rest your head for the night. Still, with the path well signposted (see p12) all the way along and the sea keeping you company for the entire stretch, it’s difficult to get lost (though it’s always a good idea to take a compass or GPS unit, just in case).
    As with any walk, you can minimise the risks by preparing properly. Your greatest danger on the walk is likely to be from the weather, which can be so unpredictable in this corner of the world, so it is vital that you dress for inclement conditions and always carry a set of dry clothes with you. Not pushing yourself too hard is important too, as over-exertion leads to exhaustion and all its inherent dangers (see pp66-9), so plan an itinerary that matches your abilities rather than your (over-) ambitions. In terms of orientation, the South-West Coast Path is very well signposted, so you shouldn’t lose your way. However, we think that the distances the signposts have written on them can be of questionable accuracy and so not always to be trusted; indeed sometimes even the spelling on the signposts is wrong (‘Porlock Wier’ is one spelling we saw more than once). But in terms of helping you find your way, the signposts on the SWCP do a terrific job and the trail authorities are to be congratulated both on this and on the maintenance of the trail in general.

Walking the South-West Coast Path
In terms of difficulty, there are those people who, having never undertaken such a trail before, are under the illusion that coastal walking is a cinch; that all it involves is a simple stroll along mile after mile of golden, level beach, the walker needing to pause only to kick the sand out from his or her flipflop or buy another ice cream.
        The truth, of course, is somewhat different, for coastal paths tend to stick to the cliffs above the beaches rather than the beaches themselves (which is actually something of a relief, given how hard it is to walk across sand or shingle). These cliffs make for some spectacular walking but – given the undulating nature of Britain’s coastline, and the fact the course of the SWCP inevitably crosses innumerable river valleys, each of which forces the walker to descend rapidly before climbing back up again almost immediately afterwards – some exhausting walking too. Indeed, it has been estimated that anybody who completes the entire SWCP will have climbed more than four times the height of Everest (35,031m to be precise, or 114,931ft) by the time they finish!
        Given these figures, it is perhaps hardly surprising that most people take around eight weeks to complete the whole route, and few do so in one go; indeed, it is not unusual for people to take years or even decades to complete the whole path, taking a week or two here and there to tackle various sections until the whole trail is complete.

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