Guide to walking the South West Coast Path National Trail from Minehead to Poole along the north Devon, Cornish, south Devon and Dorset coastline, England. The tradition of walking the route anti-clockwise has arisen because in this direction there are more miles with the wind and weather behind you than against you. To assist forward planning of both day walks and continuous long-distance hikes, the guide divides the coast path into sections, beginning and ending where there are amenities for refreshment or accommodation (or access inland to them). Each section begins with a summary of its length, the kind of terrain and gradients to be expected and with details of amenities and access points. An attempt has been made to grade the walking for difficulty, although such an exercise will always be subjective. Whether your coastal journey is a modest jaunt or a long-distance trek, you will surely gain new perspectives, a sharpening of the senses and a fuller appreciation of the interplay between nature and the hand of man.
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About the Author
Paddy Dillon is a prolific outdoor writer with over 50 books to his name, as well as a dozen booklets and brochures. While walking his routes, Paddy inputs his notes directly into a palm-top computer every few steps. His descriptions are therefore precise, having been written at the very point at which the reader uses them. He has appeared on television, and is a member of the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 44 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've walked about a tenth of the length of the South West Coast Path since buying this guide. For me the main benefits of the guide have been the excellent maps, the route descriptions, and the notes on the terrain and availability of refreshments. In general the path is well marked, but from time to time a map combined with the accompanying route description is invaluable in figuring out where you've gone wrong or where the path goes when there are several possibilities.
One omission, perhaps deliberate, is that there is no walking time estimate for path sections. Some kind of rough figure might help the less experienced avoid underestimating the time required and completing a cliff top walk in the dark! One other minor criticism is that the description of the walk for a day doesn't show how that day fits into the entire route. Perhaps a small map of the South West with the section covered highlighted might have been useful.
The book is standard paperback size, but has the advantage of a plastic coated cover which makes it more weatherproof and hard wearing than a normal paperback. The layout is attractive and the paper is of high quality.
To sum up, in my view this guide is well worth buying if you're contemplating walking all or part of the South West Coast Path.
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I've walked the Penzance-Plymouth section using this book. It's really useful with maps of the entire path, we had maps for some of the section but I don't think they're neccessary if you've got this book. Would be useful if it had lists of accomodation (rather than vague comments like 'a range of accomodation') although that would make it much heavier, so maybe its a bonus!
Really handy. Quite glad to be honest that it didn't have estimated walking times as that just depresses those slow walkers among us!
Will definitely continue to use it when I do the rest of the path.
Really handy. Quite glad to be honest that it didn't have estimated walking times as that just depresses those slow walkers among us!
Will definitely continue to use it when I do the rest of the path.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By Charles Mayo
Format:Paperback
I walked all the SWCP in April/May 2007 using this guide book together with "The South West Coast Path Guide" issued by the SWCP Association.
The later has a brief overview of 80 stages (rather than days) showing how difficult it is, the amount of ascent (and it is alot!), rough time it will take you and distance. You will get to know after a couple of days whether the rough time it takes you is faster or slower than you walk. It also had 50 pages of B&B accommodation giving good details on each.
Returning to the Cicerone Guide. I think it was very good, I didn't need an OS map at all apart from the fact that I looked at a couple at the local library where I thought that I might have had to (and I did) walk round some rivers when I arrived at high tide and as a consequence I couldn't wade across them. The walk isn't difficult to navigate as you just need to keep the sea on your right hand side (unless you start at South Haven Point). I didn't use my compass at all - a bit of a disappointment really as I enjoy navigating! You should not go wrong with the maps that are included in the guide unless you go significantly off course but all you would need to do then is find the sea, the path will not be far away, it is pretty well signed! Happy to help anyone who is considering doing the walk. I carried a tent all the way but managed to find B&B accommodation every night despite not booking ahead apart from Clovelly (which has limited accommodation) and I even found B&Bs during Bank Holidays although I nearly didn't at Mullion Cove.
The walk is great fun and the guidebook will keep you on course. Go for it!
The later has a brief overview of 80 stages (rather than days) showing how difficult it is, the amount of ascent (and it is alot!), rough time it will take you and distance. You will get to know after a couple of days whether the rough time it takes you is faster or slower than you walk. It also had 50 pages of B&B accommodation giving good details on each.
Returning to the Cicerone Guide. I think it was very good, I didn't need an OS map at all apart from the fact that I looked at a couple at the local library where I thought that I might have had to (and I did) walk round some rivers when I arrived at high tide and as a consequence I couldn't wade across them. The walk isn't difficult to navigate as you just need to keep the sea on your right hand side (unless you start at South Haven Point). I didn't use my compass at all - a bit of a disappointment really as I enjoy navigating! You should not go wrong with the maps that are included in the guide unless you go significantly off course but all you would need to do then is find the sea, the path will not be far away, it is pretty well signed! Happy to help anyone who is considering doing the walk. I carried a tent all the way but managed to find B&B accommodation every night despite not booking ahead apart from Clovelly (which has limited accommodation) and I even found B&Bs during Bank Holidays although I nearly didn't at Mullion Cove.
The walk is great fun and the guidebook will keep you on course. Go for it!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
Gives huge amounts of detail of every leg of the SWCP. I use it for every trip now as it has little insights into the area and tips about what to look out for
Published 4 months ago by Mr. Jonathan P. Cook
5.0 out of 5 stars
SWCP overview of entire route
Great for planning the sections of walk to be done and a perfect accompanyment to the four National Trail Guides.
Published 4 months ago by Alan McLean
5.0 out of 5 stars
Compact
Very compact little book full of relevant and helpful information. Looking forward to using it to help me explore the coast!
Published 4 months ago by Dev84
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book
The book is informative and also light to carry but also small enough to be able to consult in the wind. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Sue
4.0 out of 5 stars
South West Coast Path
This book is very informative and easy to use. It is an ideal size for the rucksack and makes refering to way points a piece of cake giving the user chance to craft the walk to... Read more
Published on 12 Dec 2010 by B. J. Hawkesworth
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everything you need...
I have walked the South West Coast Path twice (both times in one go) and have used this book on both occasions. No need for extra maps or narrative - the whole lot is here! Read more
Published on 24 Oct 2010 by Mr. Mark A. Spriggs
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best book for planning your walk
I've walked just over two hundred miles from Minehead so far and used Paddy Dillon's book to plan the lot...and beyond. Read more
Published on 13 April 2010 by ashtongreat
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great buy!
Having decided to embark on the massive challenge of walking the South West Coast Path, I thought a guidebook might be a good starting place. Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2009 by Chris
4.0 out of 5 stars
Trustworthy guide
Having got half way round the SWCP carrying both this and the National Trail guides (NTGs) for directions I'm convinced that this is the one guide you need. Read more
Published on 7 Sep 2009 by W. French
4.0 out of 5 stars
SW Coast path guide
A useful and definitive planning guide for the whole 630 miles. Although it's pocket sized you won't want to carry it with you on a week's walk :)
My ideal would be to have... Read more
My ideal would be to have... Read more
Published on 16 May 2009 by Mr. Raymond J. Wilton
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