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Itinerary
The Smugglers Way
The Smugglers Way
Distance 36 miles coast to coast Grade Mainly Moderate to Strenuous with some Severe grade exposed and open moorland.
Created and developed by Cornishman Frank Squibb in the spring of 1994 this is Cornwall’s best and most challenging coast to coast walking route and for experienced walkers it can be combined with the Saints Way and the South West Coast Path to give Cornwall's most varied week of walking in the 100 mile circular challenge...
Overview
Interactive Map
Pricing On This Route
Our average prices are between £110 and £160 per person per day for those sharing a room and between £170 and £199 per day for single walkers - A quote will give you an exact and fixed price as walk costs depend on factors like your accommodation choices and the time of year you want to walk.
Our prices include -
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- Your choices of good quality en-suite B&B, Inn and small hotel accommodation with full breakfast (where available), together with upgrade options.
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- Detailed walking route planning and ongoing support from specialist walking advisors from your enquiry through to the end of the walk
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- A full booking administration and holiday management service including information on travel to and from your walking routes
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- Secure and reliable daily luggage transfers between accommodations
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- Your own personal detailed route notes & itinerary emailed to you and access to our resources page, where you can see the maps and guidebooks we recommend for each route, as well as downloads for route notes and GPX files (where available).
Please see below for six factors which affect your quoted price -
1 - The time of year you are walking - The low season (outside of May to September) is generally cheaper than the peak months.
2 - How early you book. Cheaper accommodation tends to book out first so to get the best prices and choice of accommodation we recommend you book as early as you can. Bookings open for the season the previous summer.
3 - Which routes and areas you choose - Cornwall, South Devon and Dorset are the more expensive regions while Wales, Somerset, North Devon and Dartmoor tend to offer better prices. We also often run seasonal special offers on certain routes so ask if these would be of interest.
4 - Type of accommodation - You can choose to upgrade to luxury hotels or downgrade to basic B&B's and we will try to match your walk to your budget. Quotes will show standard options and the costs for any upgrades so you can pick and choose to suit your plans.
5 - The number of walkers - rates are generally based on 2 walkers - the more walkers the cheaper prices get as we split the costs of providing the walk between the group.
6 - Luggage Transfers - our quotes include two prices - with and without luggage transfers so if you want to keep the costs down you can choose to carry your own luggage to avoid those charges.
If you want to try to get the lowest prices let us know your budget - we can advise honestly and openly what is possible - we don't want to see anyone unable to walk the routes due to costs.
To request a quote costs nothing and there is no commitment to book - so do try us! We usually have quotes emailed back to you within a few days and these documents are very detailed with accommodation choices, website links to the accommodations, route descriptions, daily walking grade and mileage, travel info to the trail and of course a guaranteed price to consider. All for the specific walk YOU want.
Route Profile And Options
Relaxed Route
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Daily average 12.6 miles
Looe to Liskeard
Liskeard to Jamaica Inn (Bolventor)
Jamaica Inn to Boscastle
10 miles
12 miles
16 miles
Option
Add Ten Tors options to day 2's walk
15.5 miles
Ten Tors Challenge on the Smugglers Way
Experienced walkers can opt to build in The Bodmin Moor Ten Tors option from Liskeard to Boscastle. A superb but challenging extra day from Liskeard via ancient burial chambers and two stone circles, long lost mining tramways, the Cheeswring Rock Formation and 5 miles of open moorland in the most remote part of Bodmin Moor to rejoin the Smugglers Way at Jamaica Inn.
Contact us for details on the Ten Tors Route.
Extend your walk on the South West Coast Path
1 Smugglers Way Looe to Boscastle then East to Bude on the North Cornwall Coast Path - 3 or 4 days walking in total
2 Smugglers Way Looe to Boscastle then West to Padstow on the North Cornwall Coast Path - 4 or 5 days walking in total
3 The 100 Mile Challenge - Smugglers Way, Saints Way and North and South Cornish Coast Path - 7 days in total
Contact us for ideas for an extended Smugglers Way experience.
Travel To And From The Route
Train Arrival at Looe - Mainline fast Trains from London and the Midlands run regularly to Liskeard. Change here for the stunning scenic branch line journey to Looe down the Looe Valley taking around 45 minutes.
Departure from Boscastle - There is no train station at Boscastle. Options are to take buses to Bodmin Parkway Station, Plymouth or Exeter (via Bude). Contact us for advice on times and options as services are on rural routes and need some planning. We can also advise on private transfers from Boscastle to Bodmin Parkway which is the nearest mainline station (around 1 hour away).
Reviews & Feedback
Smugglers Way
Looe Boscastle
Peter
11 October 2024
Excellent communications and assistance throughout no matter how trivial the question. Speedy response. Baggage transfers spot on. Hotels as described. No BS, good honest feedback and advice. No hidden extras. Helpful. Would use again
Smugglers Way
Nigel
24 August 2018
Just a quick note to say 'thank-you' again for the Smugglers' Way notes. My son and I stayed at the Jamaica Inn for three nights from last Thursday to Sunday, and we walked the route in two days, Friday and Saturday. We booked a taxi (Dans Cabs from Launceston) from the Inn to Looe on Friday morning and walked back to the Inn, and then on Saturday we walked to Boscastle and had a taxi back to the Inn. Your notes were perfect and, coupled with the three OS maps and a compass, we had no problems whatsoever. On Saturday the weather over Brown WIlly and Rough Tor was ideal; I guess we could see for 30 miles or more. So, thanks again. The whole weekend worked like a dream!
Smugglers Way
Peter & E.A. Moore
5 September 2017
Excellent planning, maps, notes and luggage transfer by Encounter. Most of the B&Bs were first-class, though one or two were a wee bit “tired”. After two days of great weather, the cool and rain set in, but did not diminish the walking at all. Under Damon’s advice we taxied around a long Bodmin Moor day due to very thick fog and rain - dangerous to continue under those conditions. The coast paths - Atlantic and Channel - were as challenging as Encounter warned us, but completely “do-able” and overall were in excellent condition. This was not a stroll in the woods, but a real challenge. The Saints Way - Padstow to Fowey - was quite muddy and, as warned, flooded in two areas but not insurmountable. Two farmers obviously resented having National Trust paths cross their fields, as they sprayed liquid manure and left uncut crops in the way. Apart from those blips, it was a wonderful challenge which we thoroughly enjoyed. Hats off to Damon, Ellie and their team, all our B&B hosts (especially Jim and Shirley in Looe and Rob and Dave in St. Neots), and Southwest Luggage Transfers for making this a fun and memorable 10 walking days. Would do it again in a heartbeat
Smugglers Way
Ann
9 March 2017
Apologies for the delay in getting back to you and thank you for all the work you put into my holiday. The walking notes for the Smugglers' Way and the instructions for finding the accommodation were spot on. There were bits of water-logged ground on the Smugglers' Way, but no more than what is to be expected of moorland after rain - certainly nothing I haven't coped with before.