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Itinerary

The South West Coast Path starts its 630 miles from the harbour at Minehead

Section 1

Minehead to Porlock Weir

Cross the border into the North Devon Coast at “County Gate” today.

Section 2

Porlock Weir to Lynmouth

Today is spectacular and one of the finest stretches of North Devon Coast Path.

Section 3

Lynmouth to Combe Martin

Today you finally leave dramatic Exmoor

Section 4

Combe Martin to Woolacombe

The gradients are finally gone today as you trek through fine sandy beaches

Section 5

Woolacombe to Braunton

Your walking along the Coast Path is now fast and easy

Section 6

Braunton to Instow

The South West Coast Path continues to follow the Tarka Trail route today

Section 7

Instow to Westward Ho!

The beach at Crow Point

South West Coast Path Section 1,

Minehead To Westward Ho!

South West Coast Path Section 1,

Minehead To Westward Ho!

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 -

- Your choices of good quality en-suite B&B, Inn and small hotel accommodation with full breakfast (where available), together with upgrade options.

- Detailed walking route planning and ongoing support from specialist walking advisors from your enquiry through to the end of the walk

- A full booking administration and holiday management service including information on travel to and from your walking routes

- Secure and reliable daily luggage transfers between accommodations

- 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
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Daily average 8.6 miles
Minehead to Porlock Weir
Porlock Weir to Lynmouth
Lynmouth to Heddons Mouth
Heddons Mouth to Combe Martin
Combe Martin to Ilfracombe
Ilfracombe to Woolacombe
Woolacombe to Croyde Bay
Croyde Bay to Braunton
Braunton to Instow
Instow to Westward Ho!
9.5 miles
12 miles
6.5 miles
7 miles
6 miles
7 miles
6.5 miles
9 miles
11.5 miles
11 miles
Standard Route
Day 1
Minehead to Porlock Weir
9.5 miles
Day 2
Porlock Weir to Lynmouth
12 miles
Day 3
Lynmouth to Combe Martin
13.5 miles
Day 4
Day 5
Woolacombe to Braunton
13 miles
15.5 miles
Day 6
Braunton to Instow
11.5 miles
Day 7
Instow to Westward Ho!
11 miles
Daily average 12.3 miles
Combe Martin to Woolacombe
Fast Route
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Minehead to Porlock Weir
Porlock Weir to Lynmouth
Lynmouth to Combe Martin
Combe Martin to Woolacombe
Woolacombe to Barnstaple
Barnstaple to Westward Ho!
9.5 miles
12 miles
13.5 miles
13 miles
20 miles
18.5 miles
Daily average 14.5 miles

Travel To And From The Route

Train Arrival  -  Fast direct trains run from London, the Midlands and the North to Taunton station taking between 1.5 and 2.5 hours depending on the service used. From Taunton regular buses straight to Minehead take one hour. As an interesting alternative you can use the superb West Somerset Steam Railway from just outside Taunton on a 1.5 hour journey to Minehead by steam train through some of the stunning countryside on route. Regular departures throughout the day ask us for deatails on including this as a perfect start to the holiday.

Train Departure -  Regular buses from Westward Ho! take around 1 hour to reach Barnstaple Station from where you take the stunning North Devon branchline to Exeter to join the mainline trains to London and the East. We can advise on transfers from Westward Ho! to the station at Barnstaple if you prefer.  Time from Barnstaple to London is 3.5 to 4 hours on the train. The coast path route does pass through Barnstaple on its way to Westward Ho! so you can of course finish the walk here and depart directly by train - ask for options.

Reviews And Feedback

Woolacombe to Braunton.jpeg

The Exmoor Coast Path - Section 1 of the South West Coast Path

87 Miles from Somerset to the Cornwall Borders walking the very start of the South West Coast Path

If you aim to walk all 630 miles of the South West Coast Path (and once you start believe us you won’t want to leave it unfinished) then the opening section from Minehead is your geographic introduction to this UK National Walking Trail... and you could not ask for a more dramatic start or experience more of a contrast in scenery in your first week of walking.

Leaving the tame Somerset levels at Minehead...