# The South West Coast Path



## Voley (May 26, 2007)

Given that I practically live on it at the moment I thought it was probably time I walked along it.

I'm setting off from Newquay in a few days and will be heading towards Lands End. At least 5 or 6 days, I reckon, but probably more like 10 if my usual standards of slothdom apply. Staying in B&B's / pubs along the way.

Anyone walked it? Any ideas what I can expect?


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## sheothebudworths (May 26, 2007)

<jealous>


Nice one - enjoy it lovey!


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## Voley (May 26, 2007)

Here's how Cape Cornwall looked a couple of days ago:







I'm looking forward to more of the same.


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## sheothebudworths (May 26, 2007)

*Very nice!*

 






































(_*Cunt! *_   )


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## Voley (May 26, 2007)

Cheers!


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## sheothebudworths (May 26, 2007)

You're welcome!


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## Voley (May 27, 2007)

Hmmm ...

Just looked at today's weather and the week's forecast and I'm putting it back for a week or so. 

Torrential rain here right now - not much fun tramping through miles of mud, methinks.


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## Fuzzy (May 29, 2007)

i also practically live on it. i've walked the bit between Newquay and St Agnes. there is a good mix in this section of high cliffs and nice long exposed beaches. also a god selection of pubs in this section - the lewinack (near Pentire), the Bowgie at Crantock, the watering hole at Perranporth and the driftwood at St Agnes beach. see all you need to know for a good 10 - 15 miles of walking. there is also a pub in Holywell bay but i cant remember the name of it.


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## Voley (May 29, 2007)

Cheers for that, Fuzzy.

I've walked a lot of the Cornish bit of the South Coast (Porthleven round Land's End to St Ives) in the past and that was beautiful so I'm looking forward to this.

I've suffered from extreme dithering the last couple of days though - the forecast was appalling for this week so I knocked the idea on the head.

And guess what? It's bloody gorgeous today!  

Ta for the pub recommendations - I'll make a mental note.


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## rubbershoes (May 29, 2007)

i've done parts of it in devon and almost all of the dorset bit

tis lovely. just be realistic about what you can do each day.


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## Voley (May 29, 2007)

Oh I'm realistic all right. To the point of outright laziness. 

A few hours a day's enough for me - I can't understand these folk that aren't happy unless they've covered 20 miles and given themselves a hernia. I'm here to admire the view, not kill myself. 

Did either of you have any trouble getting somewhere to stay? I was hoping to avoid having to ring ahead and book as this ties you down to staying in one place at a certain time.

If somewhere's nice, I like to stop for a night, irrespective of whether it's lunchtime and I've only walked for an hour or two that day.


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## Fuzzy (May 30, 2007)

are you camping or b+bing?


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## Voley (May 30, 2007)

B&B's / pubs.


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## Fuzzy (May 31, 2007)

NVP said:
			
		

> B&B's / pubs.



if you were camping you would have been more than welcome to camp in my front garden.


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## Voley (May 31, 2007)

That's very kind of you. A tent's a heavy old thing to lug around 100 miles or so of coastpath, though - I'm really trying to keep the weight of me backpack down.

Anyone else try it just staying in B&B's?


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## dash_two (May 31, 2007)

What would it be like for wild camping? Are there lots of ultra-vigilant landowners round those parts on the lookout for that sort of thing?


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## Fuzzy (May 31, 2007)

i see a few people wild camping on the dunes that run along perranporth beach. i guess with all wild camping if you pitch late/rise early and tidy up after yourself you'll have to be unlucky to get caught.


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## *Miss Daisy* (May 31, 2007)

sheothebudworths said:
			
		

> (_*Cunt! *_   )


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## dash_two (May 31, 2007)

Fuzzy said:
			
		

> i see a few people wild camping on the dunes that run along perranporth beach. i guess with all wild camping if you pitch late/rise early and tidy up after yourself you'll have to be unlucky to get caught.



I'm not always good at that 'rise early' bit though!


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## Ground Elder (May 31, 2007)

> I was hoping to avoid having to ring ahead and book as this ties you down to staying in one place at a certain time



I'd book ahead NVP  Tried getting a b & b for my sister in law the other week and had to ring 7 before I found a vacancy.


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## Voley (May 31, 2007)

Was that for Bank Holiday weekend?


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## Geri (May 31, 2007)

dash_two said:
			
		

> I'm not always good at that 'rise early' bit though!



Not even when camping? I don't understand how anyone can lie in a tent once the sun has come up, it gets too hot!


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## Ground Elder (May 31, 2007)

Was that for Bank Holiday weekend?

No it was a non-school holiday week. Cornwall is full and now the border must be closed


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## madzone (May 31, 2007)

Ground Elder said:
			
		

> Cornwall is full and now the border must be closed


Raise the fucking drawbridge. Penzance was full of blundering halfwits today - even more than normal  - who seemed to think that as they're on holiday they're entiteld to walk down the middle of the road 4 abreast. I disabused them of that notion by stopping the car sharply and giving them a hard helga stare. Really proper scared them that did*









*Actually, they just looked at me like I was a piece of shit and carried on walking in the middle of the road


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## Ground Elder (May 31, 2007)

> as they're on holiday they're entiteld to walk down the middle of the road 4 abreast. I disabused them of that notion by stopping the car sharply and giving them a hard helga stare


 Selfish fuckers - Causewayhead's a great short cut. 

_eta_ with a top fish shop


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## madzone (May 31, 2007)

Ground Elder said:
			
		

> Selfish fuckers - Causewayhead's a great short cut.
> 
> _eta_ with a top fish shop



Except you can't get in the fish shop for all the fuckers trying to sell you drugs


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## bluestreak (May 31, 2007)

madzone said:
			
		

> Except you can't get in the fish shop for all the fuckers trying to sell you drugs



i think anyone whose tried to get into the woolworths near brixton tube knows that feeling.


i'd love to do that walk, that looks lovely.


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## dash_two (Jun 1, 2007)

floria_tosca said:
			
		

> Not even when camping? I don't understand how anyone can lie in a tent once the sun has come up, it gets too hot!



Ah well that's when it's sunny! When it's pouring down, having to fold the wet tent up . . . hmm maybe time to fire up the Jetboil and have another cuppa first . . .


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## Voley (Jun 1, 2007)

Hmmm, I *really *don't want to have to book ahead, though. That means I'll have to plan and everything.

I'm much more a sort of  'walk a mile or two, find a nice place and call it a day' type person. Booking ties you down a lot.


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## Fuzzy (Jun 1, 2007)

NVP said:
			
		

> Hmmm, I *really *don't want to have to book ahead, though. That means I'll have to plan and everything.
> 
> I'm much more a sort of  'walk a mile or two, find a nice place and call it a day' type person. Booking ties you down a lot.



it could be walk a mile or two and find everything is booked and end up walking 7 or 8 miles to find somewhere to sleep.


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## Voley (Jun 1, 2007)

Yeah, that's what I'm worried about.

Maybe I'll just make a couple of bookings and leave the rest to luck.


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## Voley (Jun 8, 2007)

Well the forecast looks good for the next few days so I'm giving it a go.

I've not booked any accommodation or anything so I'm risking it a bit but fuck it.

I'll let you know how I got on in a few days time.


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## rubbershoes (Jun 8, 2007)

you going nekkid?


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## Voley (Jun 10, 2007)

Not nekkid rubbershoes, no, sorry to disappoint. 

Don't try it without booking all your accommodation in advance - I spent a whole day in Crantock wandering around every B&B with no luck. Not much fun.

Had to head back to Newquay for the night, lost all interest in it and then gave up on the idea completely. 

I might give it another go later in the year but it'll require a bit more planning and a little less of my usual 'bollocks, let's just go and see how it turns out' approach.


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## Ground Elder (Jun 10, 2007)

> Don't try it without booking all your accommodation in advance


  

How about trying youth hostels next time?


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## Voley (Jun 10, 2007)

Yeah, I know. Total cock-up.


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## tom_craggs (Jun 20, 2007)

I have walked it from start to finish, you can expect the best national trail in the uK and one of the most draamtic and spectacular regularly walked paths in the world...in my opinion...


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## Fuzzy (Jun 20, 2007)

tom_craggs said:
			
		

> I have walked it from start to finish, you can expect the best national trail in the uK and one of the most draamtic and spectacular regularly walked paths in the world...in my opinion...



thats a fairly good feat considering its soemthign like 500 miles long. how long did it take?


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## tom_craggs (Jun 21, 2007)

Fuzzy said:
			
		

> thats a fairly good feat considering its soemthign like 500 miles long. how long did it take?



Took a good few summers and a few additional visits, did it when I was a kid so I don't remember exactly. I would love to do it again now for a photo project though. I remember reading Bill Oddie's 500 mile walkies when he did it in one go.


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## Voley (Jun 21, 2007)

I just wish you could stop at B&B's without having to plan the whole thing like some military exercise.

It's all the fault of they bloody emmets, if you ask me.


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## Fuzzy (Jun 22, 2007)

NVP said:
			
		

> I just wish you could stop at B&B's without having to plan the whole thing like some military exercise.
> 
> It's all the fault of they bloody emmets, if you ask me.



do it in october. you still get the nice weather but its a lot quieter.


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