The South West Coast Path. Paddy Dillon

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      Parasols at the Life’s a Beach café at Maenporth, on the way to Falmouth (Stage 24)

      Walkers who attempt the South West Coast Path from late October to early April must expect many places to be closed, and some ferries to be absent. Winter weather can be milder than in other parts of Britain, with snowfall rare, but it can still be cold and wet. Winter gales can be ferocious! Some places may flare into life over the Easter period, but close immediately afterwards. Winter walkers need their wits about them to be able to complete the trail successfully. The Coast Path was damaged at several points during the winters of 2011, 2012 and 2013, with more damage early in 2014. Funding had to be secured for a programme of repair works to take place in 2015.

Travel to the South West

      By air

      The main regional airports are Bristol, www.bristolairport.co.uk, and Exeter, www.exeter-airport.co.uk. Although these are a fair distance from the start of the Coast Path, they may suit those who have to travel from the furthest reaches of Britain, or who are coming from overseas. Other useful small airports are located at Newquay, www.cornwallairportnewquay.com, Land’s End, www.landsendairport.co.uk and Bournemouth, www.bournemouthairport.com.

      By train

      CrossCountry Trains, www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk, run from Scotland, through Northern England and the Midlands to feed into the South West of England. Trains can be used to reach Taunton, from where there are regular buses to Minehead. If walking the Coast Path in stages, the same train runs all the way to Penzance. CrossCountry Trains also run from Poole and Bournemouth to Scotland. Great Western Railway trains, www.gwr.com, run from London Paddington to Penzance via Taunton, and the company also serves branch lines to Barnstaple, Newquay, St Ives, Falmouth, Looe, Torquay, Exmouth and Weymouth. Other main line services include South Western Railway, www.southwesternrailway.com, from London Waterloo to Exeter, Bournemouth and Weymouth.

      By bus

      Most towns have National Express offices or agents, and most tourist information centres have details of services. National Express buses serve a number of towns, including Taunton, Barnstaple, Bideford, Westward Ho!, Newquay, Perranporth, Hayle, St Ives, Penzance, Falmouth, St Austell, Plymouth, Brixton, Paignton, Torquay, Teignmouth, Dawlish, Bridport, Weymouth, Swanage, Poole and Bournemouth. There are some useful long-haul services to the South West; these include Edinburgh/Glasgow to Penzance, Newcastle to Plymouth, Grimsby to Westward Ho!, Liverpool to Weymouth, Eastbourne to Falmouth, and services from London to places such as Swanage, Plymouth, Newquay and Penzance. Bear in mind that there are seasonal variations on some services. Visit a National Express agent or tel 0871 7818181, www.nationalexpress.com.

Travel around the South West

      By train

      Rail services in the South West consist of a main line and branch lines, with Great Western Railway, www.gwr.com, being the main local operator. The West Somerset Railway offers seasonal steam-hauled services to Minehead, but doesn’t connect with main line services at Taunton, although there are bus links. The only coastal railway station in North Devon is at Barnstaple. Coastal stations around Cornwall include Newquay, Hayle, St Ives, Penzance, Falmouth, Par and Looe. Stations on the South Devon coast include Plymouth, the Dartmouth Steam Railway, then Torquay, Teignmouth, Dawlish, Dawlish Warren, Starcross and Exmouth. Stations on the Dorset coast include Weymouth, Poole and Bournemouth. Steam-hauled services at Swanage do not connect with the rest of the railway network.

      Waves beat against the sea wall supporting the railway line beyond Dawlish (Stage 37)

      By bus

      Walkers who plan to break their journey and cover the South West Coast Path in several stages may need to use local bus services. With careful reference to timetables, walkers could choose handy bases and ‘commute’ to and from sections of the Coast Path. Most bus services in the South West are operated by the First bus company, www.firstgroup.com, although there are other operators.

      The two most important services are the regular buses from Taunton station to Minehead, before starting the walk, and from Sandbanks to Poole or Bournemouth at the finish. Throughout this guidebook, places with bus services are mentioned, with some indication of connections along the coast, but do enquire further for specific timetable information, as this is often subject to change, and some areas are only served by buses during the peak summer season.

      Ferries

      The South West Coast Path is broken into a number of stretches by several long, narrow, tidal rivers, especially on the southern stages. Ferries have to be used to cross these rivers, and as these are part of the South West Coast Path experience it shouldn’t be seen as ‘cheating’. If the urge seizes you, it is possible to walk around the estuaries, but this leads well away from the coast and may take several hours – or even days – to reach a point that can be gained by a ferry in mere minutes.

      Be warned that while some ferries operate all year, others are seasonal or irregular, or are subject to tidal and weather conditions. In the peak summer months of June, July and August, all ferries will be operational. Others may run from May to September, or Easter to October. Winter walkers will find some ferries absent. In this guidebook, contact numbers are given for the ferries, with some indication of the level of service you can expect. For regular, all-year-round ferries, it is sufficient to turn up and catch one on a whim, but smaller, less regular ferries should be checked in advance or your walk may grind to a halt on a lonely shore.

      See Appendix A for the contact details of ferry operators along the South West Coast Path, given in the order in which you will encounter the crossings as you walk the route from start to finish.

      A ferry is used to cross the mouth of the River Fowey to reach Polruan (Stage 28)

      Traveline

      Check the timetables of any local train, bus or ferry through Traveline, tel 0871 2002233, www.traveline.info. It is also possible to use Google Maps ‘directions’ to search for public transport. Simply enter your start and finish points and hit the ‘bus’ symbol to be given the next available service and corrections. Use ‘options’ to change the time and date to search for later services.

Accommodation en route

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