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South West Coast Path

Daily

Cost: Free

Hours: Accessible 24 hours

The South West Coast Path is Britain's longest national trail, which at 630 miles would take a fit walker a whole six weeks to complete! Few manage this feat, but thousands every year walk some part of the clifftop path, which boasts some of the finest coastal scenery in Europe.

The path starts at Minehead in Somerset, following the North Devon coast, all the way around Cornwall, then along the South Devon and Dorset coasts. It is a very hilly route, climbing and descending 91,000 feet - three times the height of Everest! The final 95-mile stretch between Orcombe Rocks in Exmouth and Studland Bay in Dorset is known as the "Jurassic Coast" for its precious fossil deposits, which date back 185 million years. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.

Always in view of the sea, the path was developed for coastguards to patrol every cove and beach on the crenellated English coast and so to keep smugglers from their profits. Until 1856, the team of coastguards patrolled the entire length of it daily. They lived in the numerous coastguard cottages, many of which still line the route today.

Thanks to the fact that this part of the UK is very popular with holidaymakers, there are no shortage of options for accommodation. But if you want to be sure of having a bed to sleep in after a hard day's walking, visit in spring, early summer or early autumn, when you should be guaranteed at least a few sunny days. The Coast Path's wild flowers are at their best between March and early June when the route is carpeted with semi-wild narcissi, hosts of golden daffodils, powder-blue quill and snowy white campion. The bluebells are at their best in May.

Other attractions of the path are the varied geological formations, from the dramatic chalk of Lulworth Cove in Dorset to the coastal waterfalls of the "Iron Coast" between Hartland Point (Devon) and Bude (Cornwall). Around Land's End is the Granite Coast, which is formed by castellated granite blocks unique on the English coastline. Near Bolt Head, Prawle and Start Points in South Devon, the sharp-topped ridges look like extinct dinosaurs crawling into the sea. Along the way, look out for a rich variety of sea birds and even the occasional peregrine falcon.

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