Author Topic: 3-4 days soutwest coast path  (Read 3146 times)

Heck

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3-4 days soutwest coast path
« on: 10:37:20, 19/03/15 »
Hi everyone,


i'm from germany and going on a business trip to St Austell at the end of april and would like to add a few days backpacking and camping along the southwest coast path. My wife will be arriving after my business meeting is finished and we will have a afternoon to travel from St Austell to the starting point of our hiking trip. From then on we have 3 to max. 4 days of hiking before we have to get back to germany. We really would love to spend more time but unfortunately it is not possible.


So, keeping in mind we have to start someplace we can reach from St Austell in reasonable time and finish somwhere we can have a proper connection to the (Bristol) airport, what would be your recommendation on which part of the coast path we should choose?


We will be carrying all our stuff (tent, sleeping bags and so on..) with us and would just like to calm down a bit and enjoy the nature.


Any answers would be highly welcome,


Tobias

pgt

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Re: 3-4 days soutwest coast path
« Reply #1 on: 11:34:14, 19/03/15 »
I'm not an expert in that area but the one bit I do know is the Roseland peninsula which is lovely and, as luck would have it, is right next to St. Austell. So I would recommend starting at St.Austell and walking West towards Falmouth.

Heck

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Re: 3-4 days soutwest coast path
« Reply #2 on: 12:44:53, 19/03/15 »
Thanks for your reply.


I just got an idea. Because my wife will have to reach me on the day my meeting ends, another idea could be that i head towards the notrth coast of Devonshire and we start hiking eastward. This would spare my wif a few miles to reach me and we would be nearer to Bristol on the day of our departure back to germany. Just a thought...

PAG1952

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Re: 3-4 days soutwest coast path
« Reply #3 on: 12:58:34, 19/03/15 »
How are you travelling back to Bristol?
IMO the north coast of Devon & Cornwall has the best scenery but the south coast has better rail links to Bristol.
The sun is always shining.......... it's just that on most days the clouds stop us from seeing it.

joncombe

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Re: 3-4 days soutwest coast path
« Reply #4 on: 23:42:57, 19/03/15 »
Depends which bit of North Devon really. If heading east you could aim to finish at Minehead. From there you can catch a regular bus to Taunton Station (takes about 75 minutes) for the train to Bristol (takes about 40 minutes), but remember to allow time to get from Bristol station to the airport too.

For example this is the sections I did:-

Day 1 : Minehead to Porlock Weir
Day 2 : Porlock Weir to Lynmouth (crossing from Somerset to North Devon)
Day 3 : Lynmouth to Combe Martin
Day 4 : Combe Martin to Ilfracome

If you did this in reverse you could end at Minehead.

Virtually all the South West Coast Path is wonderful. So I'd echo other suggestions, to start from near St Austell since that is where you will be. I'd also recommended going west from there (further from Bristol though). Just one comment, if you decided to start from St Austell and head east instead don't be put off by the first few miles. The stretch from Charlestown (just east of St Austell) to Par sands is not one of the better parts. Carlyon Bay is an ugly building site whilst Par has a lot of decaying industry. But once past Par it is a very good path.

You could also consider doing a few days in Cornwall near St Austell then head further east for another day or two. My personal favourite part is the Dorset coast. You could aim to finish in Weymouth for example, which has direct trains to Bristol (albeit not very frequent ones).

Heck

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Re: 3-4 days soutwest coast path
« Reply #5 on: 06:43:50, 20/03/15 »
Maybe the start in St Austell ist not as important since it would mean my wife has to travel quite a time. I could also meet her somewhere more east.

We more or less depend on public transport, we do not plan on renting a car.

Jac

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Re: 3-4 days soutwest coast path
« Reply #6 on: 08:09:40, 20/03/15 »
I think Joncombe's suggestion done in reverse is a very good one. It's the first bit that I did but over 3 days

You could meet you wife in Exeter -main rail line from London or St Austell- from where there are 4 train/bus options on a weekday morning taking 2.5 hours to Ilfracombe. Walk to Minehead then bus to Taunton for a direct train to Bristol.
If the times fit in you could take the Steam train (West Somerset Railway) from Minehead to Bishops Lydeard then a short bus link to Taunton for the mainline train to Bristol.
www.travellinesouthwest.com is good for working out buses and trains but sadly doesn't recognise the Steam Railway as it is a private enterprise.

Have fun and do let us know what you do and how it worked out; with pics too :)
So many paths yet to walk, so little time left

Heck

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Re: 3-4 days soutwest coast path
« Reply #7 on: 20:01:51, 24/03/15 »
I've just come across a documentation by accident where a guy is traveling different hiking routes around the world and there is also an episode about the southwest coast path (i've watched the german version, if someone is interested i can try to find out if there is a english version).
He chose to walk the part from St. Ives south and west, passing Lands End. This part also looked really nice, but i think i really have to figure out a section that is fairly easy to reach for me and my wife without having to go through a great hustle.
I think this will influence the final decision.

Heck

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Re: 3-4 days soutwest coast path
« Reply #8 on: 20:31:15, 10/05/15 »
Hello again,


i'm back from the coast path and back to the forum to give some feedback on our trip.
First of all, thanks for the recommendations, it was fantastic. We had pretty good weather (2 days of sun and one day a little bit colder, but no rain) and really enjoyed the nature there.
Unfortunately we didn't quite make all the way to Minehead but had to stop the hike in Porlock. Both my wife and me expected a easier hike and since we are not really trained for hiking we were suffering quite a bit. And my wifes knee got sore and thus we had to take a bus from Porlock to Minehead.


Nevertheless it was a great experience, not only because of the great scenery but also because of the very nice and friendly people we met along the way! We were simply staggered about the artless friendliness (in difference to the exaggerated american style ;-) ) and will certainly come back, maybe for a easier part of the SWCP.


If you're interested i can post some pictures and additional information on the route we took, but i just wanted to quickly give you a short summary of what we experienced.




Jac

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Re: 3-4 days soutwest coast path
« Reply #9 on: 23:17:49, 17/05/15 »
So glad you enjoyed your walk even if you had to cut it a bit short. Looking forward to more details and photos. I agree not only is the scenery and nature lovely but when you meet nice people along the the icing is on the cake.
So many paths yet to walk, so little time left

 

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