For Christmas, my partner gave me Mark Rainsley’s Explore the South West Coast Path – A Guide for Walkers, Backpackers and Trail Runners. Don’t tell him… but it was my favourite present! I am obsessed with this book and last weekend we finally made our way to Exmoor to kick it off.
We live in Shropshire, so this will be a exercise of my patience, with I am hoping a few week long walks as finances enable but mainly long weekends when I/we can get away. Stage 1 from Minehead to Porlock Weir included 770m of ascent… the next stage to Lynmouth is 1200m… and the one after that 1150m… My partner has already advised me he will be mountain biking the next couple of stages… I expect my legs will be like jelly!
The South West Coast Path is a whopping 630 miles… the author has advised that goes up to 670 miles if you do all the little added bits in his book… and starts in Somerset, moves into Devon, Cornwall, Devon again, before ending in Dorset at South Haven Point, the entrance to Poole Harbour. At the moment, South Haven Point is a long long way away, but I am so excited to have made a start.
Minehead to Porlock Weir starts from the famous South West Coast Path monument depicting two hands opening a map. It’s symbolic and poignant as I know I will be doing a lot of this as I plan my stops and transport routes. After a gentle stroll along the seafront, we began to ascend, and that was the end of the flat walking till near the end.
Stage 1 takes you through woods, along moorland, down valleys (or combes) and along a salt marsh. It was ever changing, busy with other walkers, and offered some pretty sensational views of the Bristol Channel and its sea traffic. Top moment was asking my partner if he thought we’d see any Exmoor ponies, then looking to my left to see one grazing not 10ft away, blissfully ignoring us!
The stretch from Bossington to Porlock Weir, once you reach the flat, is a complete contrast to the rest of the stage. For starters you are crossing a vast salt marsh with reeds and a stretch of ghostly looking dead trees rising out of it. The saltmarsh also contains a memorial of a crash site in 1942 of a US Liberator bomber after it clipped its wing on Bossington Hill, killing all but one on board. It’s a strange evocative feeling walking along it.
Coming off the marsh, you walk along a pebble beach with a solitary tree bent by the wind and engulfed by the beach that as recently as 2013 it stood behind. It’s a strange sights…
When we walked this stretch, there was still quite a lot of storm damage with erosion leaving fences dangling in the air… If anything, this walk provided much thought on the power of nature and climate change.
I’m not sure when our next trip down south will be, but hopefully it will be soon so I can get the next two stages under my belt! Before I leave you, however, please see some of my takeaways that you might find of use.
Top tips:
- Book your accommodation close to the start or the finish. Ours was almost an hour away so we didn’t start as early as we intended.
- Ticks will be a problem from the spring, so unless you are okay with them… long trousers were recommended by Exmoor National Park staff. Take a tick tool!
- The path runs through fields with sheep so any dogs, make sure you have leads.
- Take plenty of water and snacks, as you will need the fuel. Those ups are steep!
- Walking poles are very handy as some of the downs were also pretty steep. It was also quite muddy so helped me keep my feet.
- The Ship Inn is a great place to rest at the end of your walk and also does accommodation. Book ahead though as there are only three rooms. I’m intending to book it next time!
- As the weather heats up, the first stage can go through some pretty exposed areas, so take layers and a hat!
Some links you may find of interest:
- Explore the South West Coast Path: A Guide for Walkers, Backpackers and Trail Runners – Explore the South West Coast Path book
- The Ship Inn – https://www.shipinnporlockweir.co.uk/
- The official website of the South West Coast Path – https://www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk/
So, dear fellow walker/backpacker/trail runner, until I do my next section, I hope you have enjoyed this recap and that it inspires you to get out walking!
©Fiona Doney 2025
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