Day 1-5: Armchair Adventure Festival to before Crow Point. š¦¶ 0-60 miles - Walking the South West Coast Path š„¾š“ó §ó ¢ó „ó ®ó §ó æ, UK National Trail š¬š§ š630 miles in 40 Days!
- Sep 15, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 22
Iāve just completed one of the UKās most iconic National Trailsāthe South West Coast Path, spanning 630 miles of stunning scenery! In 40 days, I experienced everything from rugged cliffs to peaceful beaches. Thanks to the support of @zoleolifeeurope and the #ChallengeWithZoleo, this adventure tested my endurance and left me in awe of the British coastline.
Read on to explore the daily adventures and challenges I faced along the way!
Day 1 š„¾South West Coast Path š“ó §ó ¢ó „ó ®ó §ó æ, UK National Trail š¬š§ šSupported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ā¹ļøStats: Sunday 28th July
Weather: sunny & hot š„µ
From: @armchairadventurefestival
Start time: 1pm š with @randogirl42 to Taunton. Bus to Minehead. 5pm. 6pm start of SWCP
To: before bossington village
End time: 9pm
Accommodation: wild camped šļø
Terrain: grassy paths, well maintained coastal footpaths
š„¾Km: 12.8
š„¾Miles: 8
š¦¶Steps: 17,869
Total 8/630 = 1.3% done ā
š°Costs: Ā£2 bus from Taunton to Minehead.
Ā£12.25 burger & chips (no bun) at Wetherspoons
Ā£5.80 Morrisons -water, cheese, wine gums
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10 epic to be out here š„³
Fatigue: 4/10 - not horrendous but when it got to 9 oāclock I was feeling tired and wanted to stop.
Ease of terrain: 4/10 in terms of the ups and downs not so bad to start with. And the paths has been well maintained.
āļøHighlights: the weather. Finally some sunshine! āļø so nice being back out in nature. Seeing a wild pony and avoiding the cows!
šļøChallenges: lower back is playing up. Lots of thoughts that I need to sort through. So good to have some quiet time to reflect and process.
šThoughts: so excited to be out here. Looking forward to seeing how the adventure unfold. š
Day 2 š„¾South West Coast Path š“ó §ó ¢ó „ó ®ó §ó æ, UK National Trail š¬š§ šSupported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ā¹ļøStats: Monday 29th July
Weather: Sunny āļø & hot!
From: before bossington village
Start time: 7.15am
To: 2 miles before Lynmouth
End time: 7pm
Accommodation: wild camped āŗļø
Terrain:forests, grassy tracks.
š„¾Km: 15.6
š„¾Miles: 11
š¦¶Steps:20,042
Total 19/630 miles 3% done ā
š°Costs: brunch Ā£5 eggs, bacon, avocado
Ā£3.50 hot chocolate. Total Ā£8.50
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10
Fatigue: 4/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10
āļøHighlights: I was dreaming about bacon eggs and avocado. And having that for breakfast made my day. It was nice walking in the forest as I was out of the heat at the midday.
šļøChallenges: iāve been scratched a lot on my legs by brambles. Also found two ticks on me. They are so small. I do a tick check every night before bed. But I will start doing it during the day after I take a rest break.
šThoughts: still trying to process a lot of thoughts. But this has been amazing thinking time. I think in a few more days mentally Iāll be in better place. (Iām not in a bad place now. Iām just trying to organise thoughts/make plans etc) basically get things straight in my head.
Day 3 š„¾South West Coast Path š“ó §ó ¢ó „ó ®ó §ó æ, UK National Trail š¬š§ šSupported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ā¹ļøStats: Tuesday 30th July
Weather: Sunny āļø & hot
From: 2 miles before Lynmouth
Start time: 7.40am
To: just outside Combe Martin
End time: 9pm - this does include multiple breaks.
Accommodation: wild camped šļø
Terrain: coastal paths, forest, little bit of road, rocky paths.
š„¾Km: 20.2
š„¾Miles: 14
š¦¶Steps: 25,985
Total = 33/630 5% done ā
š°Costs: Ā£18.75 - fingers breakfast/gluten-free & Fruits smoothie
Ā£2.75 - elderflower juice drink
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10 - still a beautiful day and I did enjoy it but it was Tough going
Fatigue: 6/10
Ease of terrain: 6/10. to me it felt like tough terrain with lots of up & downs. someplaces were rocky underfoot
āļøHighlights: the weather has been glorious. But there has been very little shade today. And Iāve only got about a litre of water left and nowhere to get new water until I get to the next town. Managed to get some water at a river running to the sea
šļøChallenges: went over and twisted my right ankle. Not happy.
I thought I had the perfect wild camping spot. Until three horses š came along and got very interested in me, my tent & my bag. They would not go away I thought at one point they were going to trample over everything.
I need to pack everything up and make a quick exit and find somewhere else to camp. not what I wanted at 8:30 pm in the evening. Finally got settled at 9.30pm
šThoughts: feeling so lazy/tired probably to do with the weather. But it is a struggle to move sometimes I just wanna sit down in the Sun. āļø
Day 4 š„¾South West Coast Path š“ó §ó ¢ó „ó ®ó §ó æ, UK National Trail š¬š§ šSupported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ā¹ļøStats: Wednesday 31st July
Weather: Sunny āļø & hot
From: just outside Combe Martin
Start time: 7.30am
To: Morte Point
End time: 9.10pm
Accommodation: wild camped āŗļø
Terrain: convoluted paths which needed some careful route finding. There are some easy cliff paths and a few rollercoasters. Lots of lots of down.ā°ļø
š„¾Km:20.7
š„¾Miles: 13
š¦¶Steps:26,546
Total: 47/630 7.5% done ā
š°Costs: Ā£18.75 I bought rubbish food. It was a convenient store. There wasnāt many options. Especially when being gluten-free. For this trip, I will just have to continue eating what I normally eat and then when Iām back home, Iāll figure out my diet.
Ā£10.48 Wetherspoon- chicken breast, chips & peas.
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment:6 /10
Fatigue: 6/10 - I took so many breaks and had a semi doze for 90 mins
Ease of terrain: 7/10 - tough - tough - tough
āļøHighlights: turning a corner and seeing a castle š° the weather āļø itās gorgeous being out here. But itās super hot. So needing to carry more water š¦
šļøChallenges: finding a good wild camping spot at the end of the day.
šThoughts: I donāt know why Iām eating so much food. None stop eating today. Stomach doesnāt feel great as I accidentally ate some wheat. But it is what it is! Lesson learned!
Day 5 š„¾South West Coast Path š“ó §ó ¢ó „ó ®ó §ó æ, UK National Trail š¬š§ šSupported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ā¹ļøStats: Thursday 1st August
Weather: Sunny āļø & hot š„µ
From: Morte Point
Start time: 8am
To: before crow point
End time: 9pm big rest stops - like 3hrs sunbathing- so not constant walking!!
Accommodation: wild camped šļø
Terrain: sandy beaches, well marked tracks and paths.
š„¾Km: 18.8
š„¾Miles: 12 miles
š¦¶Steps:24,06&
Total: 60/630 9.5% done ā
š°Costs: Ā£10.25 green juice, eggs & sausage for breakfast
Ā£2.70 magnum ice-cream š¦
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10
Fatigue: 5/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10 a lot easier compared to the other days.
āļøHighlights: stunning beaches and the views looking out to the sea and the headlands were spectacular - also helped by the amazing weather. I had a 3 hr chill session at the beach - which was epic
šļøChallenges: I climbed Baggy Point coast guard pole which was so much fun!
šThoughts: Iāve got a plan for the next few days. When I get to Bude I have a room booked (Ā£68 including breakfast) and they will let me check in early. So Iāll be able to have a full reset. Eat well and recharge all my electronics š„³
Read more of my journey here: Day 6-10: Walking the South West Coast Path
About the South West Coast Path
The South West Coast Path Association (SWCPA) is a charity protecting and enhancing the 630-mile National Trail. They keep it open, safe, and accessible, coordinating hundreds of projects along the route to help walkers enjoy one of the worldās greatest coastal journeys.
Learn more at www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk
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