South Devon Coast Path

The coast of South Devon which stretches for over 120 miles (192kms) is a landscape of beauty, variety and great geological interest. A large stretch of the coast is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its geological importance, whilst other stretches are protected as Heritage Coast, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

We will complete the route as two separate tours, so guests can choose to book for one or both of the sections, either of which makes a fine outing in its own right.

Picture: Soar Mill Cove - Tim Stanger/Devonscape Images

South Devon Coast Path, Western Section

6 days walking, based in Dartmouth

Our tour base

The 64 mile (102km) stretch of the South Devon Coast between Heybrook Bay on the eastern shore of Plymouth Sound and the attractive fishing port of Brixham takes in the beautiful, tranquil river estuaries of the Yealm, the Erme, the Avon and the Dart, and passes through the petty villages of Mothecombe, Hope Cove and Torcross, as well as the maritime towns of Salcombe and Dartmouth.

There are numerous rugged vistas, most noteably around Bolt Tail, Bolt Head, Start Point and Prawle Point, interspersed with picturesque coves such as Soar Mill Cove, with its dramatic backdrop of rocky outcrops, gorse and heather. There is no doubt that the South Hams of Devon possesses one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in Britain.

South Devon Coast Path, Eastern Section

5 days walking, based in Sidmouth

Our tour base

Beyond Brixham the wide sweep of Torbay and the sandy beaches of the Devon Riviera lead to the flower-rich dunes of Dawlish Warren and the wide expanse of the Exe Estuary where wading birds feed on the mudflats of the nationally-renown nature reserve. Orcombe Point on the eastern bank of Exe Estuary marks the westernmost boundery of the new UNESCO World Heritage site covering the 'Jurassic Coast' of East Devon and West Dorset and immediately a change in the landscape becomes apparent with red sandstone cliffs dominating the landscape. At Budleigh Salterton enormous pebbles 440 million years old litter the foot of the cliffs, at Ladram Bay the dramatic stacks reveal Triassic deserts, and at Beer the cliffs change to the chalk laid down during the Cretaceous Period, over 70 million years ago. The final stretch to the Dorset border leads through the wooded Undercliff Nature Reserve, into the charming resort of Lyme Regis, and onto the world famous Cobb.

• Introduction
• South Devon Coast Path
• 1066 Country Walk
• Offa's Dyke Path
• The Mortimer Trail
• The Angles' Way
• The Pennine Way
• Yorkshire Dales Centurion Walk
• Coast to Coast Walk
• Cumbria Way
• Hadrians Wall Path
• Borders Abbeys Way
• Fife Coastal Path
• Reivers' Way
• West Highland Way

Great walks in:

• Exmoor
• The Black Mountains
• The Cotswolds
• Central Lakeland