South West Coast Path: North Devon

Our North Devon holiday, the first leg of the 630 mile South West Coast Path, actually begins life just over the border in Somerset, in the town of Minehead. From here you’ll follow the coastal path for almost 90 miles to the village of Westward Ho! enjoying overnight stays in popular locations such as Lynmouth, Ilfracombe and Woolacombe.

There is diverse scenery all along this section of the South West Coast Path. The first stretch takes you over some of the highest cliffs in England where the expanse of Exmoor meets the sea. There are extensive views inland and north across the Bristol Channel with the coast of Wales as the backdrop. You will pass through coastal woodland and see vast sandy beaches popular with surfers. In contrast is the large estuary of the Taw and Torridge rivers, flanked by sand dunes and marshland, where the path follows the former railway and later the estuary.

On your journey you’ll enjoy the sight of numerous cliff top flowers, particularly the abundance of bluebells and primroses in springtime. The Exmoor coast is home to a variety of wildlife and many rare species of flora and fauna. Expect to see red deer, stag beetles, blackneck moths and the whitebeam trees which are unique to Exmoor.

There are Sites of Special Scientific Interest with their delightful heathland and grasses, nature reserves too with sand dunes housing rare snails and lizards as well designated areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty where you might be able to spot grey seals, gannets and in the summertime dolphins, sunfish and even basking sharks.

This is an area valued for its birdlife and it also incorporates the Tarka Trail, a series of footpaths following the route taken by Tarka the Otter in the book by Henry Williamson.

Our Holidays

The South West Coast Path is England’s longest waymarked long-distance footpath and National Trail. We have a range of walking holidays along the entire length of the trail. All routes are well worth undertaking in their own right and you can take on each section separately until you’ve completed the whole path.

We offer 3 itineraries walking from Minehead to Westward Ho! on the North Devon section of the South West Coast Path.

Please bear in mind that the distances each day are trail distances only. They do not take into account walking to your accommodation. On some days the accommodation might be on or close to the trail but on other days you may need to walk one or two miles to get to your overnight stop.

Our colleague Katie walked from Minehead to Woolacombe on the South West Coast Path. Read Katie’s blog Family Time on the North Devon Coast