I walked the South West Coast Path solo…AMA

[SeaSwimsEveryDay]

It’s a 630 mile hiking trail around the coast of Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. I carried my own camping equipment with me the whole way, and it was one of the best experiences of my life!

I thought I’d do an AMA in case anyone else is planning their own Salt Path/ Cheryl Strayed experience and is looking for inspiration or tips.

Thanks @SeaSwimsEveryDay - lots of really useful information! I'm really pleased about the section we've chosen after what you've said! I'm keeping a very close eye on the forecasts for next week at the moment and it's looking pretty good - sunny, not too hot, with a couple of days of light drizzle!!

My practice pack wasn't too bad! I think with 2 of us going we can distribute weight between us okay - one taking the tent, the other cooking stuff / the sleep mats etc. I've got a Decathlon 55L backpack (would prefer an Osprey but would need a second mortgage!) and like you said - I think any bigger and I would just be tempted to fill it up with stuff I don't really need and it'll get far too heavy!

I will report back after the adventure!! And if you're interested in different national trails, I follow a great guy on YouTube - Haze Outdoors, who is a long distance walker and covers lots of them in multi-day hikes. I really like his style, he's very watchable.

Thanks for coming back to answer the question! Very interesting, I'm not at a point right now where I could take time out to do this, but I'll get there one day!

Did you see any interesting land / marine life (other than the seals mentioned upthread?)

Thanks so much for your detailed and helpful reply to my question about costs! It really is very useful to know.

If I just wanted to walk say a 5 mile section, should I walk for 2.5 then walk back again or walk for 5 miles then bus / taxi back?

Personal preference, but I would get a bus/ taxi 5 miles out, and then walk back to where I’m staying. The buses are good in the summer.

I actually got really into spotting different types of seaweed! I started to be so fascinated by it, and appreciate all the different colours, textures and varieties.

I loved the seals, and spotting those was amazing, and there are also wild goats by the Valley of the Rocks in Lynmouth!

I love this. I dream of being able to do something like this. My youngest is 9 and I could only do about 10 days a year.
When you talk about wild camping can you talk to me in laymans terms? Do you just pitch up wherever you fancy?

@SeaSwimsEveryDay
What's it like around Lynmouth I'm planning to take some short hikes there this week !

@Namechanger1002 I came back to look at this thread on the off chance and saw I’d missed your original message. So sorry! Hope this is still helpful anyway.

So wild camping essentially means camping somewhere that isn’t a designated campsite. In England, the only place this is actually legal is Dartmoor.

However, unofficially, as long as you leave no trace (I mean, really leave no trace: remembering to search the ground to make sure you haven’t left any tiny bits of ‘micro trash’, like the small corners of a hot chocolate packet, or a couple of oats from a porridge sachet, and of course absolutely NO toilet paper etc. - there is a wealth of leave no trace camping resources online) a blind eye is generally turned on backpackers wild camping on National Trails.

My tips would be to ask other hikers if they’ve passed any good spots, keep an eye out for flat, secluded patches slightly off the trail, and pitch your tent fairly late in the day and make sure you pack up early. There’s also a lovely South West Cost Path Facebook group where people share wild camping spot suggestions. Looking at your google maps on satellite/terrain mode gives you a good idea of the area, too.

I met a woman hiking the SWCP solo who was an amazingly brazen wild camper. She would pitch her tent at 6pm, make herself dinner, and sit there chatting to the evening dog walkers who passed. Very inspiring! I preferred to choose a spot, make myself a hot chocolate, and then sit there looking at the sea/ reading until it was getting dark before pitching my tent. Everyone approaches it in different ways. I only did it a handful of times, but it was a lot of fun.

I hope you manage to do it! You can definitely do a lot, and have an amazing experience in 10 days. Good luck!

@coronation2023 so sorry for missing this initially! Around Lynmouth is absolutely gorgeous, as I’m sure you discovered! Hoping you had some lovely walks through Valley of the Rocks, enjoyed Woody Bay and being in such beautiful woodland next to the amazingly colourful sea. I’d love to go back and have lunch at the Hunter’s Inn, which is supposed to be great, too.

Hi OP,

Just wanted to thank you for this thread, I've very recently got into hiking having joined some meet ups online. I'm now planning my first solo hikes - nothing like what you have achieved but it is just oh so inspiring.

Thank you!

@SeaSwimsEveryDay I missed this thread when you originally posted so I'm so pleased you came back to check! I solo walked the Camino Frances across northern Spain over 6 weeks last summer and it was the most incredible experience (would massively recommend). I'd planned to walk the Portuguese Camino and the one in Gran Canaria and the Dales Way this year but 2023 went a bit tits up (literally) when I got diagnosed with breast cancer in Jan. But all my treatment is now done and prognosis is good so am working on getting my hiking fitness back and hopefully walking the South Downs Way in a couple of weeks. I'm now wondering if your thread is a sign for me to walk the SWCP next summer!

@SeaSwimsEveryDay apologies if I missed this but you said your first summer you didn't wild camp, did you just stay in campsites every night?

That's amazing, I would so love to do something like that. Maybe when the family are all grown and flown I'll have the space. Well done OP.

@WeKnowFrogsGoShaLaLaLaLa this is so good to hear, and you are so welcome. Good luck with your first solo hikes!

@Atreus doing the Camino is another one I’d love to do! What an amazing achievement. I’m so sorry to hear about your diagnosis, and so pleased you’re done with the treatment and your prognosis is good. You definitely deserve a fantastic South Downs Way holiday in celebration - and this should 100% be a sign to do the SWCP next summer! A totally joyous experience.

Enjoy the South Downs Way 😊

@lovewoola yes, the first summer I stayed in campsites each night, with a sprinkling of B&Bs thrown in. There were a lot of campsites near the path that were easy to find.

Really enjoyed reading this, I'd no longer be able to manage tiny tents due to joint damage but recently pared all my family camping stuff down to solo kit for car camping alone. Love it and been in some lovely hikes so your posts have really motivated me to go further and harder!

@CoffeeIsTheAnswer1 Thank you so much, and I hope you get the chance to do it someday!

@Ohyoudodoyou I’m so glad you enjoyed reading this and feel extra motivated! Good luck with your endeavors 😊

@Atreus i have done South Downs way this year . Loved it. Now doing north downsway

@SeaSwimsEveryDay well done!

Well done @SeaSwimsEveryDay, and also, I'm a bit envious! I've wanted to walk this path since reading '500 Mile Walkies' by Mark Wallington in the 90s. Dh and I have talked about doing it when the dc have grown up, we both love a good hike. I'm not sure how he'll cope though, he's very much a glamper rather than a camper and I'm not sure he'd cope without his camp bed and extra pillows!

I'm glad you bumped this as I'd missed it.
I've done a few LDWs. Coast to Coast, Dales way a couple of times, Cumbria way and Cleveland way. The Cleveland way is good for the diversity. This group is useful. I'm also in groups for the other walks
https://www.facebook.com/groups/348288602557361/?ref=share_group_link

You're way of describing is fantastic @SeaSwimsEveryDay you'd definitely be able to write an interesting book.

The people you meet on the walks really make it. And being in nature is so meditative. Getting really soaked is the only thing I'm not keen on and I've had a couple of really bad blisters (my own fault) I'm glad you don't suffer.

Loving the fact you're inspiring people.