South West Coast Path South Cornwall

The South West Coast Path National Trail (SWCP) measures a staggering 630 miles (1015km) from Minehead on the Somerset coast right round Devon and Cornwall to Poole in Dorset. The guidebook divides the route into 45 stages of between 12.5 to 37.5km, beginning and ending where amenities are available. Written by prolific outdoor writer Paddy Dillon, this guidebook is packed with lots of information for planning your walk, including clear step-by-step route descriptions and OS map extracts, public transport links, accommodation and facilities along the way. Also described is the 17-mile South Dorset Ridgeway, from West Bexington to Osmington Mills, which can be used as a scenic way to shave 42 miles off the total distance. This epic route takes in Exmoor National Park, five AONBs and the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, besides various nature reserves and SSSIs. No other stretch of coastline compares for scenic splendour, historical sites and availability of refreshments, accommodation and public transport, making it easy to split the South West Coast Path into week or weekend-long sections.

'I am already planning the next adventure. The wanderlust that infected me has no cure.' It all started in Fishguard in the mid-1970s when, aged fifteen, Martyn Howe and a friend set off on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path armed with big rucksacks, borrowed boots, a Primus stove and a pint of paraffin, and a thirst for adventure. After repeating the route almost thirty years later, Martyn was inspired to walk every National Trail in England and Wales, plus the four Long-Distance Routes (now among the Great Trails) in Scotland. His 3,000-mile journey included treks along the South West Coast Path, the Pennine Way, the Cotswold Way and the West Highland Way. He finally achieved his ambition in 2016 when he arrived in Cromer in Norfolk, only to set a new goal of walking the England and Wales Coast Paths and the Scottish National Trail. In Tales from the Big Trails, Martyn vividly describes the diverse landscapes, wildlife, culture and heritage he encounters around the British Isles, and the physical and mental health benefits he derives from walking. He also celebrates the people who enrich his travels, including fellow long-distance hikers, tourists discovering Britain's charm, farmers working the land, and the friendly and eccentric owners of hostels, campsites and B&Bs. And when he is asked 'Why do you do it?', the answer is as simple as placing one foot in front of the other: 'It makes me happy.'

Comprehensive, all-in-one guide to walking the Dorset & South Devon Coast Path, the third and last section of the South West Coast Path National Trail

The opening of the England Coast Path means that anyone will be able to walk and wild camp along the entire 3,000-mile length of the English coast. As well as being a remarkable national achievement in itself, this new national trail is a hugely exciting prospect for all walkers, campers, fans of the coast and the outdoors. In 2018 Stephen Neale became one of the first people to walk and wild camp along the whole of the path, and in doing so has written a fantastically detailed and rich guidebook covering the route itself, along with everything from the best places to swim, hunt for fossils and eat seafood to hidden away beaches and canoeing spots. The bulk of the book is divided up into the 16 coastal counties and features 1,000 places to see, explore, camp and adventure around the coast. Each place has an OS map reference, basic directions to it from the path and a short description. Walkers can either visit specific places or link highlights together, walking between them along the path. The England Coast Path is a true embodiment of our national character – at a time when all things English are so often seen in a negative light, this is a wonderful success story. Environmentalists, volunteers, social campaigners, land owners and politicians have all come together to create a 'ninth wonder of the world'. This path represents what makes England so great: a little bit mad, a little bit proud; but mostly a celebration of this nation's most precious asset: the wild coast.

Guide to walking the Camino Frances through northern Spain, the most popular version of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage or Way of St James, covering the 784km from St-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela. The guidebook is everything you need to plan your camino. It describes the route in 36 stages and lists 500 pilgrim lodgings along the camino, including public and private albergues, with a description of facilities available at each, allowing the route to be customised to suit your own itinerary. The accompanying map book is ideal for day-to-day use, with maps for the entire route showing the locations of accommodation and services, as well as over 100 useful town and village maps. Divided into 6 sections, the guidebook includes an additional section from Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre and Muxia on the Galician coast. Each section is broken down into detailed stages with easily customisable start and finish points due to the amount of accommodation available en route. This two-part guidebook and map book provide an abundance of advice on planning and preparation, sample itineraries and detailed information that allows complete customisation of the Camino, making this an ideal guidebook for all pilgrims walking the Camino Frances.

Cornwall's coastal path gives access to many of Britain's finest marine landscapes, and a great many of the walks in this guide utilise sections of the path, which is maintained to a high standard. Two walks, starting at Polkerris and Little Petherick respectively, follow parts of the Saints' Way, which crosses Cornwall from coast to coast on a route pioneered by the early Christian missionaries. Other routes take in the ever-popular Land's End, romantic Prussia Cove (an old smugglers' haunt), and Bodmin Moor, a landscape that has altered little since the Iron Age, nearly 3,000 years ago.

Map of part of the southern section of the 630 mile (1014km) South West Coast Path National Trail. Covers the trail from Plymouth to Poole along the coastline of Devon and Dorset. This convenient and compact booklet of Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps shows the route, providing all of the mapping you need to walk the trail in either direction.