South West Coast Path – Westwood Ho! to Padstow 10 days

Arrival in Westwood Ho!

Arrive in Westward Ho! and check in to your accommodation. This is the only town in the UK to have an exclamation mark as part of its name. It was so named after the namesake book by Charles Kingsley, a Victorian best seller and brought a wave of tourism to the area, which led to the creation of the village. The seafront is one of North Devon’s most popular surfing and swimming spots.
Accommodation: We use a range of accommodation including B&B’s, guesthouses and Inns.

Walk to Hartland Quay

Today’s challenging section leads you through the stunning, contrasting landscapes of the Hartland Peninsula. You emerge from ancient woodland to follow the path through pastoral land on the open cliff tops and on reaching Hartland Point there are views to Lundy Island. From here leaving the valleys and woodland behind, you suddenly enter a more barren and dramatic landscape along the rocky coast to Hartland Quay. Screaming gulls, coastal waterfalls and wild flowers give this section a remote feel. The spectacular cliffs at Hartland Quay with their incredibly contorted rock layers are always dramatic and at low tide there is plenty of sand, rock pools and rocks to scramble over. In wild weather it is the perfect place to appreciate the power of the sea and wind as the waves crash against the cliffs and shore. Hartland Quay was built towards the end of the 16th Century being one of many quays along the coast. Heavy goods such as lime, slate and coal were shipped in from across the Bristol Channel and local produce such as barley and oats would have been shipped out. With the arrival of the railway in Bideford, maintenance of the pier ceased until members of the Hartland Boat Club constructed the present slipway.
Accommodation: The Quayside buildings were converted into a hotel and pub at the end of the 19th Century and now has a series of modern rooms in an old style setting.

Walk to Bude

There are stunning views and some rugged walking, especially from Higher Sharpnose Point and Steeple Point. The rocky shoreline was notorious for shipwrecks with over 150 ships lost on the rocky outcrops between Morwenstow and Bude alone. Stroll on past tumbling waterfalls, across secluded combes, before easing on the approach to Bude above and along the beach. Bude was a romantic Victorian sea-side resort and there are still traditional beach huts facing its long stretch of yellow shell based sands. 
Accommodation: There are some gorgeous family ran B&Bs in Bude

Walk to Tingtagel

Today’s walk is full of impressive rock formations, as you will be climbing through valleys and across cliffs with spectacularly sheer drops to the Atlantic below. There's great bird watching opportunities including peregrine falcons and you may also spot the herds of Soay sheep and goats whose grazing helps to encourage the growth of the wildflowers. There is also the highest cliff on the whole Cornish section of the coastal path, called ‘High Cliff’ towering 223 metres above the Atlantic Ocean and a waterfall called Pentargon. You also get to visit Boscastle, with its ancient harbour almost invisible from the sea. It is a beautiful fishing village in the bottom of a rugged, steep sided valley. Then it is on to famous Tintagel - where they say there has been more imported post-Roman pottery excavated than from the rest of Britain put together. And this fact, along with the heroic and mysterious literary legends of King Arthur, which surround the area, is a real attraction. Tintagel Head was originally a Roman settlement and a Celtic fortress, but most of the ruins are those of the 13th century castle built by Geoffrey of Monmouth. 

 Accommodation: Situated near Tintagel Castle our guest House has 7 rooms available throughout the year. All are ensuite except the single. 

Walk to Padstow

A tough but beautiful section. There are fantastic views from Lobber Point back over Port Isaac and Tintagel church and castle beyond. You pass through the inlet of Pine Haven and the historic promontory known as The Rumps. Then there is Portquin, a little village with a natural harbour, known as ‘the village that died’ due to the disappearance of all of the men of the village sometime in the 19th century: they probably all drowned at sea whilst fishing, forcing the women to abandon their homes. After the strenuous first half to Polzeath, crossing small valleys and winding round exposed headlands, there is an easy walk and ferry crossing into Padstow. This is a quintessential Cornish fishing town, home now to Rick Steins famous seafood restaurant and the town is in a bay whose mouth is compromised at certain tides by the notorious shipwrecking ‘Doombar.’

Accommodation: Standing on the quayside, it's one of the finest buildings in the town. Today it is famous for its fine food, award-winning ales, elegant, accommodation. It has long been a pub, providing a focal point for Padstow fishermen, local people and visitors to enjoy a drink and a bar meal. They serve stylish pub grub, washed down with award winning St Austell Brewery ales and a choice of good wines throughout the year.