I have grown to love Cornwall over the many years we holidayed there with our children; camping, being by the sea, exploring pretty harbours, watching boats chugging/sailing in and out, cream teas, walks along the beach, and just enjoying the freedom of living outdoors in such a beautiful county. However, I had no idea that there was such a ‘thing’ as the South West Coast Path (SWCP) until I came across a beautifully illustrated book called A Brush with the Coast by Sasha Harding. Perfect, Cornwall, the sea and art! I asked for it as a Christmas present in 2020.
It is Sasha’s illustrated journal of walking The Path with her dog, Jess, to reignite inspiration for her artwork. In turn, it became inspirational to me; stories of her journey, the people she meets, little snippets of B&Bs and friends’ houses she stays at, information about places along the way, and through it all, the beauty of walking the many surfaces and environments of The Path.
I retired from teaching during the COVID Pandemic in 2020 as my husband, Paul, is clinically vulnerable. Being ‘retired’ felt very alien to me as it was unexpected. Having read A Brush with the Coast in January 2021, I became obsessed with wanting to walk it. I started to watch YouTube videos of other people’s journeys along the SWCP; ‘Scott’s Explore’ and ‘Gone Hiking’ were two of my favourites. I read many other books about the path too, building up my understanding of it, and what it would take to walk it.
Firstly, losing 20 kg in weight was a necessity (can’t be 20 kg overweight and carry a 12.5 kg rucksack up and down hills) and I needed to build up stamina. We live in Cambridgeshire – no hills! I used an online app to lose weight and devised weekly menus to keep to my calorie-density ratio. We walked as a couple and started visiting the Peak District for more strenuous hill walking. The SWCP and walking the entire coastline of Cornwall were all the motivation I needed, and it took just over 20 months to hit my goal.
Fast forward to January 2023 and we were ready to plan our journey. We had already bought a camper van in November 2022 that would be our base, as Paul needed weekly medication that had to be kept cool. He also needed to retire to walk the SWCP with me. The date we would leave home was 9th May 2023 to start walking on the 11th. I planned for us to walk between 16-20 km a day on the Path (10-12 miles), but I forgot to factor in the elevation gain and walking to and from the campsites, so in some cases, it was actually more!
An Excel spreadsheet is a MARVELLOUS thing. On it we had each day with LOTS of columns! The walk distance, how we would get to each day’s start location, points of interest/way markers, where we would stay each night, where the van would be over a few days, how we would get back to the van, campsites, contact info, and all of it colour coded, including when we needed to send off payments and completed arrangements. We placed the van ahead of us, then took transport to the end of our last walk, and walked back to the van, sometimes going several days beyond before coming back. We took a backpacking tent for camping and sometimes used B&Bs. We made sure to be at the van for Paul’s weekly medication, then the next day we would move the van on, wash clothes and shop on what we called our ‘rest day’. The next day we would go back to the place where we finished and walk forwards again.
We loved being able to walk the SWCP together, chatting or in silence, laughing and having fun, and recording our journey with many photos (approx. 20,000 between us). The highs: walking alongside the coast, amazing sights we would never have seen had we not walked, picnics, finding a loo! The lows: another field of cows, what goes down, must go up, another mile to our campsite.
It was also great to meet people along the way, hearing their stories, some who kept popping up again and again, some of whom we continue to keep in touch with, and some we now even holiday with! You never know when special people will walk into your life!
When we reached the end (South Haven Point), my first words were “I want to turn around and do it in reverse”! The SWCP becomes your mantra, your purpose, and walking it is both arduous and soothing, the peace that enables one to commune with oneself, while one foot takes over from the other, time for your soul. Why would I not want that to continue, along with all the above?
For me, the SWCP impacted my health, wellbeing, resilience, and spirit in an immensely positive way for life moving forward. I continue to be drawn to it, and we have revisited various sections each year since we completed it.
For Paul, he lost a lot of weight “due to insufficient cake intake“ he says!, He was pleased we were able to complete it as planned, without it being interrupted by health issues enroute, and he spent time with me, and as he says, “a happy wife makes a happy life”!
And having experienced this journey of a lifetime together, we will never run out of things to say to each other!
Guest blog written by Lis Hackett.
The South West Coast Path 