Overview
Discover challenging and dramatic walking trails shaped by the footsteps of traders, smugglers, saints and pirates. Cornish walking trails will reveal ancient tin mines, clifftop castles, timeless fishing villages and wild moors as you travel through a landscape of huge cliffs and hidden coves that goes back to the depths of time itself. In between the coastal drama, iconic harbours such as St Ives and Padstow give walkers access to some of the UK‘s best restaurants and coastal hotels. A county encircled by the wild Atlantic ocean, there is over 330 miles of spectacular world class coast path here taking you around the farthest corners of England - put simply it feels like walking on the edge of the world.
Stretching from coast to coast across the southwest of England, Devon is a richly diverse county with rugged shores and cliffs in the north, and classic Victorian seaside resorts in the south. In between you'll find tranquil green pastures, wooded gorges and the two dramatic wild moors in the National Parks of Dartmoor and Exmoor. Choose Devon for its walking variety, and you'll find that the popular image of cream teas and thatched cottages is true - but that Devon is so much more once you explore it on two feet. Coast to coast routes like the Two Moors Way will offer a journey through it all from the wild northern shores that inspired the Romantic poets to the maritime ports of the south coast.
Free your soul and clear your mind! Walking on the wild moors of these National Parks is a wonderful antidote to modern living. England's last true wilderness, Dartmoor offers 365 square miles of virtually uninhabited freedom with high moors and twisted dramatic granite tors a land of myths, ghosts and legends. Exmoor, its smaller and more gentle neighour, is 250 Square miles of near perfect and unique beauty, with high uplands swathed in heather and steep, wooded gorges and rushing streams. See Dartmoor ponies and Exmoor stags in these wildlife rich areas, home to 30 species of mammals and over 240 types of bird. The moors offer a unique opportunity for more challenging walking where the only human sound you will hear is the rhythm of your own breath.
Avoid the crowds and discover “Secret Somerset” missed by so many rushing headlong for the far South West. The 'land of the summer people' was named in a time when this area could only be visited in the summer months as the sea receded. Today its a rich, fertile and 'for real' landscape crowned by the fine walking ridges of the Mendip and Quantock Hills both protected areas of outstanding natural beauty. Rising up over King Arthur‘s Vale of Avalon along with the magical Tor at Glastonbury, walkers will find hidden gorges, wooded combes and the best inland panoramas of the South West. Also boasting its own Jurassic Coast Path, providing a gateway into the wilds of Exmoor National Park, Somerset offers walking routes without the crowds for those who want to find..... what the rest miss.
Dorset has a comfortable old world “English” feel to it and its walking routes traverse a rather more green and agricultural land of thatched cottages, cream teas.... and fossils ! Walkers here will find the more gentle rolling farmland, pretty villages and chalk ridges beloved by Thomas Hardy that sweep down to end abruptly at the World Heritage Jurassic Coast. Here, alongside the sea, those after more challenging routes can take a walking holiday through time itself amongst the dramatic chalk stacks, cliffs and arches of the Dorsetshire fossil coast. An area that can be very busy in high season but often suits walkers looking for more gentle and less exposed walking than the far west of the region.
Wales offers some of the best walking and outdoor activities to be had anywhere in the world. The 870-mile Welsh Coast Path was only fully opened in 2012 and is the world's first walk along the entire coast of a nation. The terrain is on an equally grand scale with towering cliffs, vast stretches of unspoilt golden sands, imposing castles, offshore islands and to the north there is the backdrop of Snowdonia National Park with its stunning mountains. Wales in general offers walkers great value for money compared to more popular areas like Cornwall with walking options to suit everyone, from those who want the cosmopolitan restaurants and facilities of towns like Tenby and St Davids, through to isolated and remote forests and coastal hills that sit on the very cusp of the Snowdonian Peaks. Bursting with confidence and pride in its “Welshness”, its Celtic history, language and culture there has never been a better time for walkers to enter Wales.
The South West Coast Path is the UK's longest National Trail and one of the top ten walking routes in the world. It snakes, dips and rises continuously on its way through a staggering 1014km (630 miles) of pristine coastline, 450 miles of which is through nationally protected areas. It's a challenge too; walking the entire South West Coast Path is the equivalent to scaling Mount Everest four times! From towering cliffs to hidden coves, ghostly tin mines to lush subtropical wooded creeks. One minute a dramatic rock theatre hewn out of the cliffs, the next a prehistoric fossilized forest or a 20thC Art Deco Island Hotel. What sets The South West Coast Path apart from other trails is that around almost every corner is yet another surprise as you retrace the footsteps and histories of the tin miners, fisherman, smugglers, wreckers and the customs men who chased them.
1st March 2023 - We are now fully booked on our coast path routes until the end of May but please send quote requests in for June onwards as there is availability for the rest of the year. If you do plan to walk between now and June then our inland routes, Coleridge Way, Mendip Way, Saints Way Dartmoor Way and Two Moors Way still have availability for most dates so please get in touch.
If you ask us for a quote we will include public transport or parking information to suit your walking holiday and for those booking we advise and assist in helping you to work out and book the best travel options for your walk.
As its a circular route you can start or finish the Dartmoor Way in any of the overnight locations so just ask if you have specific plans. However the easiest point to reach by public transport and the best starting location for ideal walking days is Ivybridge in South Devon as this sits on the main rail line from London Paddington to Plymouth
Arrival and Departure from Ivybridge - Mainline fast Trains from London and the Midlands run to the station at Ivybridge some directly, some requiring a change at the previous stop of Totnes. Either way its a reliable service taking around 3 hours from London Paddington. You can catch a bus or take a taxi to the centre of town for the accommodation options or if you are ok carrying your luggage its around 15 minutes walk. We give full advice in your itinerary.
Other options - For anyone wanting to start or finish at Okehampton there are regular buses from Exeter Train and Bus Stations and since 2021 the Dartmoor moorland railway option which is currently running hourly and only takes 40 minutes from Exeter - read more about the Dartmoor Line to Okehampton if you are thinking of starting your walk here.
Anyone wanting to start at Tavistock will arrive by Plymouth on the train and regular buses can be caught from outside the station. More remote locations (Lydford, Mary Tavy and Chagford) can also be reached from these Exeter or Plymouth by bus but take longer have fewer services and have more connections but just ask for advice if you are not starting at Ivybridge.
Arriving from Overseas - Those arriving from overseas will usually arrive in the UK at London Gatwick or London Heathrow airport from where you can catch trains to the trail from the airport.(see the train information above). Those arriving at London Heathrow will usually take a 1/2 hour underground train / overland train service into London Paddington to catch the fast inter city trains to Ivybridge in Devon taking around 3 hours from London Paddington.
Internal Flights - There is also a regional airport at Exeter and you can catch internal flights from other UK airports as well as Heathrow and Gatwick. Once in Exeter a short bus ride connects you with the Train Service which you can use to reach Ivybridge. You can make the full journey from the airport in under 2 hours. Bristol airport may also be of use if you can find flights arriving there from overseas as this cuts the train journey from London in half.
Arrival and Departure - National Express Coaches run from London to Ivybridge in around 6 hours.
Coach travel is the cheapest way of arriving if you have the time and patience (but generally the service is much slower and less comfortable than the trains).
Long Stay Parking is available in most locations - ask for details. Again the best option is generally Ivybridge which is the usual starting and finishing point on the Dartmoor Way and in addition is right on the main Devon Trunkroad the A38. If you are not walking back to your car and want to use the train the car park at Ivybridge Station is free and there are parking options in the town and at one of our accommodation options.
However you can start or finish pretty much anywhere on the route - just ask for advice.
For those on short breaks starting and finishing in different locations with a car, we can advise on getting back to your car by public transport. Places like Tavistock, Okehampton and Bovey Tracey are well served by bus services and there are less frequent options to Princetown, Lydford and Chagford. We are always able to help provide local taxi numbers who will quote the prices for you to consider if you will be in a hurry to depart.
Contact us for for further travel advice and options to fit your particular itinerary and dates.
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