The whole holiday was exceptional. The variety of landscapes that we walked through, the historical remains, the varied accommodation (where everyone was welcoming and friendly), the views and the people we met on the way.
A special shout out to Pauline at Seaview House whose 'honesty bar' was a welcome sight after our first 7 hour day.
If you can, try and coincide your stop in Porthcurmo to visit the Minack theater and Telegraph Museum.

The highlight is the beautiful landscapes, We loved the peace, the colors, the slopes. I would definitive recommend Encounter Walking Holidays!

I can't speak highly enough of Raegan and the team who arranged a fantastic itinerary for 4 of us (two teenagers) and a dog. The arrangements were so smooth, the accommodation and food excellent. we had a fabulous experience, loved Sennen Cove, views of Cape Cornwall, the mystery of Zennor to Pendeen in the mist, the tin mine workings between Pendeen and Sennen. Access to glorious and secluded beaches. Fabulous - thank you

I WOULD recommend this walk to others - but it definitely has a lot of "ups and downs", elevation change of about 400 - 500 ft each, with 3-4 of these per day. Definitely the hardest day is Ste Ives to Zennor, as on top of the challenge noted above there are also additional boulder scrambles required, making the average speed about 1/2 MPH. While the boulder scrambling reduced beyond Zennor, the elevation changes did not. But of course with the elevation changes comes view payoffs! In fact, the sea is constantly in view each day. This is why we chose this walk and we would choose it again. Encounter Walking support was excellent, no issues there whatsoever. Constructive feedback is the accommodation in Porthcurno was less of a quality category than the others, but there were not a lot of options for accommodations in this town anyway. And the digital map accompaniment to the paper maps was not specifically geared to the SW Coast Path - it covered ALL trails in each local area, thereby requiring us to figure out what path(s) were the actual SW Coast Path. Favorite town: Sennen (beaches). Least favorite town: Zennor (not much to it). Be prepared for LOTS OF CROWDS in Ste Ives....

My sister and I did this walk. We were not prepared for the difficult spots. Rocks, bogs,steep climbs in many places. The accommodation in all places was fantastic! Kind hosts in all! The luggage was delivered as promised every day! We wish there had been more signs to show us the way. Looking back, shorter distances each day would have been better for us. It was an amazing experience! Thank you!

Overall we had a lovely experience. We enjoyed seeing places that we would never have otherwise seen, had many delicious cream teas and met friendly and welcoming people. The best parts were the constant breathtaking views. The accommodations and luggage transport were all easy and uneventful.

Some accommodations were more geared to walkers than others. Be sure to bring your own newspaper to dry boots as most places don't have boot drying rooms.

A lot of the cafes and food options on the walk were not reliable (closed when they were supposed to be open, closed at 2 or 3pm before we could get there...) and I would recommend always taking a packed lunch unless you are certain of availability. Also in several places there was only one option for dinner so be sure to book ahead.

The biggest challenge with the trail itself that we weren't prepared for was how overgrown it was in some places. Every day we found ourselves chopping our way through overgrowth, getting snagged and stung by nettles and thorns. Some sections were so narrow, I'm not sure how we would have managed if a walker had come along in the other direction! Keep in mind as you are planning your clothing and equipment.

The views are amazing! Tough walk between St Ives and Zennor, not far in miles, not terrible hills, but the rough ground makes it hard, would suggest stopping at The Tinners Arms as we did.

Our fourth trip with Encounter, they are excellent - highly recommend them!.

We were two Norwegian couples hiking from St. Ives to Lizard. We had some amazing days. Luggage transport worked out fine and the guest houses/hotels were all fine. We started our hike from St.Ives on a Sunday, We would recommend to spend a day to explore St. Ives, something we missed. Zennor was a cute, little place with very nice food. Absolutely a highlight during our hike. We were a little surprised that parts of the trail was very overgrown by vegetation and we had to "bush walk". There could have been more signs along the trail as we struggled some places to find the trail. In total we had a very good time and enjoyed every minute.

Beautiful scenery along these sections. Luggage transfers worked well, no issues. Booking process was smooth and we hope to use again.

Well organised - worked well as a holiday

This was our first experience with a walking company and a really wonderful trip. This section of the South West Coast Path is stunning. It was a luxury to have everything planned for us, a pack with helpful information for each day about lunch options and interesting sights, and having the luggage moved for us so we could walk with just a small daypack.

I would say that the walk was more demanding than we expected: we had ticked 'relaxed' pace but this didn't seem to be reflected in the distances each day, which were longer than the suggested lengths for relaxed pace....and also each day our phones and fitbits showed a lot more mileage than was officially supposed to be the case. Maybe it was the little detours to see the views from the headlands -- we do like to enjoy every view! But also I understand that this stretch of the path has limited accommodation options so some long days were probably unavoidable. The accommodation was all great, mainly pubs with lots of atmosphere and friendly service. Overall it was a really exceptional holiday.

My sister and I had dreamt of walking the SWCP for years and we finally made it happen. Thank you to all the staff at Encounter Walking for organizing our accommodation and luggage transfers and providing us with valuable information, such as itinerary, map and guidebook. The process from enquiry to booking was very thorough and smooth. We honestly had no idea what to expect, but we had the most amazing time during our walk: sunny weather throughout, friendly fellow hikers and locals along the way, absolutely wonderful B&Bs with helpful hosts, and the stunning coastline that is to be found between St. Ives and Penzance left us in awe!

Two of us walked happily and securely from St Ives to Mousehole, self-guided yet with the re-assurance that Encounter Walking was with us along the way. The itinerary document included every bit of needed information - from highlights along the Path to logistics. The inns were very comfortable and perfectly located right off/on the Path; the innkeepers were most welcoming and prescient. Every morning we left our lodgings restored after a good night sleep and a hearty breakfast. Viv at The Field House also prepared the most scrumptious dinner just for the two of us. And someone in Mousehole told us the ‘real’ story behind the town’s name. Thank you for everything. We will be in touch soon for another trip.

The route planning and information provided was extremely thorough and very helpful.
Of the 15 different accommodations/overnight stays, they were all of a very high quality, with only one exception.
The baggage transfers were very efficient.

We had a wonderful hike! The coastline was rugged and beautiful, our accommodations were lovely. We would definitely recommend this hike to others!

Every day was different with great scenery, historical points of interest, camaraderie with other walkers and mostly good walking weather. Highlights were the rugged coastal scenery, forests with spring wildflowers, historical sites and buildings, old mining relics, quaint villages and small harbours. All our accommodation chosen by Encounter was excellent, easy to find using the notes provided, and well suited to walkers. Encounter provided great organisation for our walk.

Such a beautiful walk along the coast of Cornwall! We were lucky to have mostly sunny weather, spring flowers everywhere, and not too much mud. It did rain our last day so we decided to take the bus towards Mousehole to shorten our walk to Penzance and avoid some tricky bits. We are both in our seventies and found the walk challenging but doable. We really appreciated the suggestions about where to eat and had some excellent meals. We recommend seeing a play at the outdoor Minack Theater in Porthcurno overlooking the sea if you have the chance. Overall, quite the adventure! Thank you for making it possible.

We booked this trip as a once in a lifetime adventure, and it did not disappoint. The Cornish coast was a never ending stream of beautiful coves, the sun shone (maybe a couple hours rain aver the whole trip), the mines and ancient stones a delightful bonus.
We took a day out at Zennor to do the Ancient Stones Walk, the walking notes provided by Encounter made it an excellent day out - very easy to navigate in the sunshine, in foggy conditions I would recommend finding another activity for the day.
The accommodation was all exactly as described and booked, the luggage service without hitch. The trip pdf contained all the information we needed on a daily basis.
I have nothing bad to say about the experience, but perhaps the biggest recommendation is that we will be back next year for another segment - let’s call it a twice in a lifetime trip!!

Zuerst muss ich sagen, dass die Tour vom Team encounterwalking absolut top organisiert war. Kontakt schnell und zuverlässig, Unterkünfte top, Gepäcktransport absolut zuverlässig, die Leute vor Ort freundlich und hilfsbereit. Die Gesamte Strecke von Minehead bis nach Lizard war fantastisch. Natur, Geschichte, Museen und Begegnungen haben mich absolut beeindruckt. Die Strecke des South West Coast Path bietet alles was einen Wanderer herausfordert und begeistert: Viele steile Auf- und Abstiege, fantastische Ausblicke, Wegbeschaffenheit aller Art (Gras, Schlamm, Felsen, wurzlig, Bach über oder durchquerungen u.s.w.), Wind, Regen, Sonne, Tierbegegnungen, Geschichte, Natur und vieles mehr. Ich möchte daher keinen Streckenabschnitt hervorheben, selbst die flache Strecke (41 km) von Braunton nach Westward Ho!, von vielen als langweilig beschrieben, hat seinen Reiz. Wer einmal am South West Coast Path unterwegs war wird wahrscheinlich wieder kommen, ich auf jeden Fall. Der von mir gewählte April Termin war ideal, noch keine Hauptsaison, Wetter war gut, von 23 Wandertagen waren nur 2 Tage an denen ich die ganze Etappe im Regen laufen musste. Der Wind war an manchen Tagen stark aber kein Problem und die Temperatur lag zwischen
+5 Grad und +18 Grad. Fazit; eine fantastische Wanderung, wenn man mit Freude, Neugier, Wissenslust und Akzeptanz der Elemente (Wegbeschaffenheit, Sonne, Regen, Wind u.s.w.) unterwegs ist, deshalb Danke an das encounterwalking Team für eine perfekte Organisation. TRANSLATION - First of all, I have to say that the tour was absolutely well organized by the encounterwalking team. Contact was quick and reliable, accommodation was top-notch, luggage transport was absolutely reliable, the people on site were friendly and helpful. The entire route from Minehead to Lizard was fantastic. I was absolutely impressed by the nature, history, museums and encounters. The South West Coast Path route offers everything that challenges and inspires a hiker: lots of steep climbs and descents, fantastic views, all kinds of path conditions (grass, mud, rocks, roots, crossing or crossing streams, etc.), wind, rain, sun, animal encounters, history, nature and much more. I therefore don't want to highlight any one section of the route; even the flat route (41 km) from Braunton to Westward Ho!, described by many as boring, has its charm. Anyone who has been on the South West Coast Path once will probably come back, I certainly will. The April date I chose was ideal, not yet peak season, the weather was good, out of 23 hiking days there were only 2 days where I had to walk the whole stage in the rain. The wind was strong on some days but not a problem and the temperature was between +5 degrees and +18 degrees. Conclusion: a fantastic hike if you go with joy, curiosity, a thirst for knowledge and acceptance of the elements (path conditions, sun, rain, wind, etc.), so thank you to the encounterwalking team for perfect organization.

Very happy with the personal contact, I did the walk on my own and I decided that I would feel more safe knowing that there is a professional organisation thinking along and being there for questions in advance but also on the path (not that I needed that but the idea was nice). Great experience, a trip I will remember for a long time.

Old Custom House hotel in Padstow. Shower not working

So friendly helpful and personal. Particularly loved 27 The Terrace and Gurnards Head - so comfortable. But appreciated mixing these with lower cost places to manage budget!

Perfect. All our queries were answered almost immediately. It was all very easy. The website is clear, informative and very useful to help planning. We chose the ‘relaxed’ route and were pleased we did. The route was occasionally quite tough (not a surprise as the walking notes suggested that it would be) with some rock scrambling. It was very muddy in places ( also suggested) but probably made worse by the incredible rain storms! Very helpful in conjunction with the OS mapping app on the iPhone that we had downloaded (some areas had poor phone signal). This showed with an arrow exactly where we were so if there was a question over the route that was useful. Accommodation was varied but always clean and nice and often right on the Coast Path. We felt a great sense of achievement having completed all the North Cornwall sections from Minehead to Penzance. Encounter Walking Holidays are great.

Very easy and friendly, they fullfill every wish and answer every question. We decided for the "relaxed" option which was just a perfect mix of long and short walks. The notes and itinerary were excellent. Maps were not needed as the path is super easy to find. 13 accomodations were from okay to really nice (somtimes even with amazing views of the sea or harbor) and two were so bad that I would not recommened to book them ever again.

Together with Encounter Walking Holidays we could plan our holiday just the way we liked. They are very flexible. In our case we asked for some changes in accomodations and brought in some suggestions. They gave us advice in which accomodations they could work with and which they would not advise us to go to. Website is very good. Lot of information , complete and clear. On a 20 leg (400 km) part of the SWCP we could see that different parts of the Path are maintained not so well as other parts. Sometimes signes are missing, or broken while on other locations they are new and made out of fancy materials. Also the tracks are sometimes difficult to walk because plants are growing over it while on other plants are nicely removed. We used our own navigation. Walking notes we got from Encounter Walking Holidays are very good, We always checked them the night before to see what we could expect the next day. Which parts of the track are easy, moderate or strenuous and a lot of sightseeing topics. Luggage transfer never went wrong. One time however we found a note on our luggage. That day we waited for the rain to clear and left after 9 o'clock . We did not realize that we should have put our luggage at the pick-up point before 9 o'clock. They people from the luggage transfer service did pick it up later. Thank you ! Some of the locations we picked ourselfes where maybe not the best choices after all. We had one room in the attic where we had to stoop constantly to avoid bumping our heads. Our choice and our mistake. But 95% were very good. Very friendly, with good breakfast, when available. Very good overall. This was our second time with Encounter Walking Holidays. We will probably travel with them in the future.