The whole experience was brilliant, helped greatly by perfect weather, when everything worked out so well. The hotels were ideal and very welcoming to a tired walker, the baggage transfers were good and my bag was always delivered before my arrival, but the best experience was the walk itself. The route was stunning and the scenery magnificent. Navigation worked out well, there were a few not-as-map situations that took a few minutes to work out, some missing signage was frustrating and some of the diversions around Nare Head and Nare Point when approaching Gillan Creek proved tricky to navigate, but the notes and map references helped as I had plotted the routes on my OS Map beforehand.
I’ve already walked several sections of the South West Coastal Path, but this was the first time I had used an organised trip to walk a longer section and the choice of walking the entire Lizard peninsula proved so worthwhile: it was a life-changing event and my appetite for more long walks is truly whetted! Well done Encounter Walking Holidays for providing such a well considered professional service, delivered with great local knowledge and very friendly support. I would definitely arrange another walk with you. Thank you!

We thoroughly enjoyed our walk. The organisation of accommodation, maps and luggage transfers worked extremely well. We did find at times that the track wasn't well marked, and the track notes were very confusing for the stretch between Porthallow to Mawnan Smith. The grading on the track notes we felt was understated and there several times when the description of moderate seemed inaccurate and strenuous (in parts) would have been a much more appropriate description. Thanks for a great experience and we would highly recommend it to others.

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

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.

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.

It was another great trip - our fourth section of the SWCP.

Walking the coastal path in May was amazing!! Nice weather, no crowds, beautiful landscape - green and fresh! Numerous highlights, but especially Portleven, the landscape heading south to Lizard point, sunset and morning light in Lizard, wading cross Gillan creek just in time before the tide made it impossible, a long sunny evening at the beach in Falmouth.
Bookings and follow up through Encounter Walking Holidays was excellent!. Nice and clean B&Bs and luggage always in place at arrival. Have used them before and will do again!

The wildflowers, fishermen singing at Cadgwith Cove, crossing the Helford River and our stay at Glendurgan.

Our walking holiday was perfect and we truly enjoyed it. Everything was very well organized. The luggage transfer was perfect - it was always there when we arrived. We were able to set our walking distances before the final booking which really helped us to enjoy the walks.
The accommodations were great and close to the trail. We would highly recommend Encounter Walking Holidays and are thinking about doing more stretches of South West Coast Path in the future.

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.

Our first day was very windy and the rain was stinging our faces - our first adverse weather conditions since starting in Minehead back in 2020. However, we were welcomed warmly after our 14 miles at the Harbour Inn in Porthleven and chatted to fellow walkers who were equally wet! The week got better weatherwise and as ever Encounter made the holiday run so smoothly. Every single overnight stop was superb and our luggage was transferred seamlessly. The walking was not the hardest on this stretch but was still challenging in places. We are all booked for the next leg Falmouth - Plymouth which we understand is a little harder for August. Well done Damon and the team - we are over half way now!

Super 5 days walking, beautiful scenery and the weather was kind. Would highlight on diversion due to collapsed bridge at Parbean Cove to pay attention on diversion signs. There was a lot of work going on with farm gates being replaced and signs were not always easily visible. In addition, point to note, leave sufficient time to ensure you are able to get the last Ferry to Helford Passage. A super section of the SWC path.

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!!

A great walk but we had very windy and at times wet weather but that did not spoil the experience .
Accommodation was good .
We thought that for a well known and well used walk the signage in parts was poor ,notable in parts were land is in private hands .
We appreciate there has been some damage to the path which means temporary diversions, these were signed quite well. On parts of the path across very open terrain it was sometimes difficult to follow .
We think a GPS download of the route would be something you could provide .

The Kennack Sands to Coverack section took us 2 hours longer than expected because of steep areas where the steps had fallen away and we had to do rock scrambling. On the Gillian Creek detour the signs disappeared and a local farmer told us that a path shown on Encounter's downloaded map no longer exists.
Thanks for letting us know Penny this is actually the South West Coast Path Association's map of the official diversion so we will recheck with them to see if they have had the problem flagged up to them He also said the coast walk signposting was "shit"(we had to agree). We coped there by using Google maps on our phone to use roads and take a lot longer.
The location you refer to at Gillian Creek has frustratingly had 2 path closures in a very small area one of which is a bridge that washed away and is still to be replaced. We will pass on your comments to the SW Coast Path Association who have a warden that manages that section and if temporary signs have gone missing they will get those seen to and replaced Leading up to Kynance Cove the "track" is just open grassland and we missed the steps down to the cove and ended up on a long detour inland to get round. Overall we think that somebody from Encounter should walk the route and change the notes. We will go and have another look at the diversion area on Gillian Creek for sure and see if new signage will improve the situation though we may be lucky and get the bridge replaced which would be the best situation for everyone. Walker and Farmer. We are Cornwall based and whilst we can't re-walk every section of the 600 mile route every season we are out walking a lot and several of us have walked the full coast path - if there is a problem we go and look it. We just need to know there is a problem and this must be a new issue with the missing signs as no one has reported anything up to now. Are you still located in Fowey or have you been sold? We notice you now have a London address." We are still here in mid Cornwall at a place called Victoria which probably threw you ! Thanks so much for letting us know about the missing signage in Gillan and we will take this forward to the South West Coast Path Association Warden - Damon

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.

Encounter Walking Holidays made my trip - I don’t think I could have done it as well without their assistance, booking and suggestions. I highly recommend them! Very friendly and prompt correspondence.

Loved our walking experience on the SWCP. We can't stop raving about it. The scenery was spectacular, accommodation fantastic. This was our fourth long distance walk over the years, and I would say that this was the best. I am more than happy to recommend Encounter Walking Holidays and Luggage transfers to anyone considering doing this walk. I can't thank the Encounter Walking Holiday Team enough for helping us to have such a wonderful experience.

Encounter Walking Holidays made my trip - I don’t think I could have done it as well without their assistance, booking and suggestions. I highly recommend them! Very friendly and prompt correspondence.

Consistently superlative service every year. Gillian Creek Crossing. You can ford up to an hour and a half after low tide...just above knees at that point. If you are short you'll get wet up to mid-thigh. When you get to Helford, it is tempting to sit at the Shipwright arms to enjoy the beautiful setting and rest over a pint or two, but be careful - you might miss the last ferry across (which was sort of 4ish the day we crossed). Ask the bartender when the last ferry leaves. Highly detailed itineraries - bespoke to our walk. Ferry info and tide times super important when walking south Cornwall - and they provide everything you need to know. The map they provide is essential kit - phone batteries die and or connection can be sketchy in some places.Beware staying in the centre of Falmouth and Fowey - if you want an early night. Both the Chain Locker (Falmouth) and The King of Prussia (Fowey) are ground zero for partying/live music. We happened upon Falmouth on the last day of the Sea Shanty Festival (which was manic - but very jolly!) Hats off to the Caerthillian Guest House in the Lizard. Austin and Linda run a lovely guest house. Basic en-suite rooms but spotlessly clean and comfy - with every detail thought through - down to extra plug sockets by the bed for charging devices. Many a fancy hotel could learn a thing or two from Austin and Linda. A great team providing a super service. We'll definitely book through Encounters again next your for the next leg of the walk.

I absolutely and without reservation recommend the coast path and this company. I hope to do another bit of it sometime in the near future and would absolutely use this company again to make my arrangements for me. Several times while walking, I thought about communicating with Encounter Walking to just tell them how much I appreciated them and how very much I was enjoying the walk.

A very happy week of walking.

This was our second walk on the SWCP booked via encounter walking holidays - the whole booking process was again very smooth and easy straightforward. Documents, maps and guidebooks were perfect, even if you do not really need them every day on the SWCP, given the perfect signposting. However, if there is a moment of uncertainty now and than, the documents will always provide help. As we needed dog friendly accommodation and were quite late in booking we had to walk rather long days, but encounter found good solutions for our itinerary. We prefer to stay in Pubs, Inns and smaller B&Bs. And we needed accommodation accepting two dogs - encounter found solutions and wonderful places at nearly all locations according to our preferences. Very good :-)

Enjoyed it as always!