Iāve just completed one of the UKās most iconic National Trailsāthe South West Coast Path, spanning 630 miles of stunning scenery! In 40 days, I experienced everything from rugged cliffs to peaceful beaches. Thanks to the support of @zoleolifeeurope and the #ChallengeWithZoleo, this adventure tested my endurance and left me in awe of the British coastline.
Read on to explore the daily adventures and challenges I faced along the way!
Day 1 š„¾South West Coast Path š“ó §ó ¢ó „ó ®ó §ó æ, UK National Trail š¬š§ šSupported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ā¹ļøStats: Sunday 28th July
Weather: sunny & hot š„µ
From: @armchairadventurefestival
Start time: 1pm š with @randogirl42 to Taunton. Bus to Minehead. 5pm. 6pm start of SWCP
To: before bossington village
End time: 9pm
Accommodation: wild camped šļø
Terrain: grassy paths, well maintained coastal footpaths
š„¾Km: 12.8
š„¾Miles: 8
š¦¶Steps: 17,869
Total 8/630 = 1.3% done ā
š°Costs: Ā£2 bus from Taunton to Minehead.
Ā£12.25 burger & chips (no bun) at Wetherspoons
Ā£5.80 Morrisons -water, cheese, wine gums
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10 epic to be out here š„³
Fatigue: 4/10 - not horrendous but when it got to 9 oāclock I was feeling tired and wanted to stop.
Ease of terrain: 4/10 in terms of the ups and downs not so bad to start with. And the paths has been well maintained.
āļøHighlights: the weather. Finally some sunshine! āļø so nice being back out in nature. Seeing a wild pony and avoiding the cows!
šļøChallenges: lower back is playing up. Lots of thoughts that I need to sort through. So good to have some quiet time to reflect and process.
šThoughts: so excited to be out here. Looking forward to seeing how the adventure unfold. š
Day 2 š„¾South West Coast Path š“ó §ó ¢ó „ó ®ó §ó æ, UK National Trail š¬š§ šSupported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ā¹ļøStats: Monday 29th July
Weather: Sunny āļø & hot!
From: before bossington village
Start time: 7.15am
To: 2 miles before Lynmouth
End time: 7pm
Accommodation: wild camped āŗļø
Terrain:forests, grassy tracks.
š„¾Km: 15.6
š„¾Miles: 11
š¦¶Steps:20,042
Total 19/630 miles 3% done ā
š°Costs: brunch Ā£5 eggs, bacon, avocado
Ā£3.50 hot chocolate. Total Ā£8.50
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10
Fatigue: 4/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10
āļøHighlights: I was dreaming about bacon eggs and avocado. And having that for breakfast made my day. It was nice walking in the forest as I was out of the heat at the midday.
šļøChallenges: iāve been scratched a lot on my legs by brambles. Also found two ticks on me. They are so small. I do a tick check every night before bed. But I will start doing it during the day after I take a rest break.
šThoughts: still trying to process a lot of thoughts. But this has been amazing thinking time. I think in a few more days mentally Iāll be in better place. (Iām not in a bad place now. Iām just trying to organise thoughts/make plans etc) basically get things straight in my head.
Day 3 š„¾South West Coast Path š“ó §ó ¢ó „ó ®ó §ó æ, UK National Trail š¬š§ šSupported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ā¹ļøStats: Tuesday 30th July
Weather: Sunny āļø & hot
From: 2 miles before Lynmouth
Start time: 7.40am
To: just outside Combe Martin
End time: 9pm - this does include multiple breaks.
Accommodation: wild camped šļø
Terrain: coastal paths, forest, little bit of road, rocky paths.
š„¾Km: 20.2
š„¾Miles: 14
š¦¶Steps: 25,985
Total = 33/630 5% done ā
š°Costs: Ā£18.75 - fingers breakfast/gluten-free & Fruits smoothie
Ā£2.75 - elderflower juice drink
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10 - still a beautiful day and I did enjoy it but it was Tough going
Fatigue: 6/10
Ease of terrain: 6/10. to me it felt like tough terrain with lots of up & downs. someplaces were rocky underfoot
āļøHighlights: the weather has been glorious. But there has been very little shade today. And Iāve only got about a litre of water left and nowhere to get new water until I get to the next town. Managed to get some water at a river running to the sea
šļøChallenges: went over and twisted my right ankle. Not happy.
I thought I had the perfect wild camping spot. Until three horses š came along and got very interested in me, my tent & my bag. They would not go away I thought at one point they were going to trample over everything.
I need to pack everything up and make a quick exit and find somewhere else to camp. not what I wanted at 8:30 pm in the evening. Finally got settled at 9.30pm
šThoughts: feeling so lazy/tired probably to do with the weather. But it is a struggle to move sometimes I just wanna sit down in the Sun. āļø
Day 4 š„¾South West Coast Path š“ó §ó ¢ó „ó ®ó §ó æ, UK National Trail š¬š§ šSupported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ā¹ļøStats: Wednesday 31st July
Weather: Sunny āļø & hot
From: just outside Combe Martin
Start time: 7.30am
To: Morte Point
End time: 9.10pm
Accommodation: wild camped āŗļø
Terrain: convoluted paths which needed some careful route finding. There are some easy cliff paths and a few rollercoasters. Lots of lots of down.ā°ļø
š„¾Km:20.7
š„¾Miles: 13
š¦¶Steps:26,546
Total: 47/630 7.5% done ā
š°Costs: Ā£18.75 I bought rubbish food. It was a convenient store. There wasnāt many options. Especially when being gluten-free. For this trip, I will just have to continue eating what I normally eat and then when Iām back home, Iāll figure out my diet.
Ā£10.48 Wetherspoon- chicken breast, chips & peas.
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment:6 /10
Fatigue: 6/10 - I took so many breaks and had a semi doze for 90 mins
Ease of terrain: 7/10 - tough - tough - tough
āļøHighlights: turning a corner and seeing a castle š° the weather āļø itās gorgeous being out here. But itās super hot. So needing to carry more water š¦
šļøChallenges: finding a good wild camping spot at the end of the day.
šThoughts: I donāt know why Iām eating so much food. None stop eating today. Stomach doesnāt feel great as I accidentally ate some wheat. But it is what it is! Lesson learned!
Day 5 š„¾South West Coast Path š“ó §ó ¢ó „ó ®ó §ó æ, UK National Trail š¬š§ šSupported by ZOLEO @zoleolifeeurope #ChallengeWithZoleo
ā¹ļøStats: Thursday 1st August
Weather: Sunny āļø & hot š„µ
From: Morte Point
Start time: 8am
To: before crow point
End time: 9pm big rest stops - like 3hrs sunbathing- so not constant walking!!
Accommodation: wild camped šļø
Terrain: sandy beaches, well marked tracks and paths.
š„¾Km: 18.8
š„¾Miles: 12 miles
š¦¶Steps:24,06&
Total: 60/630 9.5% done ā
š°Costs: Ā£10.25 green juice, eggs & sausage for breakfast
Ā£2.70 magnum ice-cream š¦
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10
Fatigue: 5/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10 a lot easier compared to the other days.
āļøHighlights: stunning beaches and the views looking out to the sea and the headlands were spectacular - also helped by the amazing weather. I had a 3 hr chill session at the beach - which was epic
šļøChallenges: I climbed Baggy Point coast guard pole which was so much fun!
šThoughts: Iāve got a plan for the next few days. When I get to Bude I have a room booked (Ā£68 including breakfast) and they will let me check in early. So Iāll be able to have a full reset. Eat well and recharge all my electronics š„³
Read more of my journey here: Day 6-10: Walking the South West Coast Path
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