England Guide
Devon and Cornwall
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The South West Coast Path
The South West Coast Path, Britain's longest footpath, starts at Minehead and tracks the coastline along Devon's northern seaboard, round Cornwall, back into Devon, and on to Dorset, where it finishes close to the entrance to Poole Harbour. The path was conceived in the 1940s, but it was just over 25 years ago that – barring a few significant gaps – the full 630-mile route opened, much of it on land owned by the National Trust, and all of it well signposted.
The relevant Ordnance Survey maps can be found at most village shops en route, while Aurum Press ( 
www.aurumpress.co.uk ) publishes four National Trail Guides covering the route, and the South West Coast Path Association ( 
01752/896237, www.swcp.org.uk ) publishes an annual guide to the whole path, including accommodation lists, ferry timetables and transport details.
Accommodation options in Minehead include the Old Ship Aground, right by the harbour on Quay Road ( 01643/702087; Price: ₤51-60), and Kildare Lodge on Townsend Road ( 01643/702009; Price: ₤61-70), a reconstructed Tudor inn. There's a YHA hostel a couple of miles southeast, outside the village of Alcombe ( 0845/371 9033, www.yha.org.uk ; from £12), in a secluded combe on the edge of Exmoor.