THE SOUTH WEST COAST PATH
SOUTH WEST ENGLAND
The South West Coast Path is the longest of Britain's National Trails, a total of 630 miles of gorgeous sea views. It starts at South Haven in Dorset and runs west to Chesil Beach through Lyme Regis, of French Lieutenant's Woman and Persuasion fame, and round Torquay, the fictional location of Fawlty Towers.
The origins of the pathway lie in the coastguard's need to access every mile of the southwest coast while patrolling for smugglers but since 1978 its purpose has been wholly recreational. Half-way along the southern stretch of the route, near Salcombe, lies the abandoned RAF airfield of Bolt Head. Today this is just grassland but during World War II Bolt Head helped protect shipping in the English Channel. In the middle of the former airfield there's a memorial to 17 RAF service personnel killed here.
The pathway then continues on towards Cornwall, past Plymouth and through Polperro and Penzance, turning the corner at Land's End and ending in Minehead.
Where to stay
The South Sands Hotel, South Devon
Near Salcombe sits South Sands on its own beach. This is a bright, white New England clapboard-style hotel with the delicious smell of wood-smoke rising from the fireplace in its bar.
At night you can hear the sea surging below the bedrooms as the tide comes in, and in the morning you wake up to stunning sea views.